first pork butt, first time smoking...trial by fire


 
J

Jeremy Laux

TVWBB Member
So I'm an old hand at charcoal BBQ. Now I'm entering the world of smoking.

I figure CostCo would have bone-in Boston pork butt. Well, mine doesn't carry it. Called around to most supermarkets and nobody carries it. Long story short, the local market 1/2 block from me has it. LOL

Got the WSM going using the Minion method but forgot one key item...the wood chips. I just scattered them over the top of the hot coals. Since I didn't bury any into the pile of charcoal, how often will I need to replenish the chips?

Thanks in advance.

Talk about a learning curve. I have an ENTIRELY new appreciation for people who smoke their food.
 
I just saw another post about the wood chips after the fact. I'm using the Jack Daniel's Oak chips. Looks like I can wrap them in foil and poke holes with a toothpick. Any thoughts on this method?
 
Jeremy,
Try making a pouch with HD aluminum, fill with chips, poke a few holes in it and put it on top of your charcoal. You'll get a longer smoke out of your chips. Enjoy the smoke!
Steve
 
Thanks for the tip. Just completed this process and added to the top of the coals.

Now maybe I can finally relax a little, drink beer, and watch the temps.
 
Jeremy,

Costco has boneless butts that cook up just fine. I have been using them for several years. Just a couple of pieces of butcher's twine to tie'em up and your good to go.

One last thing, put the rub on after you tie them up.

Al
 
I always get the boneless butts from Costco, and have always been happy with them. I tie them, but I rub them first. Personally, I like having un-barked rub in the middle. Since I pull it and mix it together anyway, I feel it seasons it well. This is just my opinion though. I've never cooked a bone-in butt, but I've got my first picnic resting right now.
 
I use Costco's boneless butts too. Like T.J., I season the internal cuts before tying it up. I put just enough rub in the cuts to make sure it gets moist and doesn't cake up. Then I tie it and apply the outer rub. I've been pleased with the meat.

Rita
 
Sams club carries a 2-pack bone in butt.
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Windy City Smokers
 
Ahhh...I did hear the guy at the meat counter say he had boneless butts. However, I didn't realize so many people use them over bone-in. I'll pick it up tonight.

thanks again.
 
I've had better results with bone in butts than with boneless when making pulled pork. My favorite use for the boneless butt is to cure it and smoke it as tasso ham or buckboard bacon. For that the smaller size works well.
 
I usually get my pork shoulder at Smart and Final although I recently noticed my local Costco carrying them as well.

With regards to repleneshing wood chips, I've never added wood after the smoke starts and gotten very good results. I've also read that the influence of the wood smoke on the meat itself is only prominent for the first 2 hours after which adding more wood chips doesn't have a siginificant impact on the flavor. Perhaps someone with more experience than me on these boards can validate this as I don't know if this is true from my personal experience.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">With regards to repleneshing wood chips, I've never added wood after the smoke starts and gotten very good results. I've also read that the influence of the wood smoke on the meat itself is only prominent for the first 2 hours after which adding more wood chips doesn't have a siginificant impact on the flavor. Perhaps someone with more experience than me on these boards can validate this as I don't know if this is true from my personal experience. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The consensus around these parts is smoke will continue to build up as long as you keep it going. It has been said alot that the smoke ring will stop after 2 hours, but there lots of posts saying that it stops forming at a certain temp not by time. I forget what that temp is though.

I am surprised some of your local markets don't sell pork butts. There are a couple of local markets around here that cut their own country ribs which are cut up butts. I don't buy from those stores unless they have a really good sale as they sell enhanced butts.
 
I have to jump in on this as well. I use to bury my wood chunks,only to find that over the course of a cook they would be gone (because I dig through later and noticed) I started doing what I use to do, which is placing them only as deep as the first row or two of charcoal, before spreading lit coals for MM. These results to me were much better, although both ways produced smoke ring or whatever. Am I wrong in thinking that the junks gradually burning through whole cook, is better than all burning up however quickly they may (hard to tell when they had burned)? And to sound even more crazy, It is also my beliefe after three consecutive times (in the past) W/O guru, note, that when I burried wood chunks, I would get unwanted bursts of heat! no bull. (this otta stir someone up in dissagreance
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...long story short, no more "burrying" wood chunks for this kid.
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-Dan
edit: by the way didnt really care about smoke ring but meant to say both ways seemed to produce good flavor as Armen says. btw, yes, more smoke, more flavor, no matter what time, temp, etc. in other words you could overdue it. Only the smoke "ring" stops from what I understand between temp of 130-140 somewhere is what I was told.
other edit: I typed "junks" which =chunks....fool.
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