Butts...first time


 
M. Rollins

M. Rollins

TVWBB Super Fan
I haven't had a chance until now to write about my Dad's Day cook. I finally decided to try some butts. So far I had only tried BB's (twice) and one of the smoked salmon recipes from the "Cooking Topics" page. Didn't have a lot of time, so I grabbed the first butts I found. The store had 2 left...One was 5 lbs and the the other was a little over 3 lbs (was that possibly a larger piece cut in half?). Used mustard and a basic rub. Got them on the grill about 6:30 a.m. Apple/pecan for smoke. Anticipated cooler temps and wind, so I used 40 lit and went with a foiled pan/no water. Of course, temp was not as cool and very little wind. Dome temp wanted to stay around 250. I know that's okay, but it was making me nervous. Added some water to the pan, which lowered the temps enough to settle my nerves. My new ET-73 worked great. Used one probe for each butt. So glad I had read here about the temp plateau, or I would have freaked. Stayed patient and sure enough, temps eventually rose. Took each one off at 195. Foiled to finish. They pulled apart like butter! Everyone just raved about it. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to share my experience. The WSM is awesome, and this site is invaluable. Thanks all! Here are a few pics:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com...970_45b6514ab2_m.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com...073_90f7449b42_m.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com...584_87085e0d6b_m.jpg
 
Mike - great pics; sounds like you did a great job - I did a couple of butts myself a few days ago - mine turned out pretty good as well.

nice post.
 
j, i'm not sure about the brisket yet. I definitely want to do it, I'm just a little nervous! Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks. Gotta go for it sometime, right?

Michael, thanks for the kind words. I am lovin' this smoker!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">j, i'm not sure about the brisket yet. I definitely want to do it, I'm just a little nervous! Who knows, maybe in a couple weeks. Gotta go for it sometime, right? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

you now know the fundamentals of getting a roast to tender. A brisket is only tricky in that the flat won't have as much marbling as a butt. If you overshoot a brisket, they can get dry. Go HH and watch a packer melt in 4-5 hours and you'll be fine. My second HH brisket ever got me a 5th place out of 50 teams in a kcbs contest.
 
Mike! Amazing picts (and I'm sure they don't do justice at all)!

When did you take them off? And what was the overall temp of the smoker for you? Wife just bought us a 6lb butt for the weekend. Can't decide if I want to start it Friday night (10ish) or hold off until Saturday and have it for Sunday.

Mike
 
Michael - I had planned to do an overnight smoke. But with the butts I got being on the small side, I thought they might get done too early. After reading how some folks have gotten 4 or 5 hrs of resting, I guess I shouldn't have worried. Even with a short rest (30-60 min) the meat was so moist and tender. Smoker temps stayed around 225-230. Enjoy your cook!
 
Awsome!
wsmsmile8gm.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top