You all got the best of me, pork butt starting soon

[gt2003]

I just had lasik eye surgery and had to take a break from the forum for a few days. Well, I'm back now and couldn't stand it. I ran to the store and bought a small pork butt, about 3 lbs. I've got the smoker lit, the pork butt rubbed down with headcountry rub (emptying cabinet before I buy Jeff's rub). I'll post some pics once I get everything together. I want you to know, this is entirely your fault. I'm going to use a thermometer for the 1st time in my smoking career. Pics to come soon (I'll try to edit and add to this post). Thanks, Greg

 

[t-bone tim]

glad we pushed you over the edge

...I love pork butts ,especially pulled ,so I like to whole ones ,bigger the better IMO, you can't go wrong using a thermometer...it's all about the temps ,not the times ....

please keep us updated and pics of your smoke !!

 

[gt2003]

Let me ask a question real quick. I'm waiting until the charcoal gets going really well before I put the pork butt on. I quit using the charcoal briquets and now am using the hardwood lump charcoal. I generally add charcoal as needed but am wondering if the excess smoke it creates when catching fire will have a bad effect on my smoke. Am I worrying too much or is this just caused from the briquets and not the lump charcoal. Thanks, Greg

 

[t-bone tim]

Greg ,wait till your lump gets goin good and calms down ,so to speak ,get your temp right in your smoker first ,before putting your meat on , then not too much wood or chips at a time ,so the smoke stays thin n blue....

 

[ba_loko]

Greg, I use Royal Oak lump. Once it's burning well, it doesn't cast much of a smoke, certainly not anything that would ruin the meat. If this is your first time using lump, you'll likely notice that it burns a bit hotter. Keep that in mind and watch the cooking chamber temps closely.

 

[gt2003]

The charcoal is burning nicely now and the smoke has died down quite a bit. I'll be sure to keep an eye on the temps and not to add too much wood or charcoal at a time from here on out. Pics to come soon. Thanks again

 

[gt2003]

Here are a couple of pics of the butt getting started on my older New Braunfels smoker (before charbroil bought them) to get you salivating. I'll post more in a oouple of hours.

 

[vlap]

on this note I have seen where people will add unburned charcoal a few lumps at a time and watch the heat.
How do some of you add more charcoal? Get it started in a Charcoal Starter and slowly add coals from there?

 

[gt2003]

Ok, she's been on the smoker for a couple of hours and the temp is a tad bit high, about 150. So, I'm pulling her off, wrapping her and putting her in the oven for a while. Once temp hits 200 degrees I'll pull her out, let her sit for a while then pull. Here is a pic right before she went in the oven. I'll post another once she comes out and is pulled.

 

[meowey]

Keep that Q-vies coming! Looking good!

Take care, have fun, and do good!

Regards,

Meowey

 

[ba_loko]

That looks very nice.

 

[gt2003]

Finished! It turned out great. I was going to post earlier but I had to have a sandwich and some fried potatoes and onions first. Here's an overview: I smoked it on the smoker to about 150 degrees, wrapped and finished in oven at 250 until the internal temp reached 200. I need some practice at the "pulling" part. It took me a while with just 2 kitchen forks. Here's some pictures before pulling and after. Let me know what you think. Thanks, Greg

 

[short one]

Looks great. Next time wrap in an old towel and let it sit on the counter for 1/2 hr. to 1 hr. if time allows. This will let the meat rest and let it pull easier.

 

[ajthepoolman]

Amen to what shortone said. Let it sit for 2 hours. The temp will drop down to the 160 to 170 range which is tolerable when you have to grab with the fingers. Course if it is done right, two forks and a couple of tugs will be all it takes for the meat to collapse into shredded beauty!

 

[t-bone tim]

Congrats , great job...like shortone says ...wrap it up in an old towel and put it in a picnic/beer cooler for a couple hours ....also when pulling I prefer to use a knife in one hand and a fork in the other

 

[hawgheaven]

Looks great Greg!

 

[redbrinkman1955]

Good looking pork,Havent tried a pork butt yet but it up there on my list .
Keep up the good smoking job
Good Luck and Good Smoking
Redbrinkman1955

 

[ajthepoolman]

Red, it is very easy with your Brinkmann. I had a thermometer in the meat, and one that I drilled just below the top grate. The therm near the grate registered 250 with the door closed. If I cracked it open about an inch, the temp stayed a pretty constant 228. I left mine on for 15 1/2 hours and then let it sit for 2 hours. The meat simply fell apart when a fork got near it.

 

[billyq]

I bought some "bear claws" off ebay for pulling. They do make short work of it!

 

[ajthepoolman]

I wondered how well those worked. I might just have to pick up a pair.