# Pulled Pork for a Party.



## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

Well, my wife wanted me to smoke some pulled pork for MY birthday at the end of the month. It was a perfect weekend weather wise to break out the OKJ Highland, so who was I to say no.

I figured 30 people would show up so I smoked 3 butts. Here they are rubbed with @chef jimmyj Carolina Q dust. My favorite rub to use on pulled pork. I just add some Lawry’s seasoning salt and omit the white pepper (I never have it on hand) Rubbed the night before:







OKJ is humming along. My side to side temps stay within 10 degrees of each other the whole cook:






Sneaking a peak, decided to spritz with ACV and water:






After 6.5 hours the bark is looking good so each butt was placed in a foil pan with a can of cherry dr pepper and foiled. I’m usually not a wrapper but I didn’t want to babysit and fuss with the OKJ all night. Plus this pulled pork will be served 3 weeks from now, so I wanted the drippings to add back to the pork once it is reheated.






Once wrapped the pork finished probe tender within 2.5 hours. All 3 butts finished within 10 minutes of each other. After a 2 hour rest, pork was falling apart and shredded:











Vacuum sealed for later. It was my first time trying the food saver expandable bags, they worked great:






On the day of the party, I will reheat the pulled pork in the Sous Vide and transfer it over to a crockpot for serving. Pork drippings were defatted and frozen as well. I will add the reconstituted juices back in.

As for the day of the party, I’ thinking of smoking 2 trays of bbq beans and mac and cheese. Maybe some cooler corn on the cob and potato salad.

Hope it turns out well and thanks for looking,

Xray(Joe)


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## banderson7474 (Aug 6, 2019)

xray
 looks great!  Can you tell me more about your mods.  you can send me a message if that's better. I don't want to derail your cook thread.  It looks like you did every mod but I'm most curious about the tuning plates you used and where you got them.


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## phathead69 (Aug 6, 2019)

Mail carrier must have lost my invite, could you resend it with date and time.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Aug 6, 2019)

Damn Joe that PP looks awesome! I think your quests are in for a real treat! Make a couple of jimmy j's BBQ sauces to go with it and really blow them away.

Funny I do the same thing on my birthday...smoke a whole bunch of stuff and invite the family over. My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing that on my own birthday but gives me an excuse to fire up the smokers and cook what I want instead of going out and paying out the ass for mediocre food.

Toss in some moinks and ABT's for the party too!

John


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## krj (Aug 6, 2019)

Looks great! I hope you have better luck with those expandable bags than I did. We had problems with getting them to seal properly and stayed sealed.


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## smokerjim (Aug 6, 2019)

looks delicious, your going to have a lot of happy guest.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 6, 2019)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> Damn Joe that PP looks awesome! I think your quests are in for a real treat! Make a couple of jimmy j's BBQ sauces to go with it and really blow them away.
> 
> Funny I do the same thing on my birthday...smoke a whole bunch of stuff and invite the family over. My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing that on my own birthday but gives me an excuse to fire up the smokers and cook what I want instead of going out and paying out the ass for mediocre food.
> 
> ...



If you're anything like me, it's a legit excuse to do 12oz curls the entire cook too!


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## SmokinVOLfan (Aug 6, 2019)

banderson7474 said:


> If you're anything like me, it's a legit excuse to do 12oz curls the entire cook too!



Lol your damn right!


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## PorkBones (Aug 6, 2019)

Beautiful bark! That's a lot of tasty looking PP. Nice rig, BTW!


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

banderson7474 said:


> xray
> looks great!  Can you tell me more about your mods.  you can send me a message if that's better. I don't want to derail your cook thread.  It looks like you did every mod but I'm most curious about the tuning plates you used and where you got them.



