Thanks for the replies...I forgot to mention that I injected the pork with a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar...but that is irrelevant barbecue my MAIN objective is to get that good SMOKEY flavor into the meat. If I'm going to use the smoker and burn some wood, I want to taste some smoke...not a lot, but enough to know the meat has been smoked.
Now, we had conflicting opinions about the temperature of the meat and its willingness to accept smoke. I am thinking we should take a vote or conduct a poll...but that won't give us the TRUTH about it. So, I'd like for each of you who said 140* is the magic number to list the references you used to come up with that number and those of you who said it will keep on adding smoke to do the same. Just give the reasoning behind those numbers.
I'm just kiddin' here, folks. But...I will take under advisement your opinions.
This is what makes my outdoor cookin' experience so much like the game of golf. Do I use THIS club?
Last time I hit the ball 200 yards...this time it went 135 yards. What made the difference? One partner says, "You looked up before you hit the ball." The other says, "You didn't release through the ball." Another says, "You bent your left arm in the backswing."
There are SO MANY variables that come into play, that even the pros like Mickleson and Scott often miss the fairway or the green. They Do play pretty consistently, though, round after round. Every now and then, the "yips" kick in and they miss hit.
Same with smokin'...SO MANY variables that even the pros I watch on TV miss the taste or tenderness part of their presentation.
When I play golf, it is definitely not about shooting a low score - I'm just tryin' to improve on my LAST game, which may have been a 105. And if I shoot 88, I'll really celebrate for awhile and replay every birdie and par. But I know when I go out next time, I'll still have to deal with the "variables" again. It isn't so much how I score - but how much I enjoy being with the other guys out there. we're all pluggin' along tryin' to improve our game and encouraging one another from tee to green.
With my cookin', I am wanting to get to the point where I am more consistent (consistently GOOD). There are a number of variables I CAN control...the others I'll just have to learn to deal with.
That's where you folks help me so much.
I'll "tee it up" tomorrow with hopes of having a good "round", but enjoying being at the pit either way.
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