Let's Talk BBQ

FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 12:46:37 PM

Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 12:46:37 PM
Holiday Pot Luck at work tomorrow...

Let's do pork and beef so everyone is happy!

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/y2ugesyh.jpg)

Beef was marinaded for 24 hours using the marinade from Patio Daddios East of Santa Maria tri tip schmear.  Hoping it really amps up the beef flavor!  This AM, I rubbed it down with a rub I use that uses Jeff's Naked Rub as a base.

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/sumume4e.jpg)

For the Pork I rubbed it down with Patient Daddios generic rub, let it sit for 4 hours, then added some cider vinegar and a few other things and let it go overnight.

If it looks like I got a little knife happy trimming and scoring the fat cap, you're right.  Oh well, Weimar sure it will still come out ok.

Today's smoke is my first using the new RO charcoal called Embers from Home Depot.  It lit up great and smells really clean.  A few lumps of apple wood went in, with both pieces of meat going onto the grate...  I wasn't certain how to hook the Chuckie, (my first try doing) so better safe than...

Updates to follow.
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: CDN Smoker on December 15, 2013, 12:53:14 PM
Watching with great interest
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: pz on December 15, 2013, 01:01:02 PM
Looking really good so far!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: smokeasaurus on December 15, 2013, 01:44:50 PM
The cooking grate sits in the "sweet spot" in the PBC. If I am a little leery of something maybe falling off as the cook progresses, I just use the grate and keep the rebar in...........

Good luck with the cook...looks like it is gonna be a winner....
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 01:50:23 PM
(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/vepa5aty.jpg)

Beef is at 130 degrees 90 minutes in...  Gave it a flip.  It's super windy today so not sure how that's gonna effect the crust...

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/a2e4epej.jpg)

Pork is at 113 degrees, leaving it fat side down for now.  Again, with the wind, I'm curious to see how the exterior comes out. 

I'm liking the Embers charcoal, has a nice aroma  and is ticking along nicely generating good heat.  It seems to react to airflow more like lump...  Had to move the cooker about 30 minutes in and build a wind break out of a few trash bins, pulled a rebar out, the charcoal immediately perked up, gave it 5 minutes and put the rebar back ands been holding temp since.
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 02:20:19 PM
Just flipped the pork fat cap up, couldn't get a decent pic so you can use your imagination!  :-)

I think next time I'll hook the chuckie like Noel shows in the video for the brisket..,  a double hook.  Poking it with the thermometer and judging the feel of the meat leads me to believe the two hook approach would do fine.  I've hung pork shoulders before and never had a problem with them.

Now I'm just waiting for 160, then I'll wrap.  Need to figure out what my liquid will be.  Any suggestions?
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 02:23:24 PM
And please excuse my auto spell!  ;-)

Words are getting changed all over the place!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: smokeasaurus on December 15, 2013, 02:58:00 PM
How about some cut white onion and a good splash of beer and seal her up...............
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 03:09:34 PM

How about some cut white onion and a good splash of beer and seal her up...............

This sounds good.  Think I'll try it!  Thanks.
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 03:23:32 PM
Getting close to wrapping....

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/e5u8ysa3.jpg)

(http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/16/za6y9ybu.jpg)

The pork is about 10 degrees behind the beef... No worries, the Redskins are actually playing football today so I'm having a great afternoon between the pig and the pig skin!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Kora Smoker on December 15, 2013, 03:32:47 PM
Shoulder and chuckie are sure looking good.
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Pappymn on December 15, 2013, 04:01:09 PM
Great post so far. Good info on the Embers charcoal too. Have not tried it before.

Keep the great cook going....
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 04:26:21 PM

Great post so far. Good info on the Embers charcoal too. Have not tried it before.

Keep the great cook going....

Now is when the Embers will really show whether they are reliable...  I'm about 4.5 hours in, everything is wrapped...  Let's see if it goes the distance!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: sliding_billy on December 15, 2013, 04:27:24 PM
Looking real good.
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: muebe on December 15, 2013, 04:32:18 PM
Looking good so far!
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 08:37:24 PM
Ok, pork is pulled, it's tasty...  But not as good as usual...  Texture is off, a bit more "chopped" than pulled.  Decent flavor, but I'm gonna mark it as a fail in my cook notes.


Fire gave out before meat was done, (my fault, I only used 5-6 lbs of charcoal... Thought I used more, but I just weighed what was a brand new bag and scales don't lie!).   I had to finish in the oven.

Beef is resting. 

Jury is out...

Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 15, 2013, 09:06:16 PM
Beef didn't pull well either...  I'm gonna chalk it up to user error with the charcoal compounded by a very gusty windy day.

Ended up slicing the chuckie, so for tomorrow's menu, pulled beef changes sliced roast sliders...  Will bring some horseradish and probably no one will be the wiser.  Pulled pork changes to chopped pork, with BBQ sauce.

Both marked as fails in the cooks notes though.

Try, try again!
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Pappymn on December 15, 2013, 09:21:49 PM
I've had some tough chuck in the past. No amount of cooking was going to help. Sometimes it just goes that way......
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: HighOnSmoke on December 16, 2013, 07:05:55 AM
I've had some tough chuck in the past. No amount of cooking was going to help. Sometimes it just goes that way......

Oh most definitely have had some tough chuckies! One I took to 208 IT and it still wouldn't pull. Ended up slicing it
and doing the gravy thing with it.  Goes with the territory I guess!  ;)
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Scallywag on December 16, 2013, 08:41:44 AM
What you consider a failure.. I bet the people eating will call it a winner!
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 16, 2013, 10:47:13 AM

What you consider a failure.. I bet the people eating will call it a winner!

I sure hope so!  Thanks!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: happyappy on December 16, 2013, 05:11:58 PM
I smoked my first chuckie last weekend.  I was going for a texture like pulled pork so I took it to 205 degrees before FTC.  I honestly thought I'd ruined it it came out so black.

It wouldn't pull apart, but it did slice nice.  The meat was actually quite tender with a hard bark.  I saved it by making a brisket sauce using a recipe bbqchef posted awhile back.  Here's the link to his post and recipe http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=6322.msg80740#msg80740 (http://www.letstalkbbq.com/index.php?topic=6322.msg80740#msg80740)

I dipped the slices in the sauce before putting them on a sandwich.  My family raved about the "brisket" I'd made.  Doesn't matter how you get there as long as it tastes good in the end!   :)
Title: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: Braddymac on December 16, 2013, 06:46:18 PM
All's we'll that ends well....  The pot luck feast was outrageous, everything from Korean tacos to a crock pot of chili, cakes, pies and cookies.

All was delicious, including the pork and chuckie.  They weren't what I wanted them to be, but they were still declared to be good!

Thanks all!
Title: Re: Today's cook... Pork Shoulder and a Chuckie
Post by: 4cornersmoker on December 17, 2013, 06:28:04 PM
Sure did look good to me. Sorry that it didn't turn out to your liking. but that is BBQ'n. Sometimes you nail it sometimes you don't. Still all looks good.