Thanks and no problem! I’ll just list out the mods here no need for a message. Don’t apologize for the derail, you could talk about the price of tea in China if you want, lol

My mods:
1. Baffle plate, I purchased this from bbqsmokermods for $89 (well it was my Xmas present) 
2. Latches for the cook chamber.
3. Nomex gasket on the CC and FB openings
4. Charcoal basket (bought expanded sheet metal and made myself)
5. High temp RTV sealant on opening between FB and CC. Also where the FB bolts together and on the exhaust.
6. SE connector on the left side to pass probes through, instead of pinching the wires on the door.
7. Turned firebox grate 90 degrees so it sits higher ( my thinking is more airflow underneath the coals plus it’s easier to clean out the ash during longer cooks)

The baffle plate works extremely well, it is made out of heavy gauge steel. If I’m building a big fire the FB side will heat faster and I’ll have about a 20 degree temperature difference....but if you maintain w steady fire, your side to side temps will be pretty even.

I’ve tried wrapping the two grill grates that come with it for the FB in aluminum foil. I wrapped them and used them as a deflector inside the CC, it didn’t work.

I also tried using a 3” aluminum elbow to bring the stack down to grate level. This gave me more problems and seemed to restrict my airflow. When I ordered my baffle plate, I emailed the guys at bbqsmokermods about the elbow, they told me the elbow wasn’t needed because the plate is designed for it...so I chucked the elbow and it’s been good ever since.

My biggest problem with my smoker seems to be the fire being choked out when I close the damper on the FB or the lid. So I smoke with the damper door completely open and the exhaust stack opened completely.

Also if you look at the picture, I keep FB lid slightly cracked with the poker. Once I get a good fire on the wood, I close the lid...but since I make a smaller fire, the lid is ajar a lot. I add a quarter split every 15-20 minutes.

I’ve found it easier to maintain and feed a small fire rather then build a bigger fire and try regulating with the damper since it tends to smother the flames. 

Sorry for the long windeness.


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

phathead69 said:


> Mail carrier must have lost my invite, could you resend it with date and time.



Well if he/she/ or x shows up, I will send a container home for you.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 6, 2019)

I just ordered the longhorn version of baffle plate from that website.  I also keep the door on the right of the FB completely open.  I am back and forth on the charcoal basket.  One of my issues with it is some of my splits wont fit without chop sawing them so I can't sit them flush into the basket.  I'm also not 100% sure that it's getting enough air so currently I am going without it to see if it's actually better or not. 

I also turned my FB grate 180 so it would sit higher and I got one of those scraper tools.  That def helps burning a cleaner fire.  I have a water pan too which has helped stabilize things.  I'm going to see how I like these plates and see where I'm at.  I can already maintain pretty good heat but there is a large difference from the right side to the left side. 

Where did you get the SE connector? Is that on the same website?  I probably should look into that next.


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

banderson7474 said:


> I just ordered the longhorn version of baffle plate from that website.  I also keep the door on the right of the FB completely open.  I am back and forth on the charcoal basket.  One of my issues with it is some of my splits wont fit without chop sawing them so I can't sit them flush into the basket.  I'm also not 100% sure that it's getting enough air so currently I am going without it to see if it's actually better or not.
> 
> I also turned my FB grate 180 so it would sit higher and I got one of those scraper tools.  That def helps burning a cleaner fire.  I have a water pan too which has helped stabilize things.  I'm going to see how I like these plates and see where I'm at.  I can already maintain pretty good heat but there is a large difference from the right side to the left side.
> 
> Where did you get the SE connector? Is that on the same website?  I probably should look into that next.



The SE connector is a Service Entrance cable connector. Any hardware store will have them in the conduit section. I bought mine at Lowe’s, I don’t remember if I bought a 3/4” or 1” size. Buy a bigger one if you run a lot of probes, especially the probes that are angled. You will need the extra space to turn and finagle them in.






The locknut is usually sold separately






I also thought about ditching the charcoal basket because I need to cut some splits to fit. I ruined a miter saw doing this. Maybe I’ll try it on the next smoke.

Since you ordered the baffle plate, try running it without the water pan to monitor your temps. Also since you could maintain a decent fire, I think the baffle plate alone will alleviate your side to side temps. As for using a water pan for moisture, that’s entirely up to you. I don’t really believe in it but that’s an argument for another post...I do however use  a sand filled pan to control temperature swings in my MB propane smoker and that is because of opening the door more frequently to add wood. Since the food and heat source are in the same location as opposed to an offset.

