best Smoked Butt recipe

[nu2trout]

Ok, I know we have some great chefs out there. I recently purchased a charcoal smoker, and want to smoke some boston butt this weekend.
Let me here your best recipes...and how much charcoal do you use while doing it, I dont want to run out.

[SlckTrck]

Ok this may sound a little odd but it turns out really good.
First I slather on a bunch of yellow mustard on and then rub in some good pork rub seasoning. Slow cook as you normally would.

The mustard breaks down and give s a really good color and flavor.
No it does not taste like mustard when it is done.

You could get a litte creative and try some dijon mustard but I would stay away from the whole grain or course ground mustard.

[Counslrman]

I rub the meat with olive oil, sprinkle fresh ground black pepper, chili powder, granulated garlic, and seasoned salt. Rub all the stuff into the butt, then smoke at 180 for 11-13 hours. I use fruit woods like dried apple or pear tree cuttings. I spray every 30 minutes with 50-50 mixture of beer and apple juice.

Mine turn out fine!

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[nu2trout]

Thanks guys, keep them coming. I cannot wait to get started.

[REDTOP]

I pour apple juice over mine and baste with apple juice during the smoke. I smoke with a combination of apple wood and oak. I use a mustard slather and dry rub on brisket.

[island_boy]

At the mecca of BBQ!

The BBQ Brethren of course!

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/

These guys are pros and their cooking skills is equal to their photography skills! Don't watch hungry. You have been warned!! :-)

IB - aka Smokey Piglet on BBQ Brethren

p.s. - my buddy invented the fattie - smoked Jimmy Dean sausage stuffed w/ cream cheese, etc., rubbed and smoked to perfection. They're dangerously good... your Cardiologist will thank me for turning you onto that site. :-)

[Big JJ]

nu2beingdaddy already has enough time on his hands to smoke a boston butt! You're doing well! :cheers:

The answer to your second question depends a lot on what kind of smoker you got. I got a Weber Smokey Mountain a couple of years ago. You can make charcoal go a lot longer than you think on one of those. Here's a website (http://virtualweberbullet.com/) with some great info (it's a website someone created for the Weber, but it would probably still be useful if you got another brand). In particular, the "Minion Method" for using charcoal is definitely the way to go for longer smokes.

[Trout8myfly]

Standard smoking mode (cooking times will vary based on butt size):


Brine the butt (brine recipe below)
After brining, rinse and pat dry. Leave the butt on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes or so to let it dry.
Mix your favorite pork rub with canola oil to form a thin paste.
Rub the paste on the butt and then smoke for 4 or 5 hours, starting with the fat side down.
Try to keep the temperature (http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/bb/images/Hero/GL200009889.jpg)in the smoker around 200 - 225 deg. F. Focus more on temperature control than creating lots of smoke.
After four or five hours, remove the butt, wrap it in aluminum foil and then return it to the smoker.
Cook for another 4 to 5 hours, rotating two or three times. (You can smoke the butt directly and not wrap it but I find that wrapping the butt creates a braise which makes the meat very moist and tender - and still plenty smoky).
Remove from smoker, let it rest for an hour, then shred and eat!

(Minus the brine and with much shorter cooking times, I also use this process for ribs. ETA: I pour some 'cue sauce into the foil holding the ribs and that creates the braise. Works very well with Asian-style sauces too.)

Hybrid Method (quicker, moister)

Follow steps 1 - 4 above but instead of smoking for four hours, only smoke for an hour or two. If I'm in a hurry I just grill the butt on all sides on my gas grill to make a seared crust.

Remove the butt from the grill or smoker and place it in an electric slow cooker (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00868332000P?vName=Appliances&cName=SmallKitchenAppliances&sName=Slow%20Cookers%20&%20Steamers&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a) large enough to hold the butt.

Add a pint or more of thinned down barbecue sauce (you pick - I like Williamson Brothers (http://realpagessites.com/williamsonbros/)) and let it cook in the slow cooker until it's easy to shred, usually at four to five hours.

Fast Method
If you're really in a hurry you can skip the grilling and smoking and just shove the rubbed butt into the crock pot but add a dollop or two of Liquid Smoke to the barbecue sauce (I know...heresy). Sometimes speed matters more than purity when the in-laws are coming over for dinner. Skip the brine in this method.

