Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Your loins look great, but wait till you have the pulled pork shoulder. That just seems to turn out incredible in a smoker after that long smoke with all that fat rendering. Congrats on your first smoke and your new grill. Next stop, brisket! Follow the directions on the Virtual weber bullet website and you'll be fine. They also have storage tips and other methods for holding meet in the cooler. I would suggest warming the cooler up with hot water first because you really don't want that meat to dip below the safe temps before bacteria can develop. Can't wait to see your pics of the butt. Great job.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I hope I can please as you anxiously await the pics of my butt. :r

Thanks!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Here's a peak at my butts after 7 hours on the WSM.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Here they are after 8 hours on the smoker. Waiting to pull them after awhile...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Ok, so I was only really able to hold it in the foil in the cooler for a couple of hours. (It's 1am now and just need to catch some z's before too long to give it any longer).

I pulled the meat off the bones-great color, flavor, and smoke. The only thing I didn't get was the "shredability" of the meat that I was hoping for. Is that due to just not being able to give it another 2-3 hours in the cooler? It's currently in big pieces in the fridge, so what might be the next steps I should take to try to get it shredded?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

1st shoulder of the season. Had some baffle plates made to distribute the heat in my Char Griller Pro, with the mild temps I did not need them. Having a time getting it at the 225-240 range, but its there now and I'm chillin!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Possibly, but could be any number of things.

You said total weight on the two butts was 15.5lbs, right? They looked pretty equally sized, which would be about 7.75lb each or so, 8 hours cook time is pretty short if you were running 220F.

What was the internal temp when you pulled it off the cooker? And how did the meat feel when you jabbed it with a fork and twisted or a probe and wiggled?

Foil is kind of a controversial subject, but if you foil a butt toward the end of the cook (around 170F internal) and let it cook that way until it hits about 200F internal, then rest it, it'll practically fall apart on it's own because of the braising.

Use the fine shreds for pulled pork sandwiches with some BBQ sauce, pickles, onions and slaw, take the big chunks, chop them up a bit across the grain and use them for Bob's (chainsaw13) carnitas method about 10 posts back. :tu

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

My thermometer was giving crazy readings and all I could find to give me any kind of internal temp are those worthless electronic forks to tell you the temp (rare, med. rare, med., etc). I was paranoid about overcooking without having a real number to go by, so I pulled them. I'll also start the butts for an overnighter next time as well to have all day to bring up to the temp needed.

But I learned what to do next time and will be ordering a Maverick ET-73 cuz it seems to be the most preferred thermometer out there.

Now, it's time to excuse myself for some yummy pork.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pic of my pork. It seems to be a big hit with my son who is extremely picky of what he eats. He would eat fruit for every meal if that's all you'd give him. He's tough to get protein in any form and lately peanut butter has been the only way he'd get it. (This is an autism thing about textures and such, not so much a difficult child that I'd cater to for just being picky).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks for showing me your butts! Didn't dissappoint at all. Thanks for sharing. Great idea to invest in a good digital thermometer. They are really necessary to cook till tender. The butts will be fantastic I'm sure. Now you'll be hooked. Steve

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Yes a digital probe will make your smokes easier and more peacefull. I have a Taylor that comes with an external remote to alert me of temps. Just set and forget, all I have to do is add wood to the fire and wonder about the magic that is going on under the hood!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

What model Taylor do you have? I'm less than impressed with the Maverick ET-73 reviews on amazon to be sold on it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks great Duane.

Looking at the photo and your previously mentioned short cook time, I'm leaning toward that it was cooked long enough to be done (160F) but not long enough for all the connective tissue to break down so that it would pull easily (another few hours at 220-230F to about 200F internal give or take), your final temp being somewhere in between, so you ended up with something more like a roasted smoked pork than a pulled pork.

