No-Foil lean-trimmed Butt in Brinkmann Gourmet w/dry Smoke Chamber: Q-View (FINISHED)

EDITED WITH MORE Q-VIEW

16.5 hours to get to approx 200* internal temp...I poked around quite a bit with the probe to ensure temps all around and for tenderness as well...no resistance, just like a searing hot knife through warm butter. Wind was freakin' crazy all day, then just before dark, a nasty thunderstorm rolled through for about an hour, with heavy rain, hail and wind gusts that I nearly couldn't stand up in while trying to hold a tarp over myself and the smoker to keep from loosing dinner...I managed to catch a break in the rain just long enough to do a 4-point attachment of the tarp over my smoker for a quick-up roof, then the wind changed and I had to move the smoker...live and loaded with charcoal...didn't shake it up at all, as there were no ashes on my work of art tonight...that was just after 13 hours in...what a ride! Ha-ha! I can laugh about it now, 'cuz it wasn't fun at all when I scrambled to find a tarp.

Just about to go take a couple hour nap..such a sweet thing shouldn't be eaten, or should it?:









I had to break the crust when I poked around for tenderness and additional temp checks, as you can see in the middle...hardest crust I've ever worked...but don't let that fool you...the probe fell through this pork like it wasn't even there:





Hey, what's that?





That little chunk from accidental pulling (stuck to grate when I lifted the butt with a 4" wide meat fork) didn't see any foil tonight...beautiful bark with a crisp crunch, tender moist and delicious. I know I have to pull it to be 100% certain, but right now, my thought is: just say no to water in the pan, and you can trim your fat-cap off your pork shoulder cuts for a screaming-good bark...amd let's not forget, I only used garlic, salt and pepper...nothing that really promotes a serious bark was used, other than the salt, and even it was used somewhat sparingly:



I'm coming up on the 2.5-hour mark for resting now, and I'm dying to pull this!

OK, hate to post such tantilizing pics and leave you hangin', but I have got a BUTT to pull...right now!

PP SOON, I PROMISE!!!

Eric

This butt is pulled, it's been properly sampled, and it's fantastic! Moist and literally fall-apart tenderness...the only thing that really held it together was the bark. I was pulling it with one hand in a powder-free nitrile glove and had the camera in the other, so it was a bugger to break the death-grip the bark had on the bone. I had to push the bark towards the center of the roast, but once accomplished, the rest was a snap...a bit on the hot side still, but pulled very, very easily. Breaking up the bark was a bit of punching a finger through here and there while I held onto the piece with a finger and thumb...worked pretty good for a rookie...LOL!!!

I knew a drier smoke chamber would aid in bark development, and also help to seal in a lot of the natural meat juices, but did not know it would be this easy. I did notice somewhat of a reduction in smoke reaction with the meat, due to the tightening up of meat fibers as the surface began to dry much earlier than it would in a more humid smoke chamber, though I feel if I were to lay on a heavy smoke up front, for at least 2-3 hours, it would help improve on the smoke flavor. That great aroma is still there, though lighter as well.

So, in a way, while playing with a mod-check, I turned this into a bit of an experiment with lean trimmed fat-cap, dry smoke chamber, and a lightly seasoned pork butt...all in all, I'd do it again in a heart-beat...in fact, I won't change much, if anything with the smoker for the next round, other than run a heavier smoke at the start. This is one of my better pulled pork smokes, as most everything in the pan after pulling was either crispy/chewy or very moist and tender, and I didn't even really try...nothing too special at all going on with this smoke. Something is to be said for going simple and taking the time to watch for subtle details that can have a major impact on the outcome of a project. I knew the dry water pan filled with pea-gravel was working out great already for steaks, chicken thighs, beef backs and pork spare ribs, so I wanted to find out just how much it could improve my pulled pork...and now, I know.

I lifted up one end to start getting situated for pulling, and OOPS! It broke in two...one handed for the duration, mind you:



Bone is out, after a bit of convincing to let go of the crust...they were happily married, and I hate to be a home-wrecker, but, well, I'm hungry!



