First Pork Butt/BBQ


 
L

Laura D

TVWBB Fan
Hello Everyone - I'm getting ready to do my first BBQ tomorrow for the 4th.

I'm going to do a North Carolina style pulled pork recipe I got from a Stephen Raichlen grilling book - looks delicious. I'm only cooking for me and two friends tomorrow and I'm starting small so I'm just going to get around a 2 pound pork butt.

I'm a master griller so I am good at temp control raising/lowering. I wanted to use my smokenator but now I think with the two pound pork I am going to go ahead and use the charcoal baskets with Stubb's charcoal, one on each side of a water pan, adding coals every hour as needed and monitoring the temp with my candy thermomter at the vents and my maverick on the grill and my other maverick food thermometer in the pork. I'm going to get it to 195 degrees. I'm thinking hickory for the smoke, I have chips and chunks and was going to go for the chunks.

Any advice for anything? Like, what do I do if my pork starts cooking fast, wrap it in foil? Should I keep it warm on the grill in a pan with my vinegar sauce if it gets done way early before my guests arrived? Minimum/maximum temperature?

I know there is so much info here and I've been reading up the wazoo. I'll keep reading and researching but any last minute tips are really appreciated!!

Thank you -

Laura
 
It looks wonderful!

I just got my pork butt from the butcher, and I figure if I need to I can foil and finish in the oven.

I'm going to start early in case things take a while, but do you have any advice for if the pork is done before my friends arrive to eat?

Pull it, put in pan, foil the top, what is a good temp in oven to keep warm? I'll also google it.

Good to see your excellent cook - I'm inspired. Thank you!

Laura
 
Hey Laura I used my grill quite a bit the way you are describing your cook and I would be careful not to put too many coals on each side as you will generate a lot more heat with the two baskets. Not sure what cooking temps you're aiming for but pork is pretty forgiving. With your grill you have absolute control so you'll be fine. Foil it and place it in a cooler with towels or blankets if you get done early. I love that method. Do it with brisket and picnics everytime, works great.
 
Thank you!

Now I'm changing my mind, then I'll put the briquettes on one side. Still deciding on Kingsford or Stubbs (bought Stubbs for grilling and Kingsford for lower temp cooks).

I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve, excited to try my first BBQ tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

Happy 4th, everybody!

Laura
 
Did a 4# pork picnic (very similar to a shoulder) in my kettle a couple of months ago. Placed coals to one side banked with bricks and closed the bottom vents to almost closed... ok they were closed once temps got to 200. Kept top vent open and the temps settled in around 275F. I measured temps via the top vent so at the grate it should be lower. The pork on the side with the coals/direct heat. I might have rotated once, but am not certain.

I took the meat off when a probe (long end of a meat thermometer) went through like warm butter. No need to temp the meat. Just be sure to rest the meat about an hour before pulling.

As said by others, pull a little before eating. It'll keep moisture better. Just wrap in foil and then towels. Some people here will stick it in the microwave or small cooler. I find preheating not necessary... just holding for a couple of hours. It was very hot (not warm) to touch.

Just a word of warning, the 4# picnic almost disappeared between 4 adults. Common wisdom here is 50% cooked weight here for uncooked and 4-6oz cooked per person. It was so good, people tended to over indulge.

HTH. Good luck.
 
Thanks all, it is going well (so far!) and I'm having a great time.

It is a 4 pound bone in pork butt so by the time we eat it'll have 2 pounds-ish or so of meat to eat.

Right now it is 142 degrees and I'm reading up on what to do if "the stall" happens. It smells delicious so far, can't wait to see how it tastes.

Laura
 
Laura;
I doubt you'll see a stall in the OTG. It'll just steadily creep upward. When it hits 160 I would foil (put in a throw away pan and foil tight over the top) then remove when it gets tender (around 200 or so). Let it rest for a while, then pull.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Dale53
 
Originally posted by Laura D:
Thanks all, it is going well (so far!) and I'm having a great time.

It is a 4 pound bone in pork butt so by the time we eat it'll have 2 pounds-ish or so of meat to eat.

Right now it is 142 degrees and I'm reading up on what to do if "the stall" happens. It smells delicious so far, can't wait to see how it tastes.

Laura
Click to expand...

Probably too late now, but I don't worry about the stall or foiling (using kettle or wsm). Hope it turns out great.

Happy 4th to all!
 
Well I have kind of hit a wall.

My Maverick temperature has stopped around 170 (it went up to 178 and now has dropped to 176). I got my Thermapen and other parts of shoulder are in the 180's.

I foiled my pork butt and put it in a foil pan in the oven at 325 degrees with a tablespoon of apple cider, which supposed to help with "stalling."

I'm having a challenging time taking the temperature because of the bone - I keep hitting it as I seek the middle.

I got sunburnt in San Francisco - I'm more done than my pork butt is. : /

Any last pieces of advice, I'll take 'em. I'm off to google and search to see if there is anything I can do besides make sure I'm taking the temperature right.

Thank you -

Laura
 
Laura D;
I hope that you have the pan covered with foil. It'll help retain the moisture as the meat moves to pulling temperature.

You just have to put the Thermapen in the large muscle groups staying away from the bone. That should give you the true temperature.

I think you will be fine. Just stay with it.

Dale53
 
I finished it in the oven well wrapped in foil in a disposable pan. Waited until it hit 198 degrees. Let it rest, pulled it, mixed it with my vinegar sauce and put it back in the oven for a few at 170. Served that with homemade coleslaw and it was amazing delicious. It was so good.

That was my first BBQ and I am so glad I did it and thanks again for all the advice and help. I'm going to do a bucketload of grilling now for the next few weeks but I hope to pick a day in August to try out my Smokenator instead of manually adding lit briquettes once an hour like I did yesterday.

Hooray! I BBQ'ed! Woo hoo!

Laura
 
LauraD;
First of all, you did GOOD! Congratulations!!

To avoid constant fire tending, I use those two thin firebricks to contain the briquets and act somewhat as a heat regulator.

Then I dump a full chimney (Weber chimney) of UNLIT briquets behind the bricks. I then light 8 briquets and dump them on top of the unlit. I have already placed a couple of tennis ball sized chunks of wood on top of the unlit.

That is a modified "Minion method" that gives you a controllable rise in temperature and will hold for hours. I use my Maverick and clip on the food grill and hold at 300 degrees. The meat probe goes in the meat to tell me how I am progressing. I pull the meat at 160 degrees internal temperature and then foil using a throw away pan. I'll then return it to the grill just as if it was in the oven. Go for 195-200 or so pull it and let it rest for at least thirty minutes, then when it is cool enough to pull, do it!

FWIW
Dale53
 
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