It's hard to say from just the photo and the comments you made but that's what I'm thinking, curious to hear what some of the other guys think about the cooking and why it didn't pull on you.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Just like you said Adam, time and temp. We can get to 200 pretty fast but the fat and tissues will not have time to melt, instead they might dry out and be tough. I once smoked a 6lb brisket for 18 hours at around 200f and when I pulled it out it all fell apart like shredded meat. I think of it as slowly bringing the meat to the "room temp" of the smoker. It would take time but the ideal way would be to get your smoker to the final temp of the meat you are going for and smoke until everything balances out.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Don't know, its red with a round button pad. It has several settings on it but I only use it to display temp, and set it to what I am going for.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I have never used the Maverick but I have a Nu-temp that I purchased in a group buy many years ago. It is remote with two probes and I really love it. One probe always is used to measure temp at the top grate and the other in the biggest piece of meat. To me it's a crap shoot without it, but I know others have ways of testing the meat without them. I'm just not there and need the thermometer. Biggest single issue most people have with this is cooking by time (never that consistent) or by doneness. You have to cook until tender and that will vary, sometimes quite a bit. You may want to check out the Nu-temps; I haven't priced one but mine was similar in cost to the Maverick as I recall. Steve

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

i have the same opinion as Adam...

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Wes!

Where have you been hiding lately brother?

Say Hi to Cat and Zach for me.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

On the Virtual Weber site, I had some posting about my first pork butt and dealing with temps/tenderness. The conclusion I came to was when cooking with something bone-in like a pork butt, you perform the "bone wiggle" maneuver of sorts. Thus if the bone doesn't feel like it's just gonna slide out from the meat literally falling off the bone, keep on cooking. It seems as long as you keep cooking it slow enough, to hell with what a thermometer says as you just go by the feel of it.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Kinna-sorta, this is why I asked you about 10 posts ago how it felt when you jabbed it with a fork and twisted, and what Jake was explaining about the connective tissues breaking down. :)

You have to hit certain internal temps for the connective tissues to break down and hold there before they will melt. Meat can be made to fall apart and have bone wiggle at a lower temp before all of the connective tissues have melted and it's final texture will reflect this.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

so... My bacon is evidently "too smoky" for my wife. Looks like the next smoke session of bacon will use mesquite, apple, pear or plum and I will try to achieve a lighter smoke flavor for her.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Pete, IMO, mesquite can be almost as strong as hickory and plum can be pretty potent. I'd go with apple, pear or alder if you want to keep things mild, or cut your smoke time down (or both).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I have posted this before, but I have had butts which were done perfectly and the bone was solid in the meat still. You really NEED to get a reliable thermometer. I have been wrong just going by the temp before, but it's rare. Also, you might not have been going at 220F. Those pics you posted look like the bark was a bit dried out which results mostly from a higher temp (since you stated you only let them smoke for ~8 hours).

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

What is controversial about foiling??:confused:

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Different schools of thought on BBQing. One camp, often describing themselves as more traditional, tends to express feelings that the braising effect caused by the last few hours of cooking in foil results in an undesirable, over softened texture, some go as far as to call it cheating. Others will argue that the softer, moister texture of the more separated meat is more desirable and with the foil, the breakdown of the connective tissues happens much faster (which it does).

I've seen people debate the topic for pages and pages over days. Right up there with fat cap up or fat cap down and cello on or cello off.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks for the advice. It is easier to learn from listening than learning via dollars and meat "wasted."

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I will get a thermometer for sure, but I think the idea is that you have to rely more on how it seems to want to pull apart more so than the temp itself.

I didn't find the bark to be dry at all. It held around 225 for the first few hours and maybe for a stretch over the last 2 hours, was probably closer to 250 because I failed to see that the water was nearly gone, explaining why I didn't get the temp to come down after almost closing the vents completely.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Then it's just the pictures then. What kind of rub did you use?

I can see your point on the texture of the meat. However, the old adage goes "if you're looking, it ain't cooking". By having a good thermometer, you don't have to start feeling texture until the internal temp is at least 190. Before that, you would be going by time, which can bite you.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Doing some spare ribs tonight. These are not my usual 6 hr ribs, but more of a "I'm hungry and ribs would be good" kind of quickie!

Have them over some Cherry smoke with one of my rubs on them. About an hour from now I'll be in Pork Rib heaven with some corn on the cob and a nice cold Heavy Horse Scotch Ale from Big Sky Brewery!
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...0412-00169.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looking like a good start there, Forrest!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I'm so friggin hungry right now. I keep hittin the sauce....BBQ sauce that is. :D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

The outside was dark, but it was soft and moist to the touch. I really didn't do much of a rub and my wife did it actually. I think it was just a relatively light coating of season salt, garlic salt, and some pepper honestly. As I said, this was a last minute/hurry up and get it on the grill type of thing. Next time, I'll probably follow this method: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork2.html

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I finally remembered to take before and after pics this time. However the after pics were after we ate, LOL.

