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Raining on my butts!


 
J

Jeff_S

TVWBB Fan
Short version: garbage can lid + plastic shower curtian makes a good umbrella.

Longer version:
I got an overnight pork butt smoke started last night around 10:30 (my first pork butts). Got the fire under control and sat outside for an hour watching the lightening on the horizon...started making contingency plans.

I grabbed a garbage can lid (with a convenient hole right on the top middle), a long piece of string, and a screwdriver. I rigged up a mounting system with the screwdriver and string so the wind wouldn't be able to move it and went to bed.

Got up to some lound thunder at 7 am...but it was only sprinkling. I stoked the fire and it started POURING. The water was draining off the garbage can lid right onto the seam between the top and middle sections of the cooker, filling the charcoal bowl! I dashed upstairs looking for something to help...and stumbled across a shower curtian. It worked great...except now I have some water in by charcoal bowl. <sigh>...didn't think quickly enough.

Jeff
 
a little water in the charcoal bowl shouldn't be too much problems, since it will only be dampening the ash, and not getting on the charcoal. Now if you have a LOT (like, probably more than a gallon) that would be a problem.

So, how are they butts doing? How were your temps throughout?

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Temps right now are disappointingly LOW. 140 and 160. I don't think 140 is high enough to indicate that the butt has plateaued.

I know the temps were running a steady 250 from midnight to 2 am. Woke up to 180 at the lid at 7 am, and recovered very quickly to 250. Been running at 240 now for an hour and a half or so, despite the rain.

If I can't get it back to 250, I might find out how much fun it is to light coals in the rain...heh.
 
Well, it turned out just fine. I did take one butt off and put it in the oven at 300. Let it stay in there for an hour, let it rest about 20 minutes, and pulled it. Wow...it was delicious!

The other one stayed on the smoker while we ate. Every time I would go check on it, it had slid further and further off the bone...when I went to pull it, it was even better then the first one.

Thanks to Chris for such an awesome web site...the great info and these fine forum folks make turning out terrific BBQ easy for us beginners!
 
I read somewhere in this forum that the smoke flavor does not increase after the first 2-4 hours. After that, you're simply cooking the meat and it shouldn't matter where you finish it.

I've thought about testing this with a couple of chunks of meat by starting them in my WSM and finishing one in the oven.
 
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