Steve Cutchen
TVWBB Super Fan
So I put the new WSM to work in anger for the first time. Decided to do a couple of butts. Bought a cryovac pair from Sam's; $1.28/lb
I trimmed and salted the butts, then rubbed them. I looked at a bunch of rubs and decided to make up one using fairly common ratios:
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Ziplocked the butts in the fridge for about 8 hours, then rerubbed and onto the smoker.
I Minioned with Kingsford, 2 buried hickory chunks, a chunk on top and a foil pouch of chips containing a blend of apple, cherry, maple and hickory. No water; a foiled pan and pot base. I lit a 1/3 chimney and got the fire going about 11p last night. The WSM heated up quickly, and the butts were on with a lot of smoke in about 15 minutes. I had a lot of smoke, and a lot of leakage from between the lid and body:
I guess this will seal up after the inside gets seasoned. I also had trouble keeping the temps down. I was running 265 to 275 as I kept making vent adjustments until 2a. Ended up with bottom vents at 25, 25, 0 and top vent at 50. Looking back, I think I had significant leakage around the door. I've reformed it a bit to get a better fit.
I checked the butts at 7a. the cooker was at 250. Yay! I basted with Southern Sop. The top butt was in the low 190s by 9a; a 10 hour cook for a 7.75 lb butt. The bottom butt was only in the low 180s when I pulled the top one. I moved it to the top rack, and it was done 2 hrs later.
I thought the bark was a bit spicy. And I oversalted before rubbing. But my family begged to differ. They like the heat, so I'm good with it; I'll just drop the salt a bit next time. The interior was wonderful. Very full flavor and smokiness even with no additional rub or sauce. From a 7.75 lb butt, I came off the fire at 5 lbs, and had 3.9 lbs after pulling; right at 50% yield
All in all, I'm happy with this first effort. Ribs are coming up on New Year's Eve, and a HH packer on New Year's day.
I trimmed and salted the butts, then rubbed them. I looked at a bunch of rubs and decided to make up one using fairly common ratios:
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
2 tablespoons granulated garlic
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Ziplocked the butts in the fridge for about 8 hours, then rerubbed and onto the smoker.
I Minioned with Kingsford, 2 buried hickory chunks, a chunk on top and a foil pouch of chips containing a blend of apple, cherry, maple and hickory. No water; a foiled pan and pot base. I lit a 1/3 chimney and got the fire going about 11p last night. The WSM heated up quickly, and the butts were on with a lot of smoke in about 15 minutes. I had a lot of smoke, and a lot of leakage from between the lid and body:
I guess this will seal up after the inside gets seasoned. I also had trouble keeping the temps down. I was running 265 to 275 as I kept making vent adjustments until 2a. Ended up with bottom vents at 25, 25, 0 and top vent at 50. Looking back, I think I had significant leakage around the door. I've reformed it a bit to get a better fit.
I checked the butts at 7a. the cooker was at 250. Yay! I basted with Southern Sop. The top butt was in the low 190s by 9a; a 10 hour cook for a 7.75 lb butt. The bottom butt was only in the low 180s when I pulled the top one. I moved it to the top rack, and it was done 2 hrs later.
I thought the bark was a bit spicy. And I oversalted before rubbing. But my family begged to differ. They like the heat, so I'm good with it; I'll just drop the salt a bit next time. The interior was wonderful. Very full flavor and smokiness even with no additional rub or sauce. From a 7.75 lb butt, I came off the fire at 5 lbs, and had 3.9 lbs after pulling; right at 50% yield
All in all, I'm happy with this first effort. Ribs are coming up on New Year's Eve, and a HH packer on New Year's day.