Brine recipe:


1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar or 3/4 cup molasses
20 - 30 black peppercorns
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or skip it)
2 quarts water

Heat the mixture in a large pot to melt the ingredients. It doesn't need to boil or even simmer - just heat enough to blend the salt and sugar. Then add a pound or two of ice to cool it down. Place the butt in a 5-gallon bucket or other large food-safe container and cover with the brine. Place in fridge and let it soak for 8 hours.

And FWIW I also like to wear latex gloves when rubbing my butts. (rim shot...)

Happy cooking!

[finless brown]

Soak that butt in either Coca Cola or Mountain Dew in the fridge the night before.....

[nu2trout]

I am scared to look at these links because reading your posts is making my stomach growl, and yes JJ I do have time to smoke some butts. I may get my son to help me too;)

[Counslrman]

Keith,
What sort of smoker did you get? I have a W.C. Bradley Bandera. I used to have the Brinkman horizontal cylinder with the offset firebox on the left. The one I have now holds more meat.

http://www.charbroil.com/Consumer/product_detail_m.aspx?ProductSeriesID=49

There's nothing I love better than a day of grill-tending, with the possible exception of fishing.
Tight lines!
Jimmy

[WateringHole]

Recipe? What recipe? If you need a recipe you're not smokin a butt! Here are some easy tips...

Remove butt from fridge a few hours before you start (take the chill out)

All you need is a rub (you'll customize this to your own tastes as you do a few). Open your spice cabinet and inlcude any, all, or some:
(target at least a cup of rub- and get it ALL on the butt)

Cayenne- go light till you get a feel for flavor in the end
Paprika- lots
Garlic powder
Salt (less if you use Garlic salt)
Pepper
Steak or Pork seasoning
Ground mustard
I have also put in a little: chili powder, chipotle chili powder (I use a good bit), brown sugar,and a bunch of other stuff

Let sit for no more than 30 min after the rub.

Smoke between 190 and 200 ish (again you'll figure out what you like). I push mine a little faster at 200-210 to finish in about 9 or 10 hours. Use an internal thermometer. The pork WILL NOT PULL until it hits a high enough internal temp- the bone will slide out easily when ready (someone else may chime in with the exact temp- I can't remember)

Spray liberally every 30 min to an hour with a mixture of apple cider vinegar, a little water, and I also add a little hot sauce to this.

When ready take it and let it rest for a while. Not only will this make it more moist it will save your fingertips from being burnt.

Enjoy- the best part of this is trial and error! Let me know when you want my smoked trout rub... :cheers:

[nu2trout]

OK I am really hungry now, and cannot wait until Saturday to get started.
I have read the links and will refer to them as needed.

Now I am about to go eat my turkey sandwich and chis for lunch and dream of Smoked BBQ!!!!!!

[Grizzz]

You need to also check out The Smoke Ring (http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/index.php) for more BBQ information. I have been going there lately and have to try many of the recipes. I am getting smoking in my blood right now also.

[Labrador]

cook the butt to an internal temperture of 190. I have mustard slathered butts (you don't taste the mustard, yes, I thought it was weird...I guess it serves as a glue to hold the rub on therefore making bigger bark on the meat, but I didn't notice a difference between the mustard v. the non mustard, and the acid in the mustard might do somekind of reaction with the meat, but I think it's negligible) and dry rubbed them. i honestly couldn't tell a difference, so I just dry rub them now.

Google Paul Kirk's championship BBQ for Rubs/sauces. he gives you reciepes and plenty of ideas for foundations for customizing your own. Plenty of good ideas right off the bat.

My absolute favorite book for smoking foods is Smoke and Spice. I would think of it as the bible for smoking foods.

Make sure you leave your self plenty of time...my last brisket cooked at 225 for 16 hours. I removed it, and then continued to cook two butts which cooked for 17.5 hours. I did add about 10 hot coals around hour 15. It was a marathon...

One good hint would be to do a mix of fruit woods with hickory. Hickory is pretty strong, and the more subtle flavors of cherry or apple are more appealing to me. I usually do 1 fist sized chunk of hickory and 4 or 5 fist sized chunks of cherry or apple (cherry being my perferred at the moment...because it's easier to get). Learn about the minion method for lighting your charcoal. I have done 19 hours on 1 load of kingsford charcoal (about 3/4 of a big bag)

Now to really open a can of worms...which brand of charcoal??? LOL....

[Labrador]

oh the pork will be done at 165, but if you can wait till 190 you will so be happy.

google "the renowned Mr. Brown" for a great starter recipe for your first butt cook. I think you will be very impressed.