I’ve thought about extending the exhaust but I’ve settled into a system that seems to work for me, so I may not modify further.


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> Damn Joe that PP looks awesome! I think your quests are in for a real treat! Make a couple of jimmy j's BBQ sauces to go with it and really blow them away.
> 
> Funny I do the same thing on my birthday...smoke a whole bunch of stuff and invite the family over. My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing that on my own birthday but gives me an excuse to fire up the smokers and cook what I want instead of going out and paying out the ass for mediocre food.
> 
> ...



Thanks John!! There’s a Carolina mustard sauce on the forum I really like making. I’m also gonna give @Sammybones peach habanero sauce a try. And then I’ll just grab a store bought bottle of regular bbq sauce for the less adventurous eaters.

It was my wife’s idea to have me smoke for my birthday party. I ribbed her about having to cook my own food on my special day! Lol! But I would rather do that and have something different than ordering pizza or eating the same old food pierogis, sloppy joes etc etc...plus I hardly ever have a lot of people over so it will be a nice change of pace.


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

krj said:


> Looks great! I hope you have better luck with those expandable bags than I did. We had problems with getting them to seal properly and stayed sealed.



Thanks!! I left a lot of excess at the top because I usually pinch the bag in the container lid when I Sous Vide, that way the bags not floating close to the circulator. 

I think the excess allowed me to fold the creases nicely where they go into the sealer. I also triple sealed them....but I am definitely checking the seals on them. I can’t risk a catastrophe at this point.


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

banderson7474 said:


> If you're anything like me, it's a legit excuse to do 12oz curls the entire cook too!





SmokinVOLfan said:


> Lol your damn right!



It took me a minute to realize these were ounces. I saw curls and my mind read lbs....I was like “who the heck exercises when smoking “...not that there’s anything wrong with that.

But yeah, it was 85 degrees, humid and no shade in my driveway...I definitely knocked back a few Genny strawberry lemon cream ales!


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## xray (Aug 6, 2019)

PorkBones said:


> Beautiful bark! That's a lot of tasty looking PP. Nice rig, BTW!



Thanks PorkBones! It was a little soft since I wrapped but still tasty!!


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## GaryHibbert (Aug 6, 2019)

The pulled pork looks great.  Should be a great party.
Gary


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## xray (Aug 7, 2019)

Thanks Gary, and thanks for the like.


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## sauced (Aug 7, 2019)

That's some great looking pork! I have the same smoker and did the same mods including the same convection plate and that OK Joe puts out some really good bbq. Nice job!!


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## banderson7474 (Aug 7, 2019)

sauced said:


> That's some great looking pork! I have the same smoker and did the same mods including the same convection plate and that OK Joe puts out some really good bbq. Nice job!!



did you notice that it takes more fire in the FB to keep a temp with the baffle/tuning plates put in?  I ordered mine and hoping it gets delivered before the weekend? 

I guess it could be that it just takes a bit longer to get to temp.


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## gmc2003 (Aug 7, 2019)

Wicked looking PP Joe!!! Your guests are in for a real treat. 

Point for sure
Chris

Oh, Happy Birthday in advance( Just in case I miss the real date).


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## Bearcarver (Aug 7, 2019)

Looks Outstanding, Joe!!
Nice Bark!!
Nice Job, for Sure!!
Like.

Bear


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## drdon (Aug 7, 2019)

Looks scrumptious. Happy Birthday "to be". At least you'll know whats for dinner!


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## sauced (Aug 7, 2019)

No, once the plates get hot, they supply the heat to cook the meat and the holes allow the smoke to go over the meat. Once you are up to temp, you just keep adding wood to stay in your heat zone so to speak.


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## tropics (Aug 8, 2019)

Joe that is some fine looking PP Likes
Richie


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## xray (Aug 8, 2019)

sauced said:


> That's some great looking pork! I have the same smoker and did the same mods including the same convection plate and that OK Joe puts out some really good bbq. Nice job!!



Thanks! It sure does, it’s a shame I don’t use it as much as I should!



gmc2003 said:


> Wicked looking PP Joe!!! Your guests are in for a real treat.
> 
> Point for sure
> Chris
> ...



