Not a good first attempt with pulled pork

[Mark Evenson]

Joel, as Glen says. Turn it up and it will be done sooner, turn it down and it will take longer. Did he Really say that? Well maybe I am paraphrasing a bit. I think that is what he meant and I second it.

Mark

 

[Joel Oliva]

so what happens with the pork butt if you cook it faster vs slower? if you can cook it faster, then why cook it slower and visa versa? does the consistancy of the meat differ? if not, then why doesn't everyone just cook it faster?

 

[Don Cash]

Originally posted by Joel Oliva:
so what happens with the pork butt if you cook it faster vs slower? if you can cook it faster, then why cook it slower and visa versa? does the consistancy of the meat differ? if not, then why doesn't everyone just cook it faster?

For me it's all about timing. If I'm making it for lunch and have a 8 lb butt for example, I'm looking at a 12-14 hour cook low/slow or a 8-10 hour cook higher. Putting it on at 8-10PM the night before is much more appealing to me than midnight-2 AM., so I'd do it low/slow.

 

[Glenn W]

Originally posted by Glenn W:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Joel Oliva:
so what temp would you recommend if cooking 2 butts together on the top grate?

Depends, what time do you want to eat? What is your schedule the previous 24hrs? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Quote: For me it's all about timing. If I'm making it for lunch and have a 8 lb butt for example, I'm looking at a 12-14 hour cook low/slow or a 8-10 hour cook higher. Putting it on at 8-10PM the night before is much more appealing to me than midnight-2 AM., so I'd do it low/slow.

This is why I asked you?

 

[Mark Evenson]

Ah grasshopper, the age old BBQ question.. to cook faster or slower, which is betta? Many opinions on this one. Are you a traditionalist? Are you a rebel? IMHO the only way you will know for yourself is to go both ways ( did I say that?)and find out for yourself. I have done both and..... hmmmmm they both taste good.

Mark

 

[Ernest Buckley]

Originally posted by Ken Keating:
Two years ago on July 4th I had one go 22 hours. Not sure why it took so long but it tasted great

Yes, I have had the same experience. Two butts usually takes me about 20-22 hours.

The one thing that always seems to happen to me when I smoke 2 butts is that I`ll start the smoke around 5p and around midnight I`ll reload but when I wake in the morning and check the WSM, the temp is really low, like in the 125-150 region.

For some reason, the temp stays consistent during the day but at night it really drops even though I refuel at midnight before going to bed. Obviously, in the morning I`ll reload and get the temps back up and the pork comes out fantastic.

I have only had one experience where the pork did not smoke right and I think that was just a bad piece. It went in the garbage. Pulling it was a workout when it should be anything but... no pun intended.

 

[Todd H]

Long time lurker. I've done alot of overnight cooks with four large butts in a 18.5 WSM (usualy have to stand at least one up on each grate to keep them from touching). I normally start at around 11PM to have them done at 2-3 PM the next day (shooting for temps of 250-260 at the lid), but it can/has varied by as much as a couple of hours and some get done before the others. No water, foiled clay pot base covering water bowl and I use only lump. These cooks take alot of fuel and I've found that when I add fuel if I don't "shake/stir" whats left before I add more that the new fuel takes much longer to fire up and usually requires vent adjustments to maintain temps. By making sure all the ash has been cleaned out/off of the remaining fuel I can leave the vents alone and get very little change.

What could be happening is when you add fuel at midnite what looks like a fair amount of lit/burning pre-existing fuel may not really be there and it takes a long time for what you added to get burning. Does it look like you have alot of unburned fuel in the morning?

 

[Tim L.]

Kevin-

Thank you for the informative reply. I was also appreciative of the links that were posted that direct us to other info-heavy posts.

My question to you, then, would be...do you ever cook chicken on the grill, and if so, what's your approach? High heat, get it on and off asap? Sear then low heat? Reverse sear?

I'm pursuing the noble goal of trying to make boneless skinless breasts that are not dried out.