Let the pulling begin:

































Oh, and the taste? Other than needing just a bit more smoke flavor, very good, with all the heavier pork shoulder flavors coming through with each of the different muscle groups I sampled, and even with it being lightly seasoned, this didn't seem to have any "gamey" areas. KISS method strikes again on this one.

I separated out a small handful of fat and connective tissue that I wanted out of the equation, so there won't be any mushy, off-texture while we dine on this properly later today...uh, yeah, today, 'cuz it's almost 4:30 AM now...EEK!!! Oh, well, I got what I wanted, so I can't complain about a late night while I'm having fun in the smoke.

In closing, if I didn't already mention it (and I'm too tired to proof this post), you don't need the fat-cap on your shoulder to get a moist and tender pulled pork...dry smoke chamber to seal-up the surface earlier, and you're good to go for the duration of the smoke, without spraying juice, mopping, etc. Why fuss when you can do a lazy smoke and get great results? Ha-ha!

Time for eyelid inspections, so nite everyone!

You can stick a fork in me now, 'cuz I'm done!

Great smokes to all!

Eric

SmokinHusker said:

That's some fine and tasty lookin pork!!! Only question I have is how to did let it rest to keep the bark firm?

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Thanks Alesia! I actually was too tired to think it through clearly last night when I yanked the butt to rest, and I placed it into a pre-warmed stainless steel steam table pan, then tented with foil and just set it in the oven, which was still warm. It kept it plenty hot enough for a 2.5 hour rest, as I had a few "heated" moments while pulling one-handed with just a thin nitrile glove. 2.5 hours was all I could stand waiting, between wanting samples and needing sleep.

If, or should I say when, I do this again, I will not cover with foil, but will instead use a clean dish cloth (cheese cloth would be best, as it has more loosely woven threads) to just cover the pan and allow it to breathe. Placing the meat on an elevated rack, then into the pan, and finally tenting with a cloth would be the ultimate for preserving the bark while resting. These methods will all reduce the effects of water vapor collecting inside the pan and allow for more of it to escape out the top through the fabric. I think that would be among the best of methods to keep the humidity from softening the bark.

Although I did in fact trap the water vapor inside the pan by tenting with foil due to lack of foresight, or just being too tired to think it through, and there was a very low amount of rendered fat in the pan (maybe 1.5-2 Tbsp at most), it did not suffer from softening of the bark as much as I think it could have with a longer resting period, especially if tightly foiled. I'm sitting here now after reading your questing thinking that the bark could definitely have been preserved more during resting for an even better eating experience than it was last night.

Excellent point you bring up here...glad you did, because I was thinking when I woke up this morning that I forgot to do something, or could have taken an extra measure to make this smoke even better...I just couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was...now I know!

Thanks for waking me up! LOL!!!

Jzampier said:

Very Interesting and great review with pics.  This brings a twist to things and hope people can learn from this.  After reading all this, it seems hard to mess up a butt.  I will be doing one this weekend too.  I've done three so far and all have been different.  I too want the heavy smoke and notice my AMNPS doesn't get rolling till later and I think the meat is already sealing up by the time the tray is really putting out smoke.  Gonna try and get the smoker rolling first for an hour or so, then put every thing my MES. 

Hope it turns out as good as it looks.  Thanks

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Thanks, I do like to experiment a lot, and oftentimes, I stumble into something that I just can't help but to push it as far as I can to see what the outcome will be. That's why I share my rides as much as possible...don't want anyone to miss out on an opportunity to learn, even if it may be at first seem to be some obscure method or idea.

Butts are one of the easiest to smoke, IMHO, and a good starter smoke for the beginner...you just have to be able to commit the time to see it to the finish.

I do believe there would be three main methods that could be employed here for a better smoke reaction: start with a humid environment, then remove the added humidity after the meat reaches a certain internal temp, say 120-140* (this will of course reduce the potential of bark formation to some degree, and the higher the humidity or longer it's there reduces the potential even more) ; the second would be to lay the smoke on heavy, not white smoke the whole time, just lots of smoke wood going all at the same time, producing a high degree of chamber saturation, but you can only take this so far; the third is to start at slightly reduced smoke chamber temps of, say, 210-215* instead of 225* (not advised unless intact whole muscle meats are used due to the 40-140*/4-hr rule if bone-less, chopped/ground, injected, etc).

