Pulled pork, ribs and firebox monitoring

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waywardswede

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Aug 5, 2013
252
21
Buffalo, NY
OK, have a long day on the smoker planned today.  Going to try to get 2 shoulders done in time for dinner, and some baby back ribs for my folks.  Also thought I would try to keep track of my charcoal / split use, as I haven't really monitored that closely before.  I'll set up a table for the firebox details here at the top, then add pictures and details below.
TimeDetail
Night beforeSet up firebox with ~10 lbs lump and 2 chunks hickory in firebox. 
4:30
 Light 1 chimney briquettes
5:15Add chimney to fb
5:25CC stable @230°, TBS, add meat
6:30Add 2 more hickory chunks
Two shoulders from local supermarket



Prepped with Jeff's rub the night before


Started with about 10 lbs of lump and a couple chunks of hickory


Chimney with briquettes


Briquettes added to FB


Temp stable at 230°, add meat


Top and bottom vent just barely open to keep temp stable from 230° to 250°


OK, at this point drove to neighborhood Tim Hortons for some coffee.  Addicted to the TH coffee, not sure what they add to it but I'm hooked.  Okay, back at 6:15 to nice TBS, everything looking good so far.


I'll be back....
 
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TimeDetailMeat temp
Night beforeSet up firebox with ~10 lbs lump and 2 chunks hickory in firebox.   
4:30
 Light 1 chimney briquettes
 
5:15Add chimney to fb  
5:25CC stable @230°, TBS, add meat  
6:30Add 2 more hickory chunks  
7:05Add 1 sm, 1 lg split.  Put temp sensor in meat84
7:20Add 1 lg split, increase smoker temp 250 - 27088
     
Update on temps, here's where we're at:



I'll be back with a Swedish breakfast.
 
OK, so son (age 11) is home from scout camp (actually been away more than home this month, with a couple of weeks at Christian camp, 1 week at scout camp, then going back to Christian camp next week), so he comes down with bleary eyes, first words are 'What's for breakfast?'.  I say I dunno, how 'bout some cereal, and he says 'Hey, let's have some pult!'.

So, a bit of explaining here, probably good idea.  Pult is a Swedish recipe I learned from my grandfather years ago, it's basically just flour, potatoes and salt pork.  I'll have to create a how-to post the next time we make them.  Anyway, they're rolled into balls (a little smaller than a softball) and frozen until needed:



Inside, showing salt pork in middle:


Cut into cubes and fried with butter:


Conversation with son:

"Dad, those are looking a little dry.  Better add more butter"

"I already used half a stick, that's enough"

"You're cooking 3 of them.  Grandma uses a whole stick for one!"

"Grandma is 82 years old, she can do whatever she wants"  ... as I add a little more butter.
 
yeah, it's about 450 miles between, us, but right off the same Highway (more or less). Never seen Pult before. Reminds me of the Geotta we ate in Cincinnati when I was a kid. I make it here too when I have a hankering. It is Pork Sausage, steel cut oats, onions and some seasonings. Cooked, formed into bricks using meatloaf pans, chilled and then sliced and cooked with a little pork fat in the skillet. Man between you and me, I'm starving... 
drool.gif
 
TimeDetailCC tempMeat temp
Night beforeSet up firebox with ~10 lbs lump and 2 chunks hickory in firebox.     
4:30
 Light 1 chimney briquettes
   
5:15Add chimney to fb    
5:25CC stable @230°, TBS, add meat230  
6:30Add 2 more hickory chunks250  
7:05Add 1 sm, 1 lg split.  Put temp sensor in meat25084
7:20Add 1 lg split, increase smoker temp 250 - 27027088
8:10
Add 2sm, 2lg split.  Vents at 1/2 (bottom), 1/2 (top)
270108
8:20Spike to 300, vents at 0, 1/2 for 10 minutes, then bottom at 1/2300  
8:50Add 2 lg split275122
9:154 hours270133
9:25Add 2 lg split, vents at 1/2, 1/2270135
10:00
Add 1 lg, 1 sm, vents 1/2, 1/2

Condensed coals, bin about 1/2 full, set up another chimney to keep good coal base
270147
10:10
Spiked to 325 from condensing coals and shaking things up, closed vents to 0 bottom, 1/4 top
325  
10:15Temp stable275  
10:15Add chimney lump, 2 splits275153
OK, here's where I'm at, going pretty good except for a couple of spikes above 300 when I turned my back (teach me to multi-task).  At 5 hours I added another chimney to keep things running.  For most smokes (ribs, chicken) I would have been well set with the initial charcoal setup and adding splits, but because this will be going for awhile yet I added more lump to keep a good base.  I've run into trouble before by letting the base of coals get too thin.