I have absorbed your comments on pasteurization, by the way. 165 is not inaccurate, but it's also a lot higher than necessary, and does nothing to help in my quest for juicy chicken.

Thanks!

 

[Wayne_R]

Many moons ago when I 1st got my WSM, I think I felt the same way. There is a hardfast way to cook/smoke. One way is right and one is wrong. I think this led me down the wrong path and I ended up not enjoying/using this BBQ for a few years. For me it was frustration/too much info on my part, I was looking at all the advice and thinking someone has to be wrong.

I love this site and all the info on it. But since I started using the WSM again I take every piece of advice with "a grain of salt". I try a lil of this and dabble with a lil of that. If I don't have a certain ingredient, I'll try it without it. For example, I'm doing my 1st spares right now, and am taking some advice from BRITU and some from 3-2-1. I have no AJ to spray on it. We will see what happens??

Like my pappi always said, "Opinions are like a**ho**s, everyone has one"

You need to just see what satisfies your own tastes and go out and do it and practice.

I hope I'm not offending anyone here because that is not my point. My point is to relax, try different stuff, and have fun with the BBQ (and have a few beers

)

I just don't want what happened to me a few years back (getting too much into the minutiae)and someone letting this best smoker in the world collecting dust on the side of the house..

This is a great conversation though for the many pros on this site who have many more years and experience on this issue than I. I'm just looking out for the newbies like myself.

My 2 cents. Smoke on

 

[Glenn W]

Very well said Wayne, I see the biggest problem of new folks is the temp issues of the cooker and the meat (bbq wise not grilling), cook till tender and enjoy. Relax and try different stuff. 225-300 will get great results, timing is the only diff on this. Have fun and be creative. Doesn't matter if your using water, clay saucer or a dry pan with or without lump, briqs, etc........... Make your own rubs or use store bought stuff, doesn't matter. Do what you and your fans like!

 

[K Kruger]

Originally posted by Tim L.:
Kevin-

[...]

My question to you, then, would be...do you ever cook chicken on the grill, and if so, what's your approach? High heat, get it on and off asap? Sear then low heat? Reverse sear?

[...]

I have absorbed your comments on pasteurization, by the way. 165 is not inaccurate, but it's also a lot higher than necessary, and does nothing to help in my quest for juicy chicken.

165 is not inaccurate, yes: it's overkill. Pasteurization occurs at lower temps. Rather than the FDA/USDA telling consumers not to use analog bi-metal therms to check for safety and to use accurate, tip-sensitive therms instead, this temp is used as an 'extra measure of safety'. I'm not fond of dumbed-down information but oh, well.

I do chicken at rather high heat - temps of 400 to 500, depending on the size of the chicken, if whole, or if I am doing parts. If doing breasts, most of time I cook bone-in, skin-on. If I need boneless I remove the bone after cooking. For these it is hot and indirect pretty much the whole time.

For me, cooking b/s chicken breasts is relatively rare, but having had a rather long cooking career, it's occurred many hundreds of times. If I grill them I grill hot and fast, oiling them and seasoning them first, direct pretty much the whole time, flipping as needed.

 

[Tim L.]

Thanks again Kevin. And excellent points Wayne. I've used my WSM maybe a dozen times and not once has something come out "bad". Just different. My wife makes fun of me though because if a recipe says to do it one way or use a specific amount of an ingredient, I'll freak out if it's not exact. I'm working on changing that

 

[Joel Oliva]

Ok, my wife decided to buy some beef ribs since my in-laws decided to road trip spontaneously last night to my house and spend the weekend with us.

I'm gonna be using the Beef Back Rib-Yum Yum Seasoning from cooking topics here in this site.

I'm gonna use my 18.5 smoker to smoke this bad boy for tomorrow night. I do have a rib rack but not sure if a meaty rib will fit. I'll adjust as needed from what the directions described.

SO!...Can anyone give me some helpful tips not to screw this guy up? Everyone is asking if I can get this meat to be very juicy and right about to fall off the bone. We'd like to have it by tomorrow's dinner between 5-6.