If I were not battling with mother nature's whims during this smoke, I could have started at lower temps and kept it there longer, and this would have given the meat more time to take on smoke before the surface drying began to take place, which is mostly what stops the smoke from penetrating the meat. Internal temp has been said by many to play a major role in this, and in part is probably true, though I'm convinced that the surface drying itself has an even larger effect.

africanmeat said:

Man it looks great

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jfsjazz said:

forluvofsmoke:   GREAT Post!!  Thank you.  I need to smoke a couple of butts later this summer for the cookout prior to my son's wedding weekend.  How far in advance do you think I can make them and what would be the best way to keep them fresh if they have to sit a few days?  Thanks again.

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Thank You!

Congrats on the wedding, and the opportunity to share some great Bbq with everyone!

Plan on 24 hours to cook when smoking low & slow @ 225-250*. If it takes less time, then that's time in your favor. If you can't start the smoke the night before and need to chill after resting and pulling, you can place in zip-loc bags, vac-sealed bags, or in a pan/bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap. If a heavy, hard bark such as what I was after here is your goal, then storing and reheating will destroy  much of what you accomplished with your bark by softening due to humidity from steam when reheating, so keep that in mind.

If you will smoke them more than 3 days ahead of the gathering, I would bag and freeze it after pulling, with the bags filled to no thicker than approx 1-1/2" when flattened out. This will allow for faster chilling/freezing, and also faster thawing. Begin thawing in the fridge about 24-36 hours ahead of reheating.

If stored in vac-sealed bags, you can reheat by placing the sealed bag in hot water. If stored otherwise, remove from container or zip-loc bag and place the meat in a covered slow cooker/crock-pot on med/low. Leave enough space so you can fold the meat gently a few times during the reheat for more even heating.

If stove top reheating is the only option, a larger, heavy-weight covered pot will work best, such as a enamel or bare cast iron dutch oven, or a ceramic stove-top safe roaster. These offer far more superior heat distribution than a thin pot will, and require much less tending of the food during low-temp applications as a result. Again, gently fold the meat several times while over med/low heat.

Oven reheats are easy, as you can lay the meat in covered pans a few inches in depth and set the oven to 250* and let it go for a couple hours. Check temp of the meat after 90 minutes or so to get a good idea on the reheat progress, as every oven seems to work a bit differently.

Don't forget to compensate for altitude/elevation changes, as cooking or reheating at higher altitude takes longer at the same temp as it would at lower elevation. If you will be at the same elevation as you're accustomed to cooking at, this won't be an issue. If it will come into the equation and you want a bit more detailed info, let me know, and I can get you more on that subject.

Try to remember a meat thermometer to check your reheats, as you want them hot but not so hot it begins to further cook the meat, else it can get a grainy and mushy texture...been there, done that. I reheat to 165* (FSIS minimum recommended temp), then reduce heat to maintain at least 135*, but not over 145* if possible. You can keep hot foods @ 135*+ for several hours, safely. The higher the temp and longer it is being held the more the quality will begin to deteriorate, as it will slowly continue cooking during holding. 135* is the minimum recommended holding temp (example: for steam table pan applications with buffet dining), per 2009 Food Code.

Here's some good info from FSIS regarding leftovers:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Leftovers_and_Food_Safety.pdf

And, more on leftovers, from USDA:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Leftovers_and_Food_Safety/index.asp

Hope I answered your questions. I digressed into a bit more details than you may have expected, but I'm not one who's known for holding back info.

nevrendin said:

Oh my PORK, those pics look awesome.

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Thank You! When I was sorting photos last night, I discarded 1 pic that didn't focus very well (trying to steady the camera by neck-strap and one hand only, while pulling the meat with another hand...never tried that trick before, but it can be done), and while reviewing the remaining photos I realized that they were all too good to let go of and not share, so I just rolled with it...LOL!!!

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If anyone has more questions, feel free to fire away. We're all here to learn