Here it is at about 4 hours, didn't write down when I took the picture


Coals moved over toward CC to make room for another chimney.  Temp spiked to 325 5 minutes after doing this, need to watch that.


Added chimney of lump


OK, need to get ribs set now, be back with those.
 
OK, next update, ribs on at 12:45, butts stuck stalled at 165 and 180.
TimeDetailCC tempMeat temp
Night beforeSet up firebox with ~10 lbs lump and 2 chunks hickory in firebox.     
4:30
 Light 1 chimney briquettes
   
5:15Add chimney to fb    
5:25CC stable @230°, TBS, add meat230  
6:30Add 2 more hickory chunks250  
7:05Add 1 sm, 1 lg split.  Put temp sensor in meat25084
7:20Add 1 lg split, increase smoker temp 250 - 27027088
8:10
Add 2sm, 2lg split.  Vents at 1/2 (bottom), 1/2 (top)
270108
8:20Spike to 300, vents at 0, 1/2 for 10 minutes, then bottom at 1/2300  
8:50Add 2 lg split275122
9:154 hours270133
9:25Add 2 lg split, vents at 1/2, 1/2270135
10:00
Add 1 lg, 1 sm, vents 1/2, 1/2

Condensed coals, bin about 1/2 full, set up another chimney to keep good coal base
270147
10:10
Spiked to 325 from condensing coals and shaking things up, closed vents to 0 bottom, 1/4 top
325  
10:15Temp stable275  
10:15Add chimney lump, 2 splits275153
11:05Add 2 splits260163
11:20Moved temp sensor to smaller butt, internal temp is higher270178
11:50Add 1 split, add ribs, back heat off for ribs230180
12:20Add 2 splits220178
1:35Add 1 split, prep chimney with lump230185
1:50Add chimney, wrap ribs and butts220185
2:00Stable, all back in for finish230185
2:40Light 1/2 chimney of briquettes to finish250183
3:00Add briquettes, done with splits.  250192
3:45Pulled ribs from smoker250198
4:10Pulled butts from smoker250200
OK, so finished the ribs on the grill just to give a little crust to the outside, took it over to the parents (they live across the street), they're happy


Butts are wrapped tight and in the cooler, as soon as the wife and son get back from the pool we'll pull them.  Interesting that smaller butt stalled at about 180, larger one stalled at 165.  When the smaller one hit 178 at 11:30 I thought for sure it was going to just sail right on through.  But if fluctuated from 185, then all the way back to 178, then back and forth, for over 3 hours before it broke through.  They ended up finishing within 15 minutes of each other.

I'll be back later with finish product on the pulled pork. Thanks for looking!
 
Looks like you're off to angood start! I like your smoker! I'll be hanging around for the finish.
Thanks for looking Case!
 
Lookin good so far Swede!  I'm intrigued by the pult...

Red
Thanks, Red.  I'll be making more this fall, I'll create a complete write up then, I think a lot of folks here would find it interesting. 
 
looking good, maybe load a half chimney to keep the temps from climbing that high? Looking good! 
Thanks, Bob, I left the vents open too far.  I have to really watch it for 5-10 minutes after I add more fuel, it can really spike.
Isn't that the way. My 5 lb shoulder is at 196. It went on at 630. It should be done soon. Ribs look great!
Great minds think alike!
 
Really like your set up
Thanks, it was a little bumpy getting started, but I'm getting a handle on it now.  It's getting to be more fun, I'm not as nervous as I was starting out.

Thanks for watching, everyone, I appreciate the feedback!
 
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