[B983]

Lots of good info already in this thread. MAKE SURE the internal temp is 190-195 if you want pulled pork. This temp renders most of the fat and it just falls apart. Less temp and you will be chopping.
I like to let my dry rub set overnight and then smoke with apple & pecan.
Tight Lines
Brent

[nu2trout]

will do on the temp, i was wondering how to get it to fall apart. I cannot wait:bang::bang:

I will be heading to the store tonight to get the butts, and I am thinking about 2 smaller ones instead of 1 big one do to time constraints.

What do you think?

[WateringHole]

Lots of good info already in this thread. MAKE SURE the internal temp is 190-195 if you want pulled pork. This temp renders most of the fat and it just falls apart. Less temp and you will be chopping.
I like to let my dry rub set overnight and then smoke with apple & pecan.
Tight Lines
Brent

Definitely shoot for the pulled pork temp. Quality goes way up- don't chop that butt! Time constraints do not mix well with smoking- I speak from personal experience. You want to leave yourself a large window of time to finish- it's done when it's done, not before.

[Trout8myfly]

Another suggestion - when applying the rub (okay, okay, when rubbing your butt)...place the butt over newspapers which will help to anchor the butt while you rub as well as collect the excess rub that falls off. That's why I like the paste method - less waste or, more importantly, more rub applied.)

B983 is right on with something I neglected to say - apply the rub and let 'em marinate for a while. That said, if you use a brine then the marinating time with the rub can be less because of the salt infused with the brine. But if you don't brine, then let those puppies marinate overnight with the rub.

ETA: Let the butts sit on the counter for a good long while before throwing them in the smoker. At least an hour minimum and more is much better. Don't worry about bacteria - that salty rub is keeping the microbes at bay. But the closer the butts are to room temperature then the less time they spend in the smoker just shaking off the chill from the fridge.

[nu2trout]

understood, on the time thing. Do you think two 4 lb butts will cook faster than an 8lb butt?
I definitely want to do it right

[Labrador]

oh heck yes. Anything 8lbs and up will be a long cook if you keep the temps low.

a 4lb butt would be much faster, but I figure in the 10 hour range probably...give or take an hour or two... I really just depends on the butt your temp and other things like God's will.

[Labrador]

if it's your first cook, I'd start small. What kind of smoker do you have anyway? I think the main thing in your first few smokes will be learning how to set and maintain your temp. Some are set it and forget it, but others you have to battle all day long (hopefully you don't have one that is a battler).

I'd dry run it before your first smoke for a few hours with no meat, just coals and smoke wood to see how it goes temp wise and to season the thing...

[Counslrman]

I coated the inside of the meat compartment on my smoker with cooking oil before I ran my first batch, fired some coals up, kept it going for 10 hrs at 200, and "seasoned" the grill. It was a suggestion in the product literature for mine.
Tight lines!
Jimmy

[nu2trout]

basic weber domed version.
I also seasoned mine last weekend. I did a pork tenderloin, some pork chops, and some chicken already.

[Ted]

Why do food (grilling, smoking, BBQ) and beverage (best beer, worst beer, coffee) threads go nuculur on replies really fast? almost as fast as naming the wrong stream threads? what does this say about NGTOers???

I am loving this thread. I don't know anything special about these types of butts (except at the eating end of the process) but I am lurking and drooling.

TH

[nu2trout]

ok, I am heding to the store this evening to get my butts.
is there anything special I should look for while inspecting the butts:blush:

[Labrador]

not really, get the best looking one and you will be fine. You want to trim the majority of the fat which they won't display...It faces down. It comes off in pretty much one piece. You'll know it when you see it.

Is this your grill or sommthing similar in design?
http://www.weber.com/grills/default.aspx?glid=5&mid=21

My advice would be to rig a candy thermometer through a wine cork and then through the vent top vent. You will have to cut a small slit in the cork to get it to stick/slide onto the vent. Is there bottom vents to control the airflow=controlling the temp? Also I would put your coals on one side and your meat on the other to avoid direct heat. I would really do a practice run to make sure you can maintain a low temp (I'd say 250 or under with 200-225 being ideal).

[SlckTrck]

If you are near Harry's Farmers Market or a Costco you can get some fine cuts of meat. In my experience, picking out a cut of pork is not like picking out a cut of beef. For pork just look for good coloring and nothing that looks dried out. A place like Harry's will trim it any way you want it. Costco may or may not do that for you. Publics is hit and miss sometimes for smoker treats.

