smoking a pork butt tomorrow
- Thread starter SMeadows
- Start date
Jack Bordeaux
TVWBB Super Fan
I used hickory when I did that recipe. However, I didn't do the injection and it still came out great...moist and flavorful.
Go ahead and try it. If it doesn't work out, try another type of wood.
Go ahead and try it. If it doesn't work out, try another type of wood.
Corey Elks
TVWBB All-Star
i think either would work fine. pork butt cat take lots and lots of smoke without it being over powering. i usually use 5 or 6 big chunks of hickory. i have not noticed any difference if i inject the butt or not. Never really understood injecting butt. why not just pour injection on meat after its shredded?
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Regarding the injection, unless the salt content has changed, most folks find it on the salty side, and I did as well the one time I tried it.
Regarding wood for smoking pork shoulder, Chris Lilly has been pretty adament in the past about even WHICH hickories made the best smoke. It's "hickory smoked bbq" down here in the midsouth when it comes to pork shoulder.
Personally though, I'd use some hickory AND apple, the hickory for some kick, and the apple for some sweet. I've been mixing hickory and fruitwood for years per Ray Lampe's suggestion in "Dr. BBQ's BigTime BBQ Cookbook". For ribs though, apple has been all I've been putting in the cooker for a while. For chicken I want even milder smoke, so less wood and only fruitwood or sassafrass...but you want a much stronger smoke flavor on pork shoulder though, and hickory is the king of smokewood.
Regarding wood for smoking pork shoulder, Chris Lilly has been pretty adament in the past about even WHICH hickories made the best smoke. It's "hickory smoked bbq" down here in the midsouth when it comes to pork shoulder.
Personally though, I'd use some hickory AND apple, the hickory for some kick, and the apple for some sweet. I've been mixing hickory and fruitwood for years per Ray Lampe's suggestion in "Dr. BBQ's BigTime BBQ Cookbook". For ribs though, apple has been all I've been putting in the cooker for a while. For chicken I want even milder smoke, so less wood and only fruitwood or sassafrass...but you want a much stronger smoke flavor on pork shoulder though, and hickory is the king of smokewood.
Well I got a wild hair last night and decided to attempt my first overnighter. I decided to forego the injection and smoked with hickory. Cook went OK, except couldn't get temps below 280. I used minion method and put approximately 35 lit over top a full chamber of unlit (weather was calm and approx. 60 degrees). I opened all vents until smoker temp was 190, then closed all vent until all were about 1/4 way open. Temps seemed to stabilize around 235 (put butt on @ midnight, went to bed around 12:30). Maverick woke me up @ 1:55AM because temps reached 300. I closed all bottom vents and temps stabilized around 280 and wouldn't go lower.
Any thoughts on why I couldn't get lowered temps? Maybe too many lit coals to start? The butt is resting in the cooler right now (pulled @ IT of 195). I'll post some pics after its pulled.
Any thoughts on why I couldn't get lowered temps? Maybe too many lit coals to start? The butt is resting in the cooler right now (pulled @ IT of 195). I'll post some pics after its pulled.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by paul h:
Dave, don't you think the hickory overpowers the apple?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I wouldn't think so...unless it was still green, too much, or used wrong, like added in the middle of the cook or not giving the smoke a chance to "clean up" some before putting on the meat.
I mentioned Ray Lampe in my above post, and he wrote about preferring 2/1, cherry/hickory, and I do about the same, although the fruitwood is usually apple or peach from a local orchard.
Dave, don't you think the hickory overpowers the apple?? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I wouldn't think so...unless it was still green, too much, or used wrong, like added in the middle of the cook or not giving the smoke a chance to "clean up" some before putting on the meat.
I mentioned Ray Lampe in my above post, and he wrote about preferring 2/1, cherry/hickory, and I do about the same, although the fruitwood is usually apple or peach from a local orchard.
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SMeadows:
Well I got a wild hair last night and decided to attempt my first overnighter. I decided to forego the injection and smoked with hickory. Cook went OK, except couldn't get temps below 280. I used minion method and put approximately 35 lit over top a full chamber of unlit (weather was calm and approx. 60 degrees). I opened all vents until smoker temp was 190, then closed all vent until all were about 1/4 way open. Temps seemed to stabilize around 235 (put butt on @ midnight, went to bed around 12:30). Maverick woke me up @ 1:55AM because temps reached 300. I closed all bottom vents and temps stabilized around 280 and wouldn't go lower.