Thanks Chris! I’m sure they will like it since my family doesn’t do a lot of bbq for family gatherings. So it will be different and hopefully good.

Thanks again for the bday wishes!



Bearcarver said:


> Looks Outstanding, Joe!!
> Nice Bark!!
> Nice Job, for Sure!!
> Like.
> ...



Thanks Bear! Can’t wait to chow down in 3 weeks!! Thanks for the like!


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## xray (Aug 8, 2019)

drdon said:


> Looks scrumptious. Happy Birthday "to be". At least you'll know whats for dinner!



Thanks for the birthday wishes Dr....it will be a nice change of pace from the usual grub.



tropics said:


> Joe that is some fine looking PP Likes
> Richie



Thanks Richie! T-minus 22 days to chowdown!


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## b-one (Aug 8, 2019)

Looks great, how long do you cook your cooler corn? First and only time I seen someone do that I was like duh! I was reading an article on sweet corn and it was discussing cooking fresh corn. It said to cook fresh corn shorter then older corn and we cooked some fresh corn 3 minutes compared to 8 minutes and it was great that made me think some subpar corn in the past may just of been over cooked.


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## xray (Aug 8, 2019)

b-one said:


> Looks great, how long do you cook your cooler corn? First and only time I seen someone do that I was like duh! I was reading an article on sweet corn and it was discussing cooking fresh corn. It said to cook fresh corn shorter then older corn and we cooked some fresh corn 3 minutes compared to 8 minutes and it was great that made me think some subpar corn in the past may just of been over cooked.



Thanks B!!

Cooler corn is for larger crowds where you cook it once, keep it warm and let guests serve themselves....If it’s just the wife and I, I will add corn to boiling water, let it return to a boil, take it off the heat and wait 5 minutes.....or we will just eat grilled corn on the cob either with butter or make elote.

Now for the cooler corn...What I do is peel the corn and cut them in half. I find it’s much more manageable to eat smaller pieces, especially at a party with a beer in one hand and a plate in the other.

Place the peeled corn in a CLEAN cooler and add boiling or near boiling water. I just boil one stockpot of water. Close the cooler and the corn is ready in 20-30 minutes....but it keeps for hours and it’s much easier to feed more people that way instead of heating up the kitchen by cooking all the corn on the stove.

The water cools off pretty quickly once it hits the corn but the cooler keeps it warm, so don’t worry about it overcooking.

Have butter and salt on the side.


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## Sammybones (Aug 11, 2019)

How did the peach habanero bbq sauce turn out 

 xray
?


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## uncle eddie (Aug 11, 2019)

Awesome job...Like!

I wish I would have had this post handy a couple of weeks ago.  I had to use my brother in laws leaky, never seals right OKJ.  My review is here
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...n-oklahoma-joe-longhorn-offset-smoker.289546/

I looked closely at your mods (awesome job!) and read about them further up.  I thought pretty much the same but will not do them on a smoker I use maybe once or twice per year...that I do not own.

After your mods, can you control the fire box better and the smoke chamber?


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## xray (Aug 12, 2019)

Sammybones said:


> How did the peach habanero bbq sauce turn out
> 
> xray
> ?



Hey Sammy!

I haven’t made it yet. The party is at the end of August (31st). I will make it a few days prior. I may have to use supermarket peaches if there’s nothing fresh or local.

I’m looking forward to trying it and will give you a shoutout when I do.


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## xray (Aug 12, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> Awesome job...Like!
> 
> I wish I would have had this post handy a couple of weeks ago.  I had to use my brother in laws leaky, never seals right OKJ.  My review is here
> https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...n-oklahoma-joe-longhorn-offset-smoker.289546/
> ...



Thanks Eddie and for the like!

After making the mods the cook chamber does not leak. When I bought the smoker, I put a flashlight inside the smoker and sealed up any areas where light escaped. It took a couple of light taps with a rubber mallet to get the doors to fit flush....plus the gasket and latches make the CC airtight. I get a small amount of smoke that escapes from the grease drain but it doesn’t bother me.