Has anyone have any great experience with "Beef Ribs"?

 

[Wayne_R]

Originally posted by Joel Oliva:
Ok, my wife decided to buy some beef ribs since my in-laws decided to road trip spontaneously last night to my house and spend the weekend with us.

I'm gonna be using the Beef Back Rib-Yum Yum Seasoning from cooking topics here in this site.

I'm gonna use my 18.5 smoker to smoke this bad boy for tomorrow night. I do have a rib rack but not sure if a meaty rib will fit. I'll adjust as needed from what the directions described.

SO!...Can anyone give me some helpful tips not to screw this guy up? Everyone is asking if I can get this meat to be very juicy and right about to fall off the bone. We'd like to have it by tomorrow's dinner between 5-6.

Has anyone have any great experience with "Beef Ribs"?

If it is not too late, start a new string under barbecuing and you'll get answers faster.

 

[Joel Oliva]

Dangit! She just noticed the meat was "Beef Loin Top Loin Whole". She called the shop to see if she can return it, they said yes but will have to throw it away because they won't be able to trust where its been. My wife doesn't want it to go to waste so now she wants to keep it. The thing now is...what the heck do I do with this meat????

Start a new post on this?

 

[Mark Evenson]

Joel, no problem, it's only meat. Think of it as a mystery meat that someone gave you and you ARE going to cook it to perfection. Choose your rub of joice, or just salt and pepper and garlic. I would cook on a med-high heat, ie 275-300 for the WSM or indirct on the grill. Might even cook a bit higher. This should be a pretty lean cut and doesn't need a low and slow. Cook to the desired doneness, ie rare 125, med rare 130, med 135 etc. If you like do a reverse sear at the end and hold tented for 15 minutes. You can make a nice gravy or au ju. No worries! Enjoy your company, have a couple adult beverages and the crowd will love it.

Mark

 

[Joel Oliva]

I'm back with another question fellas!!!

so i'll be making pulled pork for superbowl...

We haven't discussed here about foiling a butt. Would it make the butt cook faster and be more moist if you foil it? I've read you can cook for 4 hours and then foil for another 4 hours until tender. Any take on this?

 

[Mark Evenson]

You can go either way. Last butt I did I did not foil or turn or spray, just let her cook. Came out very moist. I did inject tho.

Mark

 

[Glenn W]

Originally posted by Joel Oliva:
I'm back with another question fellas!!!

so i'll be making pulled pork for superbowl...

We haven't discussed here about foiling a butt. Would it make the butt cook faster and be more moist if you foil it? I've read you can cook for 4 hours and then foil for another 4 hours until tender. Any take on this?

Foil will make it cook faster. It will not make the product more moist. It will make the bark more moist. Not over cooking will keep it moist. Foiling can narrow the done window and cause you to miss the done stage if your not careful!

Good luck

 

[K Kruger]

Well...(conjure your best Samantha Stephens impression here)...foiling will not add moisture to the butt, but it does arrest moisture loss since the drippings have no where to go. This in turn sets up a scenario where the meat essential cooks in its own juices. The result is a moister finish. Whether that is desirable or not is up to the cook. For me, butt has plenty of moisture on its own, and the finish one achieves by foiling (especially if at or before the first plateau) is not one I like. I much prefer the renderings to drip away.

Foiling will cause the butt - or anything you foil - to cook more quickly.

As for smoking for 4 hours then foiling for 4 hours - maybe, maybe not. Time is dependent on actual cooktemps relative to the mass of the meat. When foil is employed it is then also dependent on when that occurs. One can foil at any time or, as some prefer, foil at the plateau, or after the plateau breaks, or at or around the second plateau (which doesn't always occur) or 180?.

I don't care for foiling butts nor do I care to inject, though many like that approach. I prefer to cook unfoiled then, during pulling, add a little finishing sauce to even texture, boost and even out flavor, and even out moisture levels.

Numerous ways to cook and finish butts, Joel. Pick one, try it, then pick another - and so on, till you develop the style you like best.