Butt & ribs timing


 
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Hello all you bullet lovers out there! Just looking for an opinion. I'm cooking for some visiting family members on July 4th, and I'd like to make pulled pork and ribs. SO, I'm trying to figure out what my schedule should be.

I could cook overnight (never tried it) the night before and then throw on ribs in the morning, trying to get the most out of the one load of charcoal. Or I could cook the butt this weekend and reheat it later, and still make the ribs on the morning of July 4th. I don't think I need more ribs than will fit on one grate with a rack (cooking for a total of 11 people) but it might be better to have the extra space available.

Any thoughts? I feel more comfortable cooking the butt on the weekend and giving myself some leeway, but last time I reheated pork, it wasn't as good. (Then again, I nuked it, so there's probably a better way.) I also like the idea of serving the same day, because I won't feel like I'm serving leftovers.

Also, what do you think: spare or back ribs? Probably one of the most common questions asked here, but my circumstances are that I like how my last back ribs came out, so I could probably duplicate that or tweak it, but I've never attempted spares. However, that spare rib special is hard to beat: 99?/lb. Back ribs aren't bad either for $2.99/lb. so I may go with that. Can't tell from the ad whether either are fresh or frozen.

By the way, this all needs to be done between 4 and 6 pm.

Thanks wonderful people,

--Mick
 
Hi Mickey,

I agree - BBQ is best fresh. I think if I were in your shoes, I would do an overnight cook on the butt and start the ribs the next morning. Wrap the butt in foil and a towel, and store in an ice chest until dinnertime. I love the convenience of cooking overnight.

Loin backs or spares? I usually do loin backs if it's a special occasion. A lot of people seem to prefer them.

Man, you are making me homesick with those pork prices! Up here it is not uncommon to see untrimmed spares for $ 3.49/lb. and loin backs for $ 6.99/lb.!! Good luck with your 4th of July feed!

George
 
Hey Mick,

I'd say give the overnight cook a try; it's a lot easier to do than you might think (definitely use the minion method). I've started butts at 10:00 p.m. and pulled them off by 9:00 a.m. They'll easily hold wrapped up in a dry cooler until you're ready to serve them.

I'd also give a vote for baby backs, only because I find they take about 1/3 less time to finish then spares.

Good luck,

Rick
 
Just my opinion as someone who is still learning but time is a guide with a HUGE +/- factor. That depends on so many things you can not create a formula. I cook Butts and Brisket overnight, wrap in plastic film and/or foil and then a dry towel and place in a dry cooler. I have only done spares and the last competition I finish 2nd to baby backs cooked by a very experienced cook. I cook spares until the tip of my digital probe feels like it is going into butter. That I learned from Jim Minion. I have not been cooking in foil but I am holding with finish sauce applied in the same small cooler as the Butts and Brisket.
 
Mick,
Just my .02, and do what you feel best.
I would start the butt around midnight. That *should* give you ample time to finish and let rest and pull.
Some people rest in the camp, of coming right off the cooker, pull immediately, sauce and then let rest. The options are endless.
But, I would cook a different food group, instead of more pork.
Any way, have fun, and Happy 4th to you and yours.

Jim
 
Thanks for your help guys. I'm also leaning towards baby backs because, even though the spares are cheap as dirt, the baby back prices are still as good as I've seen, and I feel more comfortable making those.

As far as the overnight cook, you've given me the confidence to try it.

Jim, I hear what you're saying, and you have a good point. I was also thinking that pork butt + pork ribs = a whole lot of pork. The way this plan emerged is that I had my heart set on making pulled pork. Then I heard my wife talking to her family, practically promising ribs. So I think ribs is the expectation. If I'm going to skip anything, it might have to be the butt. I can take a family poll and see what they say.

I do need to make something else anyway, because my mom doesn't eat any meat except seafood. So I was thinking about grilling shrimp. I could always make more, because I think there are enough shrimp lovers in the crowd.

So what does everyone think? If I make ribs, butt, AND shrimp, am I being ridiculous? It's only 12 people -- 11 pork and shrimp eaters, and 1 shrimp-only. If I really want to mix it up, I could make brisket instead of butt. Hmm, that might be an option, but I've never made brisket before, so I don't know if I'll blow it for the big day. If any of this sounds like way too much food, don't worry. I don't mind freezing leftovers. Plus, a few of these folks are sleeping over for a few days, so it might be good to have extra lunch food.

Anyway, I think mother nature may help me decide. It's been raining almost every day now, and I don't want to cook overnight in the rain. I have a perfect spot for Q'in in the rain--a gazebo with a good roof--but it's made of wood. I don't want to chance it unless I stay awake all night. By the way, that's the same gazebo that's half full of hickory (I think) logs. That would be one great-smelling home fire!

Thoughts?

