Alan Bosch
TVWBB Fan
My WSM never ceases to amaze me!
As family and friends gathered for the long Thanksgiving weekend, it was suggested that leftovers - universally agreed to be as much a part of the tradition as the turkey itself - just weren't in order this year, what with so many of us gathering together for the first time in six or eight years. One family member that has spent considerable time in the Carolina's, suggested I fire up the WSM and smoke up some pork butts for the crowd. I had planned on smoking two butts Saturday to serve for lunch Sunday for those still around. However, it was suggested that I put four butts on the smoker for Friday night and make it a big party.
Wednesday, I sent two of the more intrepid of our group out to the market to fetch two more butts and another Taylor digital thermomator. And I set about planning and constructing a new wind screen (details in another post.) My sister, who'd been skimming my smoke-log and recipe book, suggested I do a couple of different finishing sauces.
Thanksgiving morning, I whipped together three finish sauces; a mustard-based sauce (smooth and mild), a vinagar-based NC sauce (tangy and hot), and a tomato-based Memphis sauce (sweet with a kick). Later in the evening, I rubbed two of the butts with a basic BBQ rub, and the other two with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.
The WSM was fired up at 10:00 PM Thanksgiving night using 3/4 of a chimney of hot Kingsford over a very full grate of unlit briquettes.
Three chunks of oak were added, the water pan filled to the brim, and the smoker assembled. When the smoker temp reached 250 degrees, I added the butts - two on each grate - and erected my new home-made wind screen.
It took about two hours for the temperature to stabilize at about 240 degrees, after which I topped off the waterpan and went to bed. It was 1:30 AM.
Morning broke late due, in part, to cloud cover and a few beers consumed while getting the show started the night before. At 7:45 am, the WSM was smokin' away at 265 degrees.
I pulled the cover off the smoker and pulled the butts out to baste, turn, swap grates, and insert the temp probes. The water was replenished at this time as well. Internal temp at this point was in the 150 degree area.
To cut to the chase... I wound up smoking the butts until both thermometers read 190 degrees, which equaled about 3:00 pm or 16 hours after the butts met the grills. Wrapped in foil and put in a cooler, they were all pulled at 5:00pm and served at six. There was enough pork to satisfy thirty or so people with some left over to be taken home with a few guests. They were, modestly, the best butts I've made to date.
Don't be afraid to try an overnight cook on your WSM. Once the temp stabilizes, it'll chug along for hours with little if any tweaking. And the results will be very rewarding.
Peace. Out.
Alan
As family and friends gathered for the long Thanksgiving weekend, it was suggested that leftovers - universally agreed to be as much a part of the tradition as the turkey itself - just weren't in order this year, what with so many of us gathering together for the first time in six or eight years. One family member that has spent considerable time in the Carolina's, suggested I fire up the WSM and smoke up some pork butts for the crowd. I had planned on smoking two butts Saturday to serve for lunch Sunday for those still around. However, it was suggested that I put four butts on the smoker for Friday night and make it a big party.
Wednesday, I sent two of the more intrepid of our group out to the market to fetch two more butts and another Taylor digital thermomator. And I set about planning and constructing a new wind screen (details in another post.) My sister, who'd been skimming my smoke-log and recipe book, suggested I do a couple of different finishing sauces.
Thanksgiving morning, I whipped together three finish sauces; a mustard-based sauce (smooth and mild), a vinagar-based NC sauce (tangy and hot), and a tomato-based Memphis sauce (sweet with a kick). Later in the evening, I rubbed two of the butts with a basic BBQ rub, and the other two with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder.
The WSM was fired up at 10:00 PM Thanksgiving night using 3/4 of a chimney of hot Kingsford over a very full grate of unlit briquettes.
Three chunks of oak were added, the water pan filled to the brim, and the smoker assembled. When the smoker temp reached 250 degrees, I added the butts - two on each grate - and erected my new home-made wind screen.
It took about two hours for the temperature to stabilize at about 240 degrees, after which I topped off the waterpan and went to bed. It was 1:30 AM.
Morning broke late due, in part, to cloud cover and a few beers consumed while getting the show started the night before. At 7:45 am, the WSM was smokin' away at 265 degrees.
I pulled the cover off the smoker and pulled the butts out to baste, turn, swap grates, and insert the temp probes. The water was replenished at this time as well. Internal temp at this point was in the 150 degree area.
To cut to the chase... I wound up smoking the butts until both thermometers read 190 degrees, which equaled about 3:00 pm or 16 hours after the butts met the grills. Wrapped in foil and put in a cooler, they were all pulled at 5:00pm and served at six. There was enough pork to satisfy thirty or so people with some left over to be taken home with a few guests. They were, modestly, the best butts I've made to date.
Don't be afraid to try an overnight cook on your WSM. Once the temp stabilizes, it'll chug along for hours with little if any tweaking. And the results will be very rewarding.
Peace. Out.
Alan