Got one in the oven.


 
JeffB

JeffB

TVWBB Pro
My buddy who competes and wins in the BBQ circuit tells me that he does his Boston Butts over briquettes until they reach an internal temperature of 140-150, pulls them and wraps them in heavy foil and finishes them in a 200 degree over for 6 to 8 more hours. They come out "like buttah."

Does anybody else finish in the oven? I guess at 140 to 150 internal, they've been over the briquettes for around 4 to 6+ hours and so no more smoke flavor will be possible, so why not transfer to the oven?

I may try this next time. Thoughts?
 
My timing for long cooks really sucks and 1/2 the time my shoulder,usually in the 18# range, is going to be done at 3am, in this case I do foil and put in the oven. I usually take it through the stall before I do this. I do prefer to do the whole thing on the smoker though.

I'm still trying to figure out this thing about after a certain temperature the butt won't get anymore smoke flavour since the smoke adheres to the meat. As long as there is smoke present then the meat should be getting a stronger smoke flavour.
 
Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
I guess at 140 to 150 internal, they've been over the briquettes for around 4 to 6+ hours and so no more smoke flavor will be possible
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Not true Jeff. Internal temp doesn't have anything to do with add'l smoke flavor. As long as there is smoke there will be add'l smoke flavor
 
I have done butts this way with good success. Usually, I will smoke on the WSM for 3-4 hours, then place into a deep foil pan, give a splash of apple juice and put into a 225° oven for 6-8 hrs. This is good for a Friday overnight for Saturday lunch or dinner cook. Adjust your start time to allow for stall & hold (FTC) times.

I have done this for a catering gig on a Saturday afternoon when I didn't have enough room on my kettle (all I had at that time) and I wanted to have 4 butts done at the same time.
 
Jeff,

As Dave correctly points out, temp has nothing to do with smoke flavor.

so why not transfer to the oven?
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For me it would because I already have a hot smoker going and I don't want to heat up an additional appliance to achieve the results I can get on my WSM; that would be waisting energy to me. It's not the appliance so much that creates a good product, rather good meat and good cooking technique. Your friend foils his butts which in effect braises the meat and helps hold in juices. The tenderness is due to proper cooking not the fact he used an oven. He cooked the meat until it was tender which is done everyday on a WSM.
Paul
 
Originally posted by Dave/G:
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Not true Jeff. Internal temp doesn't have anything to do with add'l smoke flavor. As long as there is smoke there will be add'l smoke flavor[/QUOTE]

I misspoke---I didn't mean to suggest that internal temps caused the smoke to stop adhering. What I meant to say is that after a number or hours, the smoke has stopped and there is just heat at that point. So, transferring to an oven makes no difference--heat is heat.
 
The main benefit I see with the oven to finish the cook is that you no longer need to consider maintaining the WSM temps (adding more fuel or water if used, adjusting vents.)

That was my reason for going with the 22.5 WSM. I can load it up and do a long cook with little to effort. With that my WSM can hold a 250 temp for hours
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Originally posted by Jim H.:
I have done butts this way with good success. Usually, I will smoke on the WSM for 3-4 hours, then place into a deep foil pan, give a splash of apple juice and put into a 225° oven for 6-8 hrs. This is good for a Friday overnight for Saturday lunch or dinner cook. Adjust your start time to allow for stall & hold (FTC) times.

I have done this for a catering gig on a Saturday afternoon when I didn't have enough room on my kettle (all I had at that time) and I wanted to have 4 butts done at the same time.
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Exactly, Jim. This is the identical technique he follows, along with the apple juice, etc.
 
I do it that way most of the time in winter here in Michigan. You get the flavor of wood and charcoal this way and use a lot less coal due to coldness outside. Easy to control temps in oven. I do brisket like that too!
 
I'm guessing I get better milage on a full load of charcoal here in Round Rock (warmer climate), because I can go for about 12-14 hours on one load; no need to reload.

Paul
 
Smoke will adhere to the meat for as long as it is present but I have to agree that 6 hours of smoke should give you what you want.
The only note I have is that, to finish in the oven, you don't need to foil. If you do foil, be sure to check for doneness earlier as you will finish sooner with softer bark, which some enjoy. I use the oven to finish on occasion if I can't be bothered with the pit anymore
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To my knowledge there are no ovens at KCBS contests.. maybe a pellet cookers like Traegers, FE's, etc. but no ovens so either you misquoted him or the methods are not for contests.
 
Originally posted by J Reyes:
To my knowledge there are no ovens at KCBS contests.. maybe a pellet cookers like Traegers, FE's, etc. but no ovens so either you misquoted him or the methods are not for contests.
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I didn't say he did it that way in contests. I said he competes. He does it that way for his catering business.
 
I think that is a fine way to do the butts, but personally, I don't see the point. If I ran out of charcoal then I guess I might do that. I've never had it happen where my charcoal didn't last long enough to finish a butt. So as was said, why start another appliance when you already have one going.

Also, I did some ribs in the oven once and in doing so had a probe in the oven to measure temp. You'd be suprised at how much an oven varies in temp. My wsm holds temp rock solid. The oven had a better than 25 degree temp swing as the oven's thermostat cycled the element on and off.

Even when I wrap my meat, which stops the smoke absorption, I leave it on the WSM.
 
Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J Reyes:
To my knowledge there are no ovens at KCBS contests.. maybe a pellet cookers like Traegers, FE's, etc. but no ovens so either you misquoted him or the methods are not for contests.
Click to expand...

I didn't say he did it that way in contests. I said he competes. He does it that way for his catering business. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Got it, sorry... for that matter the whole cook can be done in a oven except I would reverse it. Wet rub with liquid smoke, in foil pan, finish unwrapped to get the bark.
 
Originally posted by J Reyes:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff Bryson:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by J Reyes:
To my knowledge there are no ovens at KCBS contests.. maybe a pellet cookers like Traegers, FE's, etc. but no ovens so either you misquoted him or the methods are not for contests.
Click to expand...

I didn't say he did it that way in contests. I said he competes. He does it that way for his catering business. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Got it, sorry... for that matter the whole cook can be done in a oven except I would reverse it. Wet rub with liquid smoke, in foil pan, finish unwrapped to get the bark. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

No problem--didn't mean to sound harsh.
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I'm not sure why he finishes in the oven--he's got one HELL of a big pit smoker though. Pulls it behind his truck on wheels from state to state. I'll ask him and try to complete this thread. Good question why he finishes that way--never asked him.
 
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