As for the firebox, I put RTV sealant where the firebox halves bolt together and where the FB bolts to the cook chamber....

But my biggest issue is the fire snuffs out when I close the firebox lid and the damper door on the side....so I can’t really say how well these mods work since I leave the side door open, and I also prop the FB lid until the wood is burning good and burns off the heavy smoke. (Maybe they work too good and restrict airflow?)

The biggest improvement is the baffle plate that evens out the side to side temperatures. On shorter smokes, the constant temperature allows you to keep the lid closed without having to open frequently to rotate food. Also the plate helps with heat retention when opening the lid. The heavy guage steel retains the heat well.

Since this is not your smoker and I don’t know how you feel sinking money into something you don’t own. I would try foiling the extra charcoal grates and making a deflector with them as seen in this video: 

This didn’t work for me. I even tried a water pan with this method and still struggled with even temps....Sorry to say but the $90 baffle plate did the trick. I wish something cheaper worked.

As for the fire, I find keeping and feeding a smaller fire works well for me. Once you find that groove, I just add wood every 15-20 minutes.


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## old golfer guy (Aug 12, 2019)

xray, I am planning to do P. P. for 30 people on an RV trip in Sept. just as you are. My question is at what temp and how long in the S. V. ?
Like you my birthday present is to cook food for friends and family.


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## xray (Aug 12, 2019)

old golfer guy said:


> xray, I am planning to do P. P. for 30 people on an RV trip in Sept. just as you are. My question is at what temp and how long in the S. V. ?
> Like you my birthday present is to cook food for friends and family.



Since the pork is already cooked, vacuum sealed and frozen. I am just reheating it back to serving temperature.

Here’s my plan: 

Place frozen PP in Sous Vide at 145F about 3 hours before the party.

Once it comes time to eat, I will dump pork into crockpots at the keep warm setting.

I saved the defatted juices and froze them in ice cube trays. I will nuke the frozen cubes and mix in with the pulled pork.

Serving bbq sauce on the side. 

If the pork looks too dry, I will mix in some soflaquers finishing sauce but I’m thinking that I won’t have to because the SV will not overcook the pork.

I’m trying to keep the pork as simple as possible since there will be lots of different palates at the party. This way it’s not drowning in bbq sauce or vinegar based sauce...people can dress their pulled pork as they see fit.

I’m also gonna have coleslaw, pickles and chopped raw onions for optional toppings. Sauces will include: peach habanero sauce, Carolina mustard sauce and regular bbq sauce.


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## old golfer guy (Aug 12, 2019)

Thanks xray. I was thing along those same limes but I might take the temp ur a little higher.


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## xray (Aug 12, 2019)

old golfer guy said:


> Thanks xray. I was thing along those same limes but I might take the temp ur a little higher.



140-145F should be fine.


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## uncle eddie (Aug 12, 2019)

xray
 - Thanks for the video!
...we are headed back there for Thanksgiving so I will probably try a few mods out.  I might even spring for the baffle plates because he is a good brother in law.  How long to install the baffle plates?  Easy?  Hard?

BTW - the experts that produced the videos I watched all had similar mods to what you had and all had to leave the fire-box door open an inch or so for the fire to be right...so I think your mods are sot-on!


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## BigTurtle (Aug 13, 2019)

Very nice looking pig hog


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## xray (Aug 13, 2019)

uncle eddie said:


> xray
> - Thanks for the video!
> ...we are headed back there for Thanksgiving so I will probably try a few mods out.  I might even spring for the baffle plates because he is a good brother in law.  How long to install the baffle plates?  Easy?  Hard?
> 
> BTW - the experts that produced the videos I watched all had similar mods to what you had and all had to leave the fire-box door open an inch or so for the fire to be right...so I think your mods are sot-on!



The baffle plate install is super easy. The plate comes in two pieces plus the angle brackets. The brackets bolt to the plate and the plate butts up and bolts to the wall of the cook chamber.

When I get home from vacation tomorrow, I can take closer pictures of the mods and detail the process.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 13, 2019)

I just got my baffle plates in yesterday.  Plan on putting them in this week.  Can I just connect both plates and then sit it in there or do I need to bolt to the firebox too?