Any thoughts on why I couldn't get lowered temps? Maybe too many lit coals to start? The butt is resting in the cooler right now (pulled @ IT of 195). I'll post some pics after its pulled. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I can't say if too many lit coals was the issue without knowing how long the cooker was monitored from the time of putting the dome on til putting the meat on. I usually let the cooker come up to temp and let the smoke clean up some, about an hour or so before putting the meat on. Then, I'll monitor a couple of hours or so to see what's gonna happen once the meat loses it's chill, maybe make a vent adjustment, top the pan off, and then tap the cooker legs with a rubber maul before hitting the sack. I use the Maverick as well, hung in the top vent. The temp range depends on when I want it all done by and what's cooking, but basically, I like to bbq pork butts somewhere in the 225-275* range.
What did you use in terms of a heat sink? I really liked how things went on my rib/chicken cook this week with a 12" clay pot base in a Brinkman charcoal pan, but I can GUARANTEE ya that if I were to only cook one pork butt overnight, there's gonna be water in my pan. Put a cold pork butt in a little wsm, and that's naturally gonna put a damper on things for a while....until the meat loses it's chill.
Regarding being able to shut the vents all the way and still MAINTAIN 280*, clearly you have some significant leaks. My cooker ran hotter when new, and did seal up and run cooler after several cooks, but check out the troubleshooting section of Chris' site regarding tweaking the door and checking for out-of-round.
Sorry about the trouble, but look at it this way: you just have an excuse to make more BBQ!
Well I got a wild hair last night and decided to attempt my first overnighter. I decided to forego the injection and smoked with hickory. Cook went OK, except couldn't get temps below 280. I used minion method and put approximately 35 lit over top a full chamber of unlit (weather was calm and approx. 60 degrees). I opened all vents until smoker temp was 190, then closed all vent until all were about 1/4 way open. Temps seemed to stabilize around 235 (put butt on @ midnight, went to bed around 12:30). Maverick woke me up @ 1:55AM because temps reached 300. I closed all bottom vents and temps stabilized around 280 and wouldn't go lower.
Any thoughts on why I couldn't get lowered temps? Maybe too many lit coals to start? The butt is resting in the cooler right now (pulled @ IT of 195). I'll post some pics after its pulled. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I can't say if too many lit coals was the issue without knowing how long the cooker was monitored from the time of putting the dome on til putting the meat on. I usually let the cooker come up to temp and let the smoke clean up some, about an hour or so before putting the meat on. Then, I'll monitor a couple of hours or so to see what's gonna happen once the meat loses it's chill, maybe make a vent adjustment, top the pan off, and then tap the cooker legs with a rubber maul before hitting the sack. I use the Maverick as well, hung in the top vent. The temp range depends on when I want it all done by and what's cooking, but basically, I like to bbq pork butts somewhere in the 225-275* range.
What did you use in terms of a heat sink? I really liked how things went on my rib/chicken cook this week with a 12" clay pot base in a Brinkman charcoal pan, but I can GUARANTEE ya that if I were to only cook one pork butt overnight, there's gonna be water in my pan. Put a cold pork butt in a little wsm, and that's naturally gonna put a damper on things for a while....until the meat loses it's chill.
Regarding being able to shut the vents all the way and still MAINTAIN 280*, clearly you have some significant leaks. My cooker ran hotter when new, and did seal up and run cooler after several cooks, but check out the troubleshooting section of Chris' site regarding tweaking the door and checking for out-of-round.
Sorry about the trouble, but look at it this way: you just have an excuse to make more BBQ!
I pulled the butt from the fridge (although it had only been in for a couple of hours b/c I bought it earlier that night) and let it sit out while I assembled smoker and lit coals. When lit coals were ready I poured over unlit and immediatley put meat on. I run my Maverick wires underneath the lid. I didn't use a heat sink; empty foiled water pan and a pan on bottom grate to catch drippings.
My door seems pretty well sealed and smoker doesn't seem to be out of round. This is probably my 6 or 7th time using smoker so I would think it would be becoming "seasoned".
My door seems pretty well sealed and smoker doesn't seem to be out of round. This is probably my 6 or 7th time using smoker so I would think it would be becoming "seasoned".
Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by SMeadows:
I didn't use a heat sink; empty foiled water pan... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yeah, that's what I figured. I guess it works acceptably on overnighters for some folks, but I only tried it once.
I didn't use a heat sink; empty foiled water pan... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yeah, that's what I figured. I guess it works acceptably on overnighters for some folks, but I only tried it once.