Before (new yardbird rub, which is now my new favorite):

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...4/IMG_7461.jpg

After:

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1...4/IMG_7463.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Looks killer Wayne and yep, Yardbird is the bomb. We made a bunch of money using it in comps for a while!!!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Thanks Brent. Coming from you, that is a HUGE compliment. Since around the first of the year yardbird (and all plowboy rubs) has been MSG free. I was hesitant to use it previously and I really liked the dizzie dust I had been using. But this yardbird made it taste just right. Also it seemed to make a better bark.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I just did my first brisket, it turned out ok, needed to foil a little earlier than i did, i foiled it at 183, i was working in the yard and forgot about it, then i was like crap, ran over and said 183, wanted to wrap it at 180. O well, i also maid Burnt Ends, Moo-inkBalls, Beer Brats, Baked and Sweet Potatos, and Corn on the cob, all on the smoker...

Brisket(Flat) Sliced
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...t%20Meal/3.jpg
Burnt Ends
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...t%20Meal/8.jpg

http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...t%20Meal/4.jpg
Moo-Oink Balls
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...al/MooOink.jpg
Beer Brats
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...t%20Meal/6.jpg
Corn, Baked/Sweet Potatos
http://i1197.photobucket.com/albums/...eal/photo1.jpg

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

How about sodium content? I want a good rub with no salt, does one exist?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

you could make your own, with less salt? i know sometimes i use Byrons, and that crap is loaded with sodium... have tried googling low sodium rub? dont know what kind of results the rub part might give you...lol

Here is from another forum i am apart of, pretty cool stuff

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=43026

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

hello my friend!

life has been keeping me pretty busy lately. havent really had a chance to park my ass in front of the computer in some time. hope all is well with you bro, and i will tell them hello for you.

... dam i need to smoke some meat!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Scheduled to die tomorrow night :

1 each Ribs, Pork, Baby Back, rack
1 each Ribs, Beef, rack, small
12 each Wings, Chicken, Miss Goldy

:D

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Is it good enough to spend $40 for a 5# bag of the yardbird?

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

That is how I buy it. I used to buy it straight from Todd, the guy that makes it, but after a while he told me to use http://www.bbqaddicts.com/rubs-sauces/plowboys-rub/

They have a two shaker deal where you can try Yardbird and Bovine Bold. I don't use as much Bovine Bold because I use the Yardbird on so many things, but for a beef rub I absolutely love it as well.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Finished off and smoked two cured bacons yesterday, a savory Garlic/Pepper/Juniper/Sage, and a simple brown sugar.
Also made sausage for the first time, garlic and red wine. I think I overstuffed the collagen cases a bit, but the taster I fried up last night was a hell of a flavor bomb.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I've heard great things about the Plowboys stuff so I just bought a shaker of the Yardbird and a shaker of the Jerk seasoning. Been craving some Jerk wings!

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Homemade sausage is the bomb, and it's so frickin' easy to mix up too.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

Was bored last night - thought a batch of mesquite smoked ABTs might go good with the wine.

http://img852.imageshack.us/img852/8558/abt.jpg

They did.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

any good tricks to twisting links? I probably over stuffed my collagen casings, and I know that certainly didn't help. I imagine natural casings probably twist better, because they are much thinner? I ended up just tying off the sausages with some butchers twine to keep them in shape.

Re: What's in your smoker?
 

I think twisting the casings properly/easily is one of those practice things. I enviously watch how fast and well the butchers do it at the places around here that have handmade sausage, but then I remember that's all some of these guys do all day long, day in and day out.

One of the butchers who makes all the sausages at the co-op market is also a bartender at the brewery, next time I'm in there when he's tending, I could ask him if he has any tips / tricks for working with the casings. I wouldn't mind knowing myself, actually. Especially since I do such a bad job of it, I typically only make bulk (uncased) sausage.

I've never worked with natural casings.