Let's Talk BBQ
FORUM SPONSORS => MAK Grills => Topic started by: Preich on May 22, 2017, 12:46:45 PM
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Actually my first pork butt ever! I managed to remember to take only I picture a couple of hours before I took it off the smoker:(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170522/4df6a6e9ef9743ddb83cb61d89bfa91a.jpg) first time posting photo, not sure it is working.
The butt was about 7 pounds, I prepped it per Meathead's recipe, and set the grill for 225 (bumped it up to 250 for last hour). I noticed the grill temp was consistently about 5 degrees below the set temp. I pulled it after about 18 hours, when I had varying temps using instant read, anywhere from 191 to 203, while the MAK probe read 196. Bark was great, and the meat was tasty, but drier than I thought it would be and than I like. I had let it rest in oven, wrapped, at 170 for an hour. I suspect I may have overcooked it, as it was pretty "jiggly" about two hours before I pulled it, when the MAK probe as in low 190s.
Smoker was a dream to use, and even figured out the wifi app. At the end I smoked then roasted a spatchcocked chicken, which was about the best I ever made: salted, dusted with Memphis dust, smoked st 225 for An hour, then kicked it up to 375 till done. Sorry no pix!
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Butt looks great but please don't forget the pics. We like pics :)
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Yep, next post I will attempt to break the site with a flood of pix.
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Nice bark on that thing! Good job
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That looks great!
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That looks great!
It was tasty but dry. Maybe I should have foiled, or taken it off sooner? Or mixed in a little sauce when I shredded. Added mustard sauce in sandwich with some slaw, which made for very good eating. Mustard sauce overpowered the meat though, -may try vinegar sauce next time.
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Great Bark!
The only way it would be overcooked is if the pork was mushy.
Foiling is a preference; some like to foil, some don't, and neither is right or wrong. The only way you'll know is to give it a try and see.
I prefer foiling when a shoulder gets to around 160°. At that point I foil the shoulder(s) with a little vinegar (and sometimes a little brown sugar) and bump the pit temp up to around 325°.
Foiling allows the shoulder to power through the stall. Another reason I like to foil is I like catching the juices, which I add back into the meat after it's shredded.
I also don't worry about a final temperature. Instead after foiling for a couple hours I start checking for doneness with a probe. If that probe slides all the way to the middle with little resistance, it's done. If there's resistance when you stick a probe in it needs more time.
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That looks great!
It was tasty but dry. Maybe I should have foiled, or taken it off sooner? Or mixed in a little sauce when I shredded. Added mustard sauce in sandwich with some slaw, which made for very good eating. Mustard sauce overpowered the meat though, -may try vinegar sauce next time.
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I just did a couple butts this weekend. I had no intention of foiling them and was thinking that I allowed enough time to complete without foil. As it turns out, I ended up foiling them because they were just hanging in the stall and we were wanting to eat. I wrapped them and poured in some North Carolina Vinegar Sauce (Steven Riechlen recipe from "The BBQ Bible") and bumped to 325. It powered through the stall and was nice and juicy and pulled great (I took them off when the IT hit 205). We personally like the Vinegar sauce better than BBQ sauce with pulled pork. I guess my point here is that if they were a little tough you may not have cooked long enough. Not every butt is done at 204 degrees - test them out by probing with a toothpick and the bone should easily pull out clean. Point #2 is give Reichlen's recipe a try if you like a vinegar based sauce - We think it is outstanding :D Good luck and keep trying new techniques until you find one that works for YOU!
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Thanks, I will give it a try. What I made wasn't tough, it practically fell apart with a stern glare, just not as juicy as I expected. I will try foiling and vinegar sauce next time
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Last one I did I put in a foil pan, covered with foil and into the oven to finish. Then put in cooler for 5 or 6 hours. Was juicy and pulled really nice, skimmed the fat from the pan juices and added back to the meat. It was excellent. This will be my method from now on.
I foiled after being on the smoker for about 8 or 9 hours.
By the way, the one picture you have looks really good.
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Looks like a great job. I too would follow what Tent said
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Preich, sounds to me like you did everything right. Sometimes it's just the pig. At the end of the day I don't care what cut of meat you're smoking, the bottom line is greatly influenced by the animal.
I think you did a great job, particularly with it being your first ever.
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thanks, lol, maybe that's the reason it was "today's special" at the market ! Now I just need to get a big crowd over to make several at once, different ways!
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Thanks, I will give it a try. What I made wasn't tough, it practically fell apart with a stern glare, just not as juicy as I expected. I will try foiling and vinegar sauce next time
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Oh gotcha - sorry I misread that. :)