Smokers (BBQ - not grilling)

[Fred W]

Don't dismiss the baby-backs. They can be very meaty, depending on how much of the loin the butcher leaves on them. They do cook up a little faster than the StLouis or spare ribs from further down the rib cage. I've found they don't need crunching at all. Just about 5 hours of steady heat and smoke.

The one time I tried to cook beef ribs I think I tried to rush it too much. Next time I'll crutch them for some period of time to help the fat render down and let them go for 6 hours at least. It's a lot easier finding pork ribs in the northeast than beef ribs of any quality.

 

[Knifemaker]

Before pic. Went in at 7:30 am.

Man, that applewood smells great. Trying to keep her in the 225-240 range...little harder keeping her steady as I'm burning more wood this time.

Looked for beef ribs here, specficly beef short ribs, which I only found in tiny packages. We have a farm down the road that sells beef, may see if they can get me a nice hunk.

 

[Fred W]

I assume that the reason for tying it up is it was a boneless butt?

 

[Knifemaker]

No, there's a bone. I tied it up. Just makes it easier to pull out and get on the cutting board without it breaking apart in your hands, ..like it tried to do last time... (and it's going on a rack with widely spaced bars).

Using a slight alternate of Meatheads "fast method" ....(he suggests tying up the hunk too) As I'll be gone for a few hours, setting the oven @ 225 till I get back...

https://amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/perfect_pulled_pork.html

Ready for stage two...@ 4-1/2 hours:

Edit- at 4-1/2 hours in the oven, probe @ 192F. Won't be long now. When it hits 203, going to fan out the oven and reset at 170 F for about an hour.

(Oh, and holely ****, the whole house smells awesome.. )

 

[Knifemaker]

Well here it is...

Pic right out of the oven, bone actually spitting out:

Pic before mixing. Nice smoke ring, tender, juicy as heck:

So, pretty happy with how it turned out. Realize it might have been better if I did a full smoke, but I really liked how it came out and tasted. Wife was very pleased. (Pleasing the wife is a biggy )

Got lunch for the week.

 

[TomInPA]

It's hard to kill a pork butt, even when it's a shoulder. Looks good, and I bet it tasted better.

 

[Fred W]

Looks real good. Making my mouth water. I'm hankerin' for some pulled pork now...

It looks like you didn't wrap it when you put it in the oven. No wonder your kitchen smelled so good.

 

[Knifemaker]

I didn't wrap it per say, but I did cover the roasting pan with foil.

There was one tiny hole at the top, (and the one for the probe) the foil was sealed as best as I could around he pan, and was not touching the meat. The butt was on a rack 2-1/2 inches above the bottom of the pan... which if you look closely you can see some dark brown juice n the bottom. (Was about 2 cups) I poured a little of it on the leftovers I packaged and froze. Have about six sandwich size bags ready to take for lunches now

I had put about a cup of apple juice in the pan before it got covered and went into the oven. I was really surprised how "juicy" the meat was...compared to my other pork butts. There were some crunchy areas of bark.

Total cook time was 10 hours. (And then a one hour "rest" at 170)...I did bump the oven to 275 the last hour of cooking.

I may try this method on a brisket.

 

[gapiob]

Well it's decided, I stop (for the day) to read this thread ... It gives too hungry, and it's just 4pm

 

[Fred W]

Oh yeah... monkey see, monkey do.

Picked up a nice big 9 pound Boston Butt at Wally World today. Hit it with the salt for overnight brining (1/2 tsp / lb) and will dry rub it and pop it onto the UDS in the early AM. There is a small chance of continued sprinkles tomorrow so I rigged up a new (bigger) tarp as a rain fly. Will be using a mix of lump and briquettes with some hickory wood chunks for smoke.

 

[Fred W]

Here's today's guest of honor, all ready to go on the pit.

And here's my supersize rain fly setup. I extended my Sunsetter awning from the deck with a 10'x12' Heavy duty tarp.

Note that the UDS is putting out some of that coveted TBS (thin blue smoke). Smoke is wafting to the left.

All set for the next 10-12 hours. I'm going to flip it once, but don't plan on crutching it at all.

 

[Knifemaker]

Nice looking chunk of meat there.

I wish I had some kind of option to deal with rain for my pit. I would pretty much need to build a tent over it and find a way to vent the smokestack without cooking the tent material. We are planning to build a small patio up front...but not sure if the smoker will fit into those plans. Right now I just avoid doing cooks on days where it's going to rain..

 

[TomInPA]

I cook in the rain and snow all the time. I use a remote thermometer to monitor pit temperature and the cook, and only need to go out briefly to make adjustments. You don't need to sit in the rain to drink a beer and cook.

 

[Fred W]

String up a fly. No need to vent smoke. It will find its way out. Tilt the tarp towards the prevailing wind and all on a single incline.

After a drizzly morning the sun came out here and I stashed the bivvy. Then Bbdig came up and we put some new Stinko Tahrs on his ManStrom. Porky is still chugging away at 187 F now after a steady 12 hours, so I think I'm just now busting through the stall and headed for home. But the idea of eating this pig tonight is getting less and less likely.

Oh well, if there is one thing that I have learnt these past couple of years of trials and errors, it's that you can't rush good que. So we'll just have to find something else to eat tonight and have pulled pork for breakfast!

 

[Knifemaker]

Well Tom, not saying I couldn't do a cook in the rain...it's just that I don't want to

My pit sits at the bottom of a hill next to the driveway. Could always just drink that beer in my garage. As you can see there are two trees on either side behind the smoker, I thought I could rig up a tarp attached to them and run the front side to my truck or something:

Would have to get the ladder out and sling some rope around the trees a good 10 feet up, and then find somewhere to tie down the front of it. Or possibly just find a nice big umbrella. Could also make a cover for the smokestack...

Just a bit of work really to set all that up.

Fred, sounds like a late night snack is a good option Wonder if you had cut the butt into two pieces if it would have cooked a bit sooner....(you'd get more surface area for the bark at least)

 

[Fred W]

You're probably right about that. I've done two small butts in the past and they did cook faster. But I'm looking to stretch the artisanal angle here for good purpose. See, I've been tasked to smoke some pork shoulder for my son's upcoming nuptials in VT in October, and with the gourmet caterer he has lined up for the wedding day, I want this to be a special rehearsal dinner. He wants to make smoked pork tacos, which will be very interesting.

 

[Knifemaker]

That's really cool.

We have a local food truck that serves Smoked pulled pork tacos that are freaking awesome.

They use a BBQ style sauce (but won't tell me what's in it...I'd guess balsamic vinegar and some kind of hot sauce) .. thin sliced red cabbage, red onion, tomato, avacado, and what I think asiago cheese. If I ever see it around town I stop and get one....even if I just ate.

The recipes are likely endless on what to do with smoked pork..

 

[Fred W]

So this is a first for me on the UDS. I ran out of heat / fuel after 15 hours. I bet I wouldn't have if I used straight briquettes. I also think my pizza pan diffuser is wasting BTUs, but... you know, gotta try things to know. Transferred my big butt to the kitchen oven at 185 to finish up. Put a loose foil cover on it on a rack in a roaster pan. Maybe this will be done by midnight? :lol:

 

[Knifemaker]

What temp you have the oven? It shouldn't hurt at this point to crank it up some.

(Meathead wrote going as high as 350F)

 

[HotRodZilla]

What's wrong with eating at midnight? That's the beginning of a brand new day!!