Here we go! First pork butt on this Oakford!


 
J

Jay D in Jersey

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Picked up an 8lb. pork butt at the local ShopRite.
This will be hot and fast on the Oakford 580.
It finally cleared up here in PA...sunny. Didn't want to go to the beach Friday and sit inside while it poured down there. Yellow mustard binder and a combo. of Traeger and Heath Riles Apple pork rubs. I did cut much of the fat cap off for better or worse. Got it in at 0815 hrs. after the machine settled at 275. I'm using the Nex-fi probe and the Inkbird Wi-fi thermometer to keep it honest. I plan to foil wrap at 175 and keep on until 203.
We'll see.1000010120.jpg1000010121.jpg
 
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Jay D in Jersey said:
Picked up an 8lb. pork butt at the local ShopRite.
This will be hot and fast on the Oakford 580.
It finally cleared up here in PA...sunny. Didn't want to go to the beach Friday and sit inside while it poured down there. Yellow mustard binder and a combo. of Traeger and Heath Rules Apple pork rubs. I did cut much of the fat cap off for better or worse. Got it in at 0815 hrs. after the machine settled at 275. I'm using the Nex-fi probe and the Inkbird Wi-fi thermometer to keep it honest. I plan to foil wrap at 175 and keep on until 203.
We'll see.View attachment 87229View attachment 87230
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Yeah, I bought these magnetic hooks on Amazon thinking I could hang the rack on it out of the way, off to the side. They won't even hold the tongs.
The magnets seem strong enough but they just slide along the painted surface like skates on ice.
 
The only issue so far is the discrepancy in temperature reading between the Inkbird and the Oakford Nex-fi. The probes are in approximately the same depth but the Nex-fi is reading 27 degrees higher. I'm more inclined to believe the Inkbird.
 
Jay D in Jersey said:
The only issue so far is the discrepancy in temperature reading between the Inkbird and the Oakford Nex-fi. The probes are in approximately the same depth but the Nex-fi is reading 27 degrees higher. I'm more inclined to believe the Inkbird.
Click to expand...
Get rid of that foil on the grease tray and you should have far more accurate and stable temps. This was the result on both of my pellet grills. I think a lot of how they regulate their heat (which is sensed by the RTD) is radiated from that plate as well as fan forced air. Basically "insulating" that plate knocks everything off kilter and you get temps all over the map. I took the foil off and both the MM and Z are rock solid. I set a temp and they hold +- 5 (and that is confirmed not just on the display but backed up by my ThermoWorks ambient probe as well).
 
LMichaels said:
Get rid of that foil on the grease tray and you should have far more accurate and stable temps. This was the result on both of my pellet grills. I think a lot of how they regulate their heat (which is sensed by the RTD) is radiated from that plate as well as fan forced air. Basically "insulating" that plate knocks everything off kilter and you get temps all over the map. I took the foil off and both the MM and Z are rock solid. I set a temp and they hold +- 5 (and that is confirmed not just on the display but backed up by my ThermoWorks ambient probe as well).
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Good point. I forgot about our previous discussion 😅. I might do that when I pull it to wrap it.
 
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LMichaels said:
Get rid of that foil on the grease tray and you should have far more accurate and stable temps. This was the result on both of my pellet grills. I think a lot of how they regulate their heat (which is sensed by the RTD) is radiated from that plate as well as fan forced air. Basically "insulating" that plate knocks everything off kilter and you get temps all over the map. I took the foil off and both the MM and Z are rock solid. I set a temp and they hold +- 5 (and that is confirmed not just on the display but backed up by my ThermoWorks ambient probe as well).
Click to expand...
Never thought of that Larry. Even after upgrading to the PID controller my Traeger doesn't hold rock solid temps. Thanks for posting.
 
Yeah, I would not have believed it if I didn't try it back to back on both grills. Before you could have knocked me over with a feather if you told me wrapping that plate in foil would affect it so badly
 
In the winter to cut down on cleaning I simply use a 1/2 or 3/4 rimmed sheet pan under the food. I rarely if ever cook on lower shelf of my grills. However in nice weather I'll not use the sheet pan and simply scrape them down occasionally (not even every time) maybe every 2nd or 3rd time I vacuum them out I will do what I call a "deep clean". Scrape the tray, vacuum everything out, check/clean the grease catch, clean the RTD probe really well. slap it all back together. Takes me maybe 20 min total. That's all I do to keep them running just fine. I'm not sure but I think the Z grill's deflector is actually made of SS (430 not 304) but SS as I have no rusting on it, while the MM is definitely plain old steel as it does get some rust. But it's so thick, I don't think it's an issue and I can get another for free before the grill is 3 yo anyway. So, I don't even worry about it
 
Bob Erdman said:
Looks good, I would have put it on the top rack and put my drip pan on the lower grate. More than one way to skin a cat though. Enjoy your meal later, pulled pork is one of my favorite things to smoke!
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Thanks. I'm somewhat a rookie with pork butts. I did a few on the Akorn. Some were great. Some weren't. So far, way easier on a pellet grill.
 
LMichaels said:
In the winter to cut down on cleaning I simply use a 1/2 or 3/4 rimmed sheet pan under the food. I rarely if ever cook on lower shelf of my grills. However in nice weather I'll not use the sheet pan and simply scrape them down occasionally (not even every time) maybe every 2nd or 3rd time I vacuum them out I will do what I call a "deep clean". Scrape the tray, vacuum everything out, check/clean the grease catch, clean the RTD probe really well. slap it all back together. Takes me maybe 20 min total. That's all I do to keep them running just fine. I'm not sure but I think the Z grill's deflector is actually made of SS (430 not 304) but SS as I have no rusting on it, while the MM is definitely plain old steel as it does get some rust. But it's so thick, I don't think it's an issue and I can get another for free before the grill is 3 yo anyway. So, I don't even worry about it
Click to expand...
How, what do you clean the RTD probe with?
 
LMichaels said:
In the winter to cut down on cleaning I simply use a 1/2 or 3/4 rimmed sheet pan under the food. I rarely if ever cook on lower shelf of my grills. However in nice weather I'll not use the sheet pan and simply scrape them down occasionally (not even every time) maybe every 2nd or 3rd time I vacuum them out I will do what I call a "deep clean". Scrape the tray, vacuum everything out, check/clean the grease catch, clean the RTD probe really well. slap it all back together. Takes me maybe 20 min total. That's all I do to keep them running just fine. I'm not sure but I think the Z grill's deflector is actually made of SS (430 not 304) but SS as I have no rusting on it, while the MM is definitely plain old steel as it does get some rust. But it's so thick, I don't think it's an issue and I can get another for free before the grill is 3 yo anyway. So, I don't even worry about it
Click to expand...
I do all of that cleaning. Hope not foiling the drip tray makes a difference.
 
So at 168 I pulled it off, poured some Seaside Grown BBQ sauce over it. Wrapped it tightly in foil and put back on at 275 until it hit 202 IT. I did spritz it occasionally with a mix of Coke water and ACV.
Let it rest while I watched a rerun episode of Rescue Me and shredded it.
Served with coleslaw on Corropolese Italian Bakery club rolls with some small roasted potatoes my wife made.
Outstanding. The hot and fast recipe from Hey Grill Hey is a definite winner.
 
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