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## xray (Aug 13, 2019)

banderson7474 said:


> I just got my baffle plates in yesterday.  Plan on putting them in this week.  Can I just connect both plates and then sit it in there or do I need to bolt to the firebox too?



If I remember correctly, if you bolt the plate together outside the smoker, it may not go in or is extremely cumbersome.

I just have the angled piece that is closet to the firebox bolted in so it sits level. I take my OKJ inside after smoking, so moving it knocks the plate around.

As for the second part of the baffle plate (the one furthest from the FB, I just line it up and butt it next to the other piece. This way I could move it around easily when cleaning out the cook chamber.


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## xray (Aug 16, 2019)

uncle eddie



 banderson7474


Here are some pictures of the baffle plate. I threw these together hastily since I’ve only been back for a day and now headed up to Boston butt it really is simple.

Install the angle brackets on the plate outside of the smoker and then position the first part of the plate in the smoker, make sure it’s straight and level before marking your holes.











The plate is bolted to the outside of the smoker.







I tightened the bolts until the plate was level. This way grease runs towards the drain and not the firebox. Mine has a small gap, less than 1/4”. I emailed bbqsmokermods when I installed my plate and they said it was perfectly fine.

Here is the second piece of the plate. I elected not to bolt this together. You can see the holes are here to bolt them together with the supplied hardware. I just butt the second piece of the plate next to the secured piece. This way i could remove it for easier cleaning.







Cooking racks are back in position.






If you are going to seal the cook chamber lid with a gasket and/or latches. May I suggest adding a cable service entrance (SE) connector to run your probes. This way you’re not ruining that brand new gasket with a crease from the remote thermometer wires.

All you have to do is drill a hole to the corresponding size of the SE connector. The connector is secured with a washer on the inside of the smoker. Make sure you buy one that is big enough to support passing the probes through...especially if you have angled probes like the inkbird ones. I actually drilled out the rubber grommet a little bigger to make the probes easier to pass through.











I hope this helps.


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## banderson7474 (Aug 16, 2019)

Great thanks for that.  For some reason I thought you didn't have to drill any holes but it looks like if I want to secure the angle plates then I will have to.

I haven't even opened the box up yet but I intend to this afternoon.


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## gnarlykaw (Aug 17, 2019)

Nice job on the OJH!
I did a lot of the same as you on the mods for mine, opted out on the baffle plate, for three 1/8 steel plates that I shift around, depending on the cook.  I also run a FireBoard thermometer setup with the blower.   I set the blower up as a Venturi effect at the stack.  For the most part, it bought me more time in between refuel times, and it also made it a bit more stable on temps.


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## pigbark (Aug 17, 2019)

Nice Mods.. No matter how good a smoker is made, we can always make them better or more suited to our cooking style...


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## uncle eddie (Aug 17, 2019)

Thanks for posting those mod pics!  Like again!


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## xray (Sep 2, 2019)

Sammybones
 , I made your peach habanero sauce. It was delicious. Only thing is, I used 3 habs and had no heat, I’m gonna up them to 6-8 next time I make it. Thanks again!






The party was a success, everyone loved the food and have a ton of leftovers...guess I’m eating pulled pork sandwiches all week.

Didn’t get a chance to get a plated shot picture. Things got hectic once the party started. Only pic I got was the beans.


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## dannylang (Sep 2, 2019)

eray that was some mighty good lookin butts there. like,  happy birthday.....
dannylang


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## Sammybones (Sep 2, 2019)

Yeah, I use six I believe. This baked beans look awesome! They appear to be thick, I don’t like them runny.


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## xray (Sep 3, 2019)

dannylang said:


> eray that was some mighty good lookin butts there. like,  happy birthday.....
> dannylang



Thanks danny, it was a good time!



Sammybones said:


> Yeah, I use six I believe. This baked beans look awesome! They appear to be thick, I don’t like them runny.



Thanks sammy, yeah I’ll definitely use more habs next time. And the beans are a bit thicker, they were smoked for 4 hours.


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