Some of the more professional smokers on here may have something different to say about pickin your butt......could not resist.:rolleyes:

[Labrador]

Costco and Sam's have some great butts, but they are BIG...

[Trout8myfly]

Why do food (grilling, smoking, BBQ) and beverage (best beer, worst beer, coffee) threads go nuculur on replies really fast? almost as fast as naming the wrong stream threads? what does this say about NGTOers???
Passion dear, sir. Merely passion. For the things we love...and love to argue about! :D

[Trout8myfly]

Costco and Sam's have some great butts, but they are BIG...
And the Costco butts are boneless which may reduce your cooking time a bit. They come two to a pack and I usually freeze the spare (there's nothing like having an emergency backup butt in your freezer because if you need one, you need it bad.)

[JOHNKIES]

My "t" key stuck. : - ))

I think the mustard or molasses "first layer" are more about holding the dry rub on than really adding that much flavor. But, mustard and pork are just made for each other! I have experimented with different "first layer" coatings and the mustard seems to hold the dry rub the best. Side note, I always start with a mustard layer on holiday hams.

Someone mentioned tenderloins. I saw an Alton Brown episode on Food Network about buying a whole beef ribeye and cutting your own steaks. The odd thing is that after you cut the steaks to the thickness and trim you like, you freeze them on open racks! Yep, put them into the freezer nekkid overnight and then zip-lok bag'em. This has the same affect as "dry aging". So, I went to meat counter and upon seeing that I did not want to open a second mortgage to buy a whole ribeye (about $130) I wandered off and saw a sale on whole pork tenderloins. Applied the same approach as the steak so I now hand cut my own boneless chops about two inches thick. Works out to less than $1 a chop.

[Labrador]

Passion dear, sir. Merely passion. For the things we love...and love to argue about! :D

I love bbq and trout, and love to argue about stream naming...sorry Buck.

[Ted]

Passion dear, sir. Merely passion. For the things we love...and love to argue about! :D

Oh, I thought just a really hungry and thirsty bunch. But these are the visceral and primary things in life...food, drink, and fishing. what else IS there, really?

I am going to get some things smoking soon. This thread makes that imperative. I have 2 bullet-style water pan smokers. I find that sunlight, relative humidity, wind and outdoor temp can have a big effect on staying in the "sweet spot" of cooking temps. I have done things on cold, cloudy, windy days but it is an intense battle of the coals. The black smoker sitting out on sunny, warm day just tends itself almost.

I didn't look at the previous link about coals but I was able to crank out a bunch of chickens (8 whole birds on 2 bullet smokers) in a few hours by periodically stoking coals from the main pig pit into the smokers with a shovel. That kept temps ideal and avoided the ups and downs of waning coal volume and temps between refills.

On opening and tending, one thing I never do is open my lid during smoking. I read that each "peek" can add 20 min to cook time due to heat loss. I became a believer. I can monitor and refill water pan through side door with a long-neck wine bottle. Coals go in that door too. I leave the water in the dark bottle in the sun to get it real warm too so I don't kill the temp by the addition of cold or cool water.

How does opening other types of smokers to baste or spritz affect cooking time? Just curious. Can you do it a few times and be OK. As you can tell, I am not familiar with other types of setups.

TH

[Labrador]

I can only speak for the way I do it, and that is to peak maybe three or four times during the whole cook which may go as long as 20+ hours I might open it to thermapen them or to apply a mop. On shorter cooks like Poultry or Ribs I won't peak at all. yeah, it's not hurting anything, just adding time to the total cook.

[Steve D]

Lots of good info already in this thread. MAKE SURE the internal temp is 190-195 if you want pulled pork. This temp renders most of the fat and it just falls apart. Less temp and you will be chopping.
I like to let my dry rub set overnight and then smoke with apple & pecan.
Tight Lines
Brent

Beware of the 'plateau' - your internal temps will seem to get stuck around 175-180 degrees for a little while - resist the temptation to turn up the heat - you'll get there.

[Big JJ]

Oh, I thought just a really hungry and thirsty bunch. But these are the visceral and primary things in life...food, drink, and fishing. what else IS there, really?