--Mick
 
Howdy Mick,
Hope the rain quits! A brisket is an excellent idea, but it also would require a long (overnight) cook. Fool proof brisket: Take a 5 - 7 lb. flat with fat layer, cook (fat layer on top)at 225 until internal temperature is 165 - 170, wrap in foil (egad!), continue cooking until internal is 195. Won't dry out that way. Makes excellent sandwiches for later. If it seems too dry, drizzle on some canned beef stock after slicing. I have had excellent luck doing them like that, and I am no expert. If you have to cook in a hurry, chicken parts go pretty fast. I usually throw on some legs thighs and bone-in breasts when I expect a varied crowd. Or, since they are expecting ribs, load that sucker up with loin backs. Prepare to be the hero!

I am sure it will be a resounding success. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

George
 
Mickey,

Sounds like your narrowing it down. Cook the shrimp and loin backs for your guests and either do the butt or flat. The WSM can certainly handle it. Even if the butt or flat doesn't work out perfect, you still have your primary servings available.

Good luck!
 
Well, the weather is gloomy today, but the extended forecast is looking better. Still too early to tell, but it's promising.

I think we'll go ahead with the pork butt and ribs. It'll be a nice southern welcome for the NJ'ers coming down. They say you are what you eat, but I think in this case we eat what we are. We're all pigs. (Well, some of us, anyway.)

Of course, there's always room for indecision at our house, and we're rethinking the shrimp. We're beginning to realize that if we make shrimp for my mom, everyone's going to want some, and it might get expensive. Now we're thinking about grilling fish. Can anyone point me to some good grilled fish recipes, either on this site or elsewhere? I'm thinking something with lime. Atlantic salmon, catfish, flounder and grouper are on sale here. I can usually find a good price on tilapia, too.

--Mick
 
In my experience, both ribs and pork butt are every bit as good reheated. I just wrap them in foil when then come of the cooker (leaving the pork butts whole) and stick 'em in the fridge. Then, I place the foil wrapped packages in a 250 to 300 degree oven the next day to reheat.

Baby back Ribs take me 5 to 6 hours. I figure pork butts take me 9 to 12 hours. Both figures depend on how hot the cooker is. A little longer at 225; a little shorter at 250. I've got three pork butts on today and I've been holding the cooker in the 230 degree range. They've been on 10 hours and just hit an internal temp of 187, so they are close to being done.
 
My wife and I came up with a perfect compromise on what to cook. We'll cook the Boston butt for the 4th, but NOT the ribs. Then, if anyone is disappointed about not having ribs, we'll tell them we'll make ribs on the weekend! This sounds great to me, because I get to cook what I wanted, I don't have to worry about cooking two items at the same time, and I get a chance at a second barbecue. Now, if I want to be sneaky, I just need to whisper to my in-laws that they should ask for ribs.

For those that don't want pulled pork, we're also grilling hot dogs, and I'm going to try a recipe for salmon burgers that I found here:

Fresh Salmon Burgers

It seemed to get good user reviews. I'll let everyone know how they come out. By the way, there's also a recipe for salmon burgers at the Weber site. I decided to try this one based on the reviews.

Thanks for all your help. I'll have a report for you on Friday.

--Mickey
 
Micky, for a treat put some of those hotdogs on the smoker for 45 minutes or so. You might not grill them again.
 
Thanks Doug! I've actually tried that with "turkey dogs" before. They came out good, but I haven't tried smoking "real" hot dogs yet; I'm sure it'll be even better. I'll try one out as a treat for the chef. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
 
I hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th.

Well, our cookout was a great success. I started getting everything ready at about 10 pm on the 3rd, and the pork (5.5 lbs) went on at midnight. Went to sleep at 1 am, with the temp at about 235. Woke up at 6:30 am, the temp was about 220. My cooker did a great job! My house didn't burn down! We're still alive!

In the morning I also put a probe thermometer into the meat. I don't think I'll ever do that again. I don't know, I never seem to have much luck with meat thermometers. I was planning to cook until it reached 195. It was still reading 174 after 17 hours! I think it was probably done at 14, and it started to dry out after that. The pork was still good, though. Next time I won't rely on a meat thermometer, although the probe at the grate seems to work well for me.

After I was done with the pork, I wrapped it up and put it in the cooler. Then I converted the WSM into a grill--I don't have a kettle yet, but I'd like to get one at the end of the summer if and when they go on clearance. (I've seen the bigger one-touch silver for $70, and the gold for about $100. Should I grab now, or wait longer?) The WSM did a decent job for me as a grill.

I grilled corn in the husk, then hot dogs and salmon burgers. Everything was a hit. The salmon burgers were good, they had a definite horseradish and onion flavor. Instead of using dijon mustard and horseradish, I used a dijon with horseradish combination that I found. I used a food processor to grind the salmon pieces into almost a paste. I think that helped the burgers stick together without needing an egg. Next time I'll cut back on the mustard/horseradish a little so I can taste the salmon a little more.

By the way, I did put a couple hot dogs on the smoker an hour before lunchtime. Heaven! Didn't get to compare to the grilled dogs I made, though. My pork sandwich was piled too high to allow room for a hot dog!

It was a lot of work, but it was worth it. Thanks for the help! Now it's time to go plant the ribs idea in everyone's head. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

--Mick
 
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