First Pork Butt

[jay frank]

HI All,

My name is Jason and I am new to this website and new to smoking.  My Fiance got me a GrillPro Charcoal for christmas(essentially the same as an ECB).  I added the suggested mods(adjustable vents on the bottom, screen down the center of grillpan, etc.)

First try was attempting jerky on a windy night.  Lesson learned...the top cover thermometer was reading VERY low, so i kept trying to get the heat up, i open up the lid after two hours and the jerky is burnt.  So I went out and bought a digital thermometer and a Pork Butt, and went for it.  Here is were I am at right now with it:

I was wondering if I could toss out a few questions to everyone, as I have no idea what I am actually doing:

-It is only 3.5lbs, can I get away with not foiling and still finish in a reasonable time(I am thinking refilling the carcoal in this thing will not be a picnic, like to avoid doing it if possible)?

-Should I mop it?  If so with what?  I bought a cleaning spray bottle to spritz with. 

Thanks for Everyones help!

 

[jay frank]

So, my charcoal only lasted 3 hrs, came outside and the grill temp had fallen from 230 to 180 degrees.  had to quickly disassemble, dump, refill with charcoal, and then put the few hot coals back on top.  This grillpro assembles in 3 pieces and seems to lose a lot of heat and smoke along the seems...maybe i should add gaskets?

 

[bama bbq]

I recommend doin something... you need at least 6 hours without babysitting IMHO.  I say 6 becasue that is a basic 3-2-1 for ribs.  Other larger cuts will take longer but you'll have to add fuel via the "hot squat" after 6 which if timed right you can get some sleep on an overnighter. I recommend a chimney to get coal started before disassembly and handles that you can grab with gloves on to ease the disassembly/assembly as quickly as possible. Good luck!

 

[jay frank]

Thanks for the advice Bama!  The asbestos gloves and handles sound like a must, as my fingers are hurting and my fiance's hand towels are looking rough.  Not sure if I will buy some gasket or just get some insulation to wrap around the seams.

Haven't decided if I will foil or not.  Would rather not and keep the crunch, but dinner time is coming soon(and I really do not want to refil the charcoal again...ow)

I have been spraying it with SoFlaQuer's finishing sauce recipe(slighly modified).  Here is how we are looking so far:

 

[jay frank]

Ran through the charcoal again.  Maybe I am doing this wrong.  Right now I have the fuel pan split like this:

lot of soot is building up, and the fuel is running our fast.  Should I remove the seperator?  I think I am going to add soot doors to the side as well.

 

[jay frank]

Well 12 hrs later its done...I bit dry, really smokey.  Had to finish the last 4.5 hrs in the oven.  It was only 3.5lbs so I am not sure why it took so long.  When I moved it to the oven it was at 155, still took 4.5hrs to get to 190.
 

 

[berninga87]

All butts are different, that seems on the high side for times, but it is only done when it's done. I have found that my butts are juiciest when taken to 200-205. If you ever have doubts about time the first thing to do is calibrate your thermometers, both for the meat and for the smoker. I usually will use boiling water(should read about 212 degreesF) and ice water(very close to 32 degreesF). The ice water should be just a cup of frozen cubes(crushed is even better) and enough water to cover them, no more, and the ice water will be slightly more accurate for calibration as a pan of boiling water will vary slightly in temp from bottom to top, but either method will suffice. Even if your therm is reading off a bit, you can still use it just knowing what your actual temp is compared to what the therm reads. Also, what smoker temp are you running at? Anyways, looks like you are off to a great start! everthing  

 and thanks for the Qview!