First time Pulling Pork?

[mobcounty]

This is how I did my very first Pork Butt in a brand new GOSM with the wonderful help from all the great people on SMF.

I decided to document the process in the hopes it may help others who may be considering learning some of the finer points of smoking.

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Here are some of the links that will be helpful along the way.

Dutch's sticky on GOSM mods:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...seasoning+gosm

Big-Fokker's question on seasoning the GOSM: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...seasoning+gosm

GOSM Guide on WYNTK: http://www.wyntk.us/food/gosm-propan...al-guide.shtml

Meowey's awesome Basic Pulled Pork Smoke Thread:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=8111

Jeff's aka SoFlaQuer's amazing finishing sauce:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...read.php?t=487

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10:00am

Brand new smoker, washed, seasoned and ready to go!

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10:35am

My first pork butt! .. and pupper his hoping its going to be his first pork butt too..

*There is a stage I have skipped. It's the secret rub stage. Traditionally, I keep the meat in a rub for 24 hours prior to smoking. Unfortunatly, I did not have time so I had to rub the meat just before the smoke. There are some very good rub's on SMF, so do a search and find the one you like. I'm personally working on my own 'secret' rub, so I'll save that post for later.

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10:40am

We did not have a coffee can, so I made due with a soup can.. I have since cut it down and placed it so it faces straight up.

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2:30pm

4 hours into the smoke. I have been getting what I think is TSB. My ECB used to 'puff' out smoke. The GOSM seems to drizzle out smoke. Three chunks of Mesquite sofar, and a few sprays of cider/rum to promote bark. The meat is 125 right now.

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7:00pm

Here are the latest smoke stats:

Time in smoke = 8.5 hrs
Smoker temp = 225
Butt temp = 157
Beer Count = 4 and rising.

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8:00 PM

Pork butt at 159 now sprayed with a good amount of cider/rum and wrapped in foil. Probe easily sunk into the meat.

Cook time sofar: 9.5 hours

Outside temp went from 75 to 50. The smoker interior temp went from 235'ish to 215'ish. The meat actually went down from 159 to 157 after wrapping it 30 minutes ago. I'm adjusting the burner slightly (instead of Low, going to 1/3 of the way to medium past Low). I am not doing this to heat the meat quicker (which is a big no,no). I am hoping to get the smoker back to 235 and compensate for the lower outside temp.
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Midnight
Cook time 13.5 hours
The butt hit 195 and I pulled it out and let it sit in foil for 20 minutes.
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The meat has pulled away from the bone 1/2 inch.

The smoke ring seems pretty deep. I would say 1/2 an inch. The bark is a little light and a good reason for more practice!

I used 8 big chunks of mesquite for the smoke. There was not a lot of smoke. Most of the time I had a thin veil of almost invisible smoke. Additionally, the meat did not taste as smoked as I was used to. My previous smokes were on a ECB with a lot of puffy smoke so I have become used to a very smoke rich flavor. However, when one of my guests tasted the pork, they first said.. 'Oh my god.. this is good'.. followed with, 'Wow, usually the meat I get has too much smoke, this is perfect'.

You all can be the judge on that one.

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The pork easily breaks apart at the squeeze of a finger. This is easily the most tender meat I have ever produced.

A few moments later:

The pork has been shredded and seasoned with the finishing sauce.

So we are clear, the finishing sauce took the flavor of the pork over the top! The whole thing is now wrapped in foil just waiting for some hungry people to come along

...

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A great deal of thanks should go out to the people here on the forum for their vast knowledge of smoking, as well as their desire to share it with the rest of us!

Thank you SMF!

All the very best regards,
MC

Happy Smoking!!!




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[wilson]

Very Good looking Pork! Great Job and Great Q-view.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ron

 

[homebrew & bbq]

It sounds (and looks) like it went very well for you for a first time... or any time for that matter. Nice documentation of your process. The pork looks mighty good.

 

[mobcounty]

Thanks guys!

I think the pork turned out pretty solid for a noob. It's good, but it's nowhere near the smoke I got when I visited 'Rudy's' or the 'County Line' in TX. I need to work on a good bark, and solid smoke flavor. I also think my rub needs a little tuning, in my opinion, it was a little light on heat, and salt.

That said, the texture was very good, and thats one the hardest parts for me.

 

[dionysus]

Very nice job .... so when do we get to see the brisket process???

 

[hawgheaven]

Excellent job MC!

 

[vlap]

Very Nice!!!

 

[flash]

Fat cap up or down? Not sure if I saw that anywhere? I know with fat cap down, I always got better bark. I also started leaving pork out till I hit high 150s to early 160's. Otherwise, heck of a job. Practice makes perfect.

 

[mobcounty]

I followed a suggestion from Meoway's and had the cap down. I don't quite follow you on the leaving the pork out till high 150's?

*edit, I read up on on the 'holding pork till'.. I will have to try that next time.

 

[flash]

What I meant to say was leave it unwrapped from foil as long as you can, then you will see more bark. The bark is brought on by the spices/rubs you use, so a more sugary rub will get you more bark. Once it is wrapped in foil, especially with fat cap up, the bark seems to deteriorate due to sitting in its own juices. Really you seem to do nothing wrong at all after I reread meoweys post to refresh my memory. I would suggest next time to try for a higher smoker temp (250 to 275º), atleast thru the early part of the smoke. I use sand sometimes instead of water....higher, more constant temps. More rub, people tend to under do it. No basting for atleast two hours and wait as long as you can before wrapping in foil.

This was a 8 1/2 lb butt done on my ECB charcoal version. Done in 7 hours.



Little over one hour



Done

 

[blackhawk19]

Great smoke and documentation

 

[shellbellc]

Great QView!! Good looking first shoulder...did pupper ever get some?

 

[ajthepoolman]

You also mentioned that you were waiting for hungry people to come by...I am still waiting on the directions to your place!

 

[dingle]

Awesome play by play! John Madden couldn't have done it better. Good start to your addicition.

 

[mobcounty]

Excellent Flash! My rub is getting more brown sugar and a bit more heat.

Hehe, funny you should ask Shellbellc. He got a little wedge, then spent the next 10 minutes licking the ground where the little scrap of meat landed.

Quick and easy instructions. Hop in the car and drive west until the temp reaches 75 degrees. If you can smell the smog of LA, you are too far shouth and if you hit any traffic from SF you are too far north.

Thanks Dingle!

 

[foozer]

Hey Flash,

That is a nice looking butt. It look like you scored it. If so, was that the fat cap or the other side?

 

[camp_cookie]

Very nice thread presentation and good looking eats.

 

[carl spackler]

Them are some good looking pics.

 

[flash]

Yes, scoring allows for rub to reach more areas of the meat. I am prone to fat cap DOWN now, due to me getting a better bark. Bark seems to disappear if fat cap up and you wrap butt in foil. Kinda stews in its own juices.

 

[deejaydebi]

Mob -

Nice butt and a nice presentation A+++!