So I started the fire roughly 12:45AM. Untrimmed it was just short of 13lbs and I did the recommended trimming from the videos I saw on YouTube etc.
sj.hippie
Rub was based of the Dalmatian Rub. I added some garlic powder and paprika as well. Not a real measurable amount, but just enough to be noticed. Was really happy with the taste. At first when I tasted it before I rubbed I was worried it would be too salty but that wasn't the case.
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sj.hippie
I got the fire up to about 200 with the minion method and the meat went on at about 1:15. The temp dropped from 210 to 120 pretty quickly. <insert panic #1> I seriously had no idea what was going on. I knew I was tired but this just seemed silly to me. I decided I had to open the smoker to check what the hell was going on...So from my notes I have this
"Probe….Note to self…probe can jiggle. Was leaning up against cool meat. DOH"
Got that fixed and everything got back on a normal track by 2:00...
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sj.hippie
Everything seemed to be going great, I was sitting between 235-250 for a couple of hours. I did have a panic #2 when I saw some drip out of the bottom vents and worried that the water pan was boiling over or something was happening but after checking inside again, I think it was just condensation/meat juice from touching the sides. All was well so I had a beer to ease panic #2 back to normal haha
Sun up and extremely happy that coffee exists. I did manage about 2.5hrs of sleep and maybe a bit of nodding off next to the smoker like a kid on christmas morning. I was just about to hit 160 at 7:00.
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sj.hippie,
The temp held nicely at 145 all morning and by 11:45 the internal temp hit 170deg. It was here that I had panic #3. My original plan was to watch the temp and wrap if it was taking longer than I thought. But since the stall didn't last too long I thought I would go for it unwrapped. When I checked it at 180 it was noon and as I was about to probe it for tenderness I noticed the bark on a good chunk of the flat looked really dried out. I of course panicked thinking I had already created a 2x4 made of leather. I decided to wrap it quickly with some of the drippings to try to "save it"
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sj.hippie,
At about 1:30pm the temp had hit 190 and I probed it in several spots and damn...it was like butter. I was totally shocked. At 180 I had resistance and thought I had overcooked it already. This was awesome! Stupid me tho, I decided to grab a quick shower since guests were coming over. When I was out the temp was 195 and to me was perfect when probed. So I wrapped it up and into the cooler it went. I celebrated with what I thought was an entirely appropriate adult beverage. 2:00 and I was DONE.
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sj.hippie,
Our guests were a bit late and I carved it at about 5:00. The flat to me was extremely tender but on the dry side. The point was spectacular. I had no leftovers from the point and everyone had 2nds and thirds so I guess it was a success.
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sj.hippie,
Me being me...I wasn't totally happy. The flat seemed too dry and maybe overcooked. I'm not sure where I could improve so hence....my long story above. I think next time I'll wrap at the stall. I dunno. I'm on the fence about that. Otherwise, it's great to have the first one under my belt. I may have had the book smarts but there is no comparison for actual hands on. Now that I know how at least it kinda works I can't wait till my next one!