I'm no expert on pork butt--haven't smoked one yet. But I've never heard of brining pork. I know about brining poultry and brining beef brisket to make corned beef or pastrami but not pork. But again, I don't know that much about it. I know you'll get plenty of bark during the unfoiled stages.
Did you mean Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible website? If so, I have about 4-5 of his books, including the Bible, and I download recipes he may not have published there. I also have a still-unwatched DVD set from one of his PBS series. I'll take a look at that brining recipe.I got the basic brine from "barbecuingbible" web site, then added to it, it worked for me. I think of it as a type of marinade as there's a lot of good spices and seasonings in it. I decided to do a search on here to see how many people brine their pork butts. However, just skimming the titles that come up, there was nothing on here about it. I only went threw the first page though, but does not seem to be a common practice. I did read a thread about how many people do and don't foil and why. It's interesting to me all the different methods and opinions there really are. I really enjoy reading everyones adventures on smoking, and completely understand why it's nicknamed food porn!!
On another note....... I got my confirmation email this morning, as well as verification of shipment of my AMNPS!! I am super excited and can't wait. Feels like Christmas!!!
The 12" AMNTS works great. I will buy pellets from Todd but have a local Country Hearth and Home shop that has the 1lb. bags of BBQ'ers Delight (100% wood that's on the bag instead of the blended fuel and flavor.) Traeger and other pellet manufacturers are 2/3 Alder or White oak wood for heat and low ash and 1/3 the smoke flavor wood on the bag or flavor oil. Todd's is 100% wood on the bag. The local shop may be phasing it out plus I owe Todd for last years giveaway. The pellets catch fire in 10 seconds with a torch and need to burn for a minute or so before blowing out the flame. Then it needs to smolder and develop coals for up to 10 minutes before placing in the smoker. Instructions come with the smokers and you can look it up on his site. The saw dust seems to be easier to light and probably stays lit with lower maintenance. Once the saw dust is in the smoker it should be fine from blowing around from the wind. Other SMF members can give better insight on how long saw dust burns. Pellets seem to be less of a hassle/mess and can be microwaved to remove moisture if left open to humidity. As far as trying butcher's paper vs. foil, I don't need 900ft. of it at $20+. I think I'll wrap a brisket in parchment paper when it hits the stall then wrap it in newspaper to see if it helps keep the bark crispy.
Just re-read one of your posts. So, Todd's offering free bags of pellets or dust with the AMNPS? I've never used dust although many people in the forum do use it. I've no idea if it burns faster or as long as pellets. I'd just be worried about it blowing about on a windy day if you've smoking outdoors.
Forgot about Johnny Trigg ribs. Used to enjoy watching him compete on BBQ Pitmasters. I'm smoking 3 racks of St. Louis style ribs tomorrow. Not foiling them because it'll be in the middle of my wife's home daycare hours and I don't want to hassle with bringing the ribs into the kitchen to foil and then bring them back outside. My goal was to try smoking unfoiled ribs this year because most BBQ pros and chefs don't do it from what I've seen on TV. on the bag instead of the blended
Don't get me started on Wally World...
I got his How to Grill book in 2001 for Xmas. If you have that book, the Mediterranean Herb Rub in the back of the book is the bomb. This is the link to the thread I made last year with this rub.http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/166791/mediterranean-spare-ribs
My mom's mouth can't handle tangy spicy seasoning so I'll make 3 slabs of baby back ribs this time for Mother's day weekend. It's something different and savory than traditional BBQ rub.
You won a Todd giveaway? Fie on you, sir! Been on SMF for over two years and I've never won a giveaway. But since I've no hard feelings and a big heart I still buy wood pellets from Todd even though I could source them locally. Besides the quality, here's another reason: know how many guys advise nuking wood pellets since they're said to absorb moisture? Today I used oak and hickory pellets I bought from Todd that are anywhere from 6 months to over a year old. Fired them up in the AMNPS using gelled alcohol as an accelerant and they're still going strong about 3 hours later. That's why I'm such a minimalist when it comes to smoking. I eschew the mailbox mods, the nuking, all kinds of stuff because I've never needed to do any of that to get the great results I get every time I use my MES 30 Gen 1.
I've got that one, Barbecue Bible, Planet Barbecue, and Barbecue Bible: Sauces, Rubs and Marinades. I've really got WAY too many grilling books and cooking magazines. I have to believe in reincarnation because that's the only way I've ever going to barbecue and grill everything I want to get to. Raichlen's basic bbq rub and his Kansas City Sweet & Smoky rub have been my standbys. I've also made one of his BBQ sauces--or was it from Smoke & Spice? After almost 3 years I'm getting my sources mixed up.
Miersc77, if you're going to join our club you must learn the lingo! Yes, MES stands for Masterbuilt...blah blah blah. Just a faster way to type it. That site has been in my Favorites since last year. Whenever he posts a recipe and it's from Planet Barbecue or the Bible book I smirk with satisfaction because I've already got it.
I helped my buddy with the quick set up on his MES 30 last summer. He's never smoked anything before and still has yet to fire it up!? Now that's one patient man. He's a retired Electrical Engineer and wants to run electricity to his deck where he wants to permanently keep it. I told him all about SMF and A-maze-n products for smoke generators instead of using the chip loader. He'll get to it one day. I keep telling him to at least heat it up or season it to make sure there are no issues.
You'll have to let us know how those three racks of spares w/o foil worked out for you today.
I'm not sure if I'd call that patience. I think it's more procrastination.
I will. If they're done before 8 pm you'll see Qview. If after 8 pm you might see a photo of my wife braining me with a burning AMNPS. She doesn't like to eat late...
Thank God Todd had that second drawing in the afternoon that Saturday. That was a sweet grand prize he had for the final drawing.