I am going to get some things smoking soon. This thread makes that imperative. I have 2 bullet-style water pan smokers. I find that sunlight, relative humidity, wind and outdoor temp can have a big effect on staying in the "sweet spot" of cooking temps. I have done things on cold, cloudy, windy days but it is an intense battle of the coals. The black smoker sitting out on sunny, warm day just tends itself almost.

I didn't look at the previous link about coals but I was able to crank out a bunch of chickens (8 whole birds on 2 bullet smokers) in a few hours by periodically stoking coals from the main pig pit into the smokers with a shovel. That kept temps ideal and avoided the ups and downs of waning coal volume and temps between refills.

On opening and tending, one thing I never do is open my lid during smoking. I read that each "peek" can add 20 min to cook time due to heat loss. I became a believer. I can monitor and refill water pan through side door with a long-neck wine bottle. Coals go in that door too. I leave the water in the dark bottle in the sun to get it real warm too so I don't kill the temp by the addition of cold or cool water.

How does opening other types of smokers to baste or spritz affect cooking time? Just curious. Can you do it a few times and be OK. As you can tell, I am not familiar with other types of setups.

TH

Ted,
The "Minion Method" I referred to earlier is basically this: Fill your charcoal chamber with the right amount of unlit charcoal (the right amount being almost full, for a long smoke) and top this with about 20-40 lit coals from a charcoal chimney. The unlit coals are underneath the lit ones, so they start to burn much more slowly. One chamber of charcoals can last through an entire 12 hour butt smoke without refill.

As for opening the smoker, I disagree about the heat loss. In fact, I think the main problem is the opposite. Opening the smoker allows more oxygen in, thereby quickly RAISING the temp after the lid is replaced. It usually takes a while for the temperature spike to come back down after the smoker gets that blast of oxygen. I do open my smoker a few times to baste/spray with apple juice and/or cider vinegar.

I use a dual zone remote thermometer (one for the meat/one for the smoker temp at grate level) to monitor the temps during the smoke, so I'm pretty confident in my belief that heat loss isn't a problem opening up bullet/water smokers.

[Labrador]

Big JJ, I just went back and read your earlier post. I am a dual zone thermo user and Smoky Mountain user myself. Wait till you get a thermapen...Can't say enough good things about Smoky Mountain cooker or the virtual bullet.

Ok highjack over.

[REDTOP]

Beware of the 'plateau' - your internal temps will seem to get stuck around 175-180 degrees for a little while - resist the temptation to turn up the heat - you'll get there.
Very important! Thanks Steve. Newby smokers are often confounded by the"plateau".This happens as the connective, tough tissue begins to break down and when the plateau is over the temps will move rapidly to 195-200 where you want the temp to get.When it is done,let that Butt rest for about an hour before you start to pull.

[Counslrman]

I have a 1 qt. spray bottle I got at W-mart. I pour in a 12 oz beer, Rolling Rock usually, and fill the remaining space with apple juice. This mixture, I spray every 30-45 mins. on the meat, so I open mine more often than some others have said is advisable. My smoker, though, is relatively quick ( within a minute) in re-establishing its 180-190 temp, which is where I prefer to smoke. My meats always turn out moist, tender, and in the case of butts, I heartily concur with the "let it sit for a while" after cooking endorsement. I have nearly cooked my fingers a time or two trying to pull pork when the meat was still way too hot to touch or handle.
I have, as I said earlier, a W.C Bradley Bandera. They used to be manufactured by New Braunfels til W.C. acquired that company. It's still the same design and has proven to be the most versatile smoker I have owned. It has 5 shelf racks, a procelain water pan, which you can put other liquids in for moisture preservation, two rib racks, and the offset firebox is also used for grilling burgers, steaks, or chicken. There's a damper on the firebox door and another chimney with damper on top of the meat tower. All this makes me want to fire it up this weekend!
Tight lines...
and tender butts!
Jimmy

[nu2trout]

I am loving the thread guys, thanks for all of the info.
While reading one of the links yesterday I found a guy that puts sand in his water bowl, and I think I am going to try it. I am guessing the water is more of a temp regulator anyway and the sand should stay pretty consistant, only problem this guy found was it raises temps more than water so you have to balance it out with the charcoal.
I am pumped about it. I am going to the store tonight to pick my butt. I may grab a few before I get out of there, and I hope they dont catch me on camera fondeling them:nervs: or they might throw my butt out of the store.
thanks for talking so much about your butts and how you take care of them. I hope we can keep this thread going for a while, and maybe this thread can lead to another forum dedicated to recipes for various items, like fish, deer, pork, beef, etc... What do you Mods and BOD think about that?

[Counslrman]

But, Keith,

I am going to the store tonight to pick my butt.


Maybe you ought to rethink this, what with gas prices and all. I mean, really, is it necessary to go to the store for that? Plus, the other shoppers might appreciate you having some privacy.
I am, however, glad you are excited about the prospect. We can always use a few more grillers, smokers, and ...butt pickers.

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[chuckwagon]

Nu,

Make sure your pork is not frozen. The Sam's, Costco route is usually frozen.

Ingles,Publics and your small meat markets will have "NOT FROZEN" pork.

It will make a difference I promise.

Trey
CW

[chuckwagon]

Oh yeah, throw the water pan away!

[nu2trout]

thanks again, off to the store in a few.

I am going to try the sand method in the pan to help with the regulation of the heat.

Maybe I will photo document the entire process:huh:

[Trout8myfly]

Make sure your pork is not frozen. The Sam's, Costco route is usually frozen.

Trey, do you mean not to buy frozen butts? Or did you mean that the butts at Costco and Sams, while thawed in the display bins, were at one point frozen and should be avoided? :confused:

I've never had a problem with the butts at either store and they have always been thawed when I bought them, hence my question.

[BirdDawg]

Nu2 - This has become my second hobby and I have enjoyed learning and improving on each cook. The basics:

* Purchase bone-in pork butts.
* Trim excess fat.
* Apply half of the Rub and refrigerate overnight
Apply the remainder just before cooking.
* Cook at 225-250°F to an internal temperature of 190-195°F.
* Baste during cooking (optional).
* Wrap in aluminum foil and hold in an empty ice chest (1-2 Hrs) until ready to serve.
* Pull meat and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

Use the minion method for the coals. Chimney starter - No lighter fluid!

Not sure about the sand. Sure wouldn't want the wind to blow any on the meat. :( Water has always worked well for me. Although I also have a Weber Smoky Mountain Cooker which cooks with a very consistent temp.

Hickory and Apple wood chunks are a good combo.

Check out http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork2.html the best site I have found for any type of cooker.

Good luck!

[Counslrman]

Excellent point Craig has made.

Use the minion method for the coals. Chimney starter - No lighter fluid!


No fluid starters OR quick-start coals with accelerant added. I had a sad experience with some prime meat once...never again. You can buy a chimney starter or make your own easily.

Tight lines...and smoky butts!
Jimmy

p.s. Great thread, Keith. 50 posts and I'm heading for 1400 in 20.

[nu2trout]

Jimmy,
Thanks. I thought this might get some people intersted in posting. I have learned a lot and we will apply this knowledge begining tonight. I will not be serving the BBQ until sunday but do not have time to do it Sunday. I plan on making this my activity for Saturday. Hopefully I wont fill the house with smoke. The wife commented on how I "stunk" last time I used the smoker.

[REDTOP]

Excellent point Craig has made.



No fluid starters OR quick-start coals with accelerant added. I had a sad experience with some prime meat once...never again. You can buy a chimney starter or make your own easily.

Tight lines...and smoky butts!
Jimmy

p.s. Great thread, Keith. 50 posts and I'm heading for 1400 in 20.


Nuther great point! Chimney and news paper for me. I use lump hardwood charcoal to start my fire and pour it into my fire box then lay on the wood. Once the heat and smoke is right I add the meat to the smoke chamber.

[REDTOP]

I use the Chimney starter and instead of newspaper I use Weber Starter Cubes. They are more consistent then newspaper.

I also go with natural charcoal briquettes (please note the "natural") as opposed to lump charcoal. The reason is they burn cooler and longer meaning less time feeding the beast.

Of course you can always make your own charcoal.


Feeding the beast is all part of the fun for me. I love tending and babysitting my smoker. One reason I got an offset rather that a WSM or BGE. Just my style of doing it.:)

[JOHNKIES]

Excellent point someone made on starting any fire. More than one cook-out of even just some hamburgers and brauts has been ruined by someone jumping the gun and putting the goods on the grill before all the starter has been burned out. I have found that if you plan ahead and get the charcoal all to a nice white coating, you are usually okay to cook on. And I always give it the final sniff test - any aroma of starter and I don't cook.

No one mentioned the electric charcoal starters. I used to use one but my current grill location is not in easy reach of an electrical outlet. But they work great and obviously have no smell to them. Not to mention that when gasoline went to $4 a gallon, charcoal starter fluid went right up with up and more and I was looking for other ways to start my fire - that's when I went with the chimney.

Okay, long weekend coming, Fish & Cook!

[Counslrman]

Yep, David,
That "feeding the beast" part is one of the things I enjoy most about smoker cooking. Especially in the Fall or Winter when it's cooler. I ran a splitter off my cable out to the carport and patio for just that purpose. I love to sit out there smelling the magic as it happens and watching 2 or 3 SEC games on Saturdays.

:cheers:

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[Counslrman]

John,
I have used a small canister propane torch to start charcoal as well. I prefer the chimney, unless I need to start some coals faster.

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[nu2trout]

just a few more hours until I can rub some butts and prepare them for tomorrow!

[Windknot]

Feeding the beast is all part of the fun for me. I love tending and babysitting my smoker. One reason I got an offset rather that a WSM or BGE. Just my style of doing it.:)


My son is the family go-to smoked meat guy. Offset, lump charcoal, sand, etc. He absolutely shares that feeding the beast sentiment. Occassionally he remembers to call and say he's tending the smoker all night and asks me to bring beer, cigars and a folding chair. Those nights have seen us in the best discussions ever; far closer than just sharing a campfire.

Just anticipating another session this weekend makes me quote Croaker - Ain't life grand? :cheers:

[Big JJ]

I agree with Jason. I use lump charcoal almost exclusively for grilling, but, having tried both, I definitely prefer briquettes for smoking. It's a much more manageable burn.

nu2, let me know how it goes with the sand in the water pan. I have had such good experiences temp wise with water that I've been hesitant to make the switch. I don't really mind the cleanup. I don't understand the comment earlier in the thread to throw away the water pan. I've cooked turkeys in the smoker where the water pan turns into a drippings collector for gravy, but the ideal temps for cooking turker are higher (325+). I don't know how you'd smoke at 220-250 without some kind of heat sink in there.

[nu2trout]

I will let you guys know how it goes. I plan to take a lot of pictures of the process.
I picked up an 8lb butt and had it cut in two pieces for faster cooking.

I plan getting the smoker ready tonight and then all I need to do in the morning is light the fire and warm the butts, before I go to graduation. Hopefully when I get back they will be ready for some tlc:)

[REDTOP]

My son is the family go-to smoked meat guy. Offset, lump charcoal, sand, etc. He absolutely shares that feeding the beast sentiment. Occassionally he remembers to call and say he's tending the smoker all night and asks me to bring beer, cigars and a folding chair. Those nights have seen us in the best discussions ever; far closer than just sharing a campfire.

Just anticipating another session this weekend makes me quote Croaker - Ain't life grand? :cheers:
Amen!
That Saturday teaching my son how to cook Q was one of the best ever.
I have built a fire ring of stone in the area of my smoker and two grills. I build a fire in the ring after I get the smoker full of meat. Then I sit with who ever shows up at the house, around that ring and we shovel coals from the fire to the fire box on the smoker,as needed (cool weather activity). Now that is almost as much fun as sitting around a campfire at some campsite to me.

[Counslrman]

Keith,
How'd the smokin' go?

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[Salvelinus Fontinalis]

Keith,
How'd the smokin' go?

Tight lines!
Jimmy


That's what I was wondering. Don't leave us hangin'.:pop:

[Trout8myfly]

Yes, indeed! Inquiring minds and all that....

http://www.carlspackler.com/sounds/178.mp3

[nu2trout]

Sorry for the delay,
I was hoping to get the pictures up when I reported.
I will get the pictures up soon, but
the butt was very good. I will definitely do some things differntly next time. I think I did not have enough smoke, so there was not a very smokey flavor, just a hint. I was afraid to get too much smoke the first time.

I think you guys will enjoy the pictures, and everyone that ate the meat said it was very good. It melted in your mouth!

[nu2trout]

Cannot upload to Photobucket from work, but I have the pics and they look good, making me want to do it again.
I will upload when I get home. MMMMMM MMMMM good

[REDTOP]

Sorry for the delay,
I was hoping to get the pictures up when I reported.
I will get the pictures up soon, but
the butt was very good. I will definitely do some things differntly next time. I think I did not have enough smoke, so there was not a very smokey flavor, just a hint. I was afraid to get too much smoke the first time.

I think you guys will enjoy the pictures, and everyone that ate the meat said it was very good. It melted in your mouth!

Just my .02 but I don't worry that much about too much smoke on butts. The meat is very thick and smoke does not penetrate that far in. So when you pull/chop it, the smoke taste will be some what reduced due to internal(smokeless) meat mixing with the outer surface meat. Now ribs!I can make ribs taste like a burned plank!:eek:

[Counslrman]

Keith,
What kind of wood did you decide on? Did you baste or not?

Tight lines!
Jimmy

[nu2trout]

Jimmy,
I used hickory wood, and I do not think I used enough of it.

[Labrador]

did you use the chunks? Chips would burn right off.

[nu2trout]

i used chip, but may try thte chunks next time, and a different wood

[Ted]

Yes, this is an old thread and should be in Food and Cooking now.

Seeing as how I'll be around the house most of the weekend after "snake dog" hopefully gets discharged from the vet tomorrow I am smoking a butt on Monday.

What was the group verdict on dry or mustard rub versus a marinade overnight?

I am leaning toward a marinade this go round since we have people coming over. There were some good recipes on the early pages of this thread.

Chunk cowboy charcoal and soaked wood chips.

TH

[KnotSlippin']

Yes, this is an old thread and should be in Food and Cooking now.

Seeing as how I'll be around the house most of the weekend after "snake dog" hopefully gets discharged from the vet tomorrow I am smoking a butt on Monday.

What was the group verdict on dry or mustard rub versus a marinade overnight?

I am leaning toward a marinade this go round since we have people coming over. There were some good recipes on the early pages of this thread.

Chunk cowboy charcoal and soaked wood chips.

TH

Personally, I prefer a naked butt. I smoke mine with no rub: dry, mustard, or otherwise. I just smack mine in the smoker after rinsing off and patting it dry.

Steven

[REDTOP]

Personally, I prefer a naked butt. I smoke mine with no rub: dry, mustard, or otherwise. I just smack mine in the smoker after rinsing off and patting it dry.

Steven

After several years of spieriment'n with Boston Butts, this is how I do as well. Nut'n but smoke and apple juice. I rub brisket and ribs.

[KnotSlippin']

After several years of spieriment'n with Boston Butts, this is how I do as well. Nut'n but smoke and apple juice. I rub brisket and ribs.

How often do you baste? Every 30 minutes or so?

I'm the same: I dry rub ribs and brisket. Ribs get a rub that starts with equal parts paprika and brown sugar (with some other flavors) but brisket only gets a light coating of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

We did ribs last night and watched the light from the sunset dance across the Spanish Peaks from our patio. An excellent way to spend the day, particularly after a 2.5 hour trail ride.

Steven

[REDTOP]

I use a spray bottle and spray about once per hour.

[KnotSlippin']

When I normally smoke a pork butt, I just toss it in the smoker with no rub, no mustard, nothing. It's just a naked butt.

Today, I'm trying something I've heard of before but have never done: I covered the whole thing with yellow mustard, then put on my rub I normally use for ribs.

I'll let you know how it goes.

[kevin m]

My rub is brown sugar, pepper, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground mustard, cayenne pepper, and oregano. I run it through a sifter a few times to mix it and make sure everything is fine in texture. I put my rub on the night before it goes on the smoker. I use a spray bottle with apple wine, apple juice, or Woodpecker hard cider mixed with soy paste about every 30 minutes or so. I add hickory to the coals for the first three hours and the just let the charcoal do the rest.

[nu2trout]

It is nice to see a good old thread revisited:D

[slowcurrent]

what kind of smoker did you get?

[slowcurrent]

nevermind, I saw when I was reading this whole thread.

[Da Da's Fishing]

I know I am late, but wanted to add a couple of things. Always use good charcoal. There are sites dedicated just to charcoal. Use chunks not chips. Work up to more smoke to find the level that you and your family likes. It is harder to control on your type of smoker, but try for a lighter blue smoke over white smoke. White smoke equils incomplete burn equals bad stuff on your meat.

As for the rest, lots of good methods and you will find the one you like. For me it is mustard and rub about 30 minutes before it goes on. Smoke to 165. Wrap in foil with apple juice, quarter cup, and cover with some brown sugar. Continue cooking until 195. Rest in cooler for one hour.

I prefer cherry wood. It is easy to get and leaves a very good taste on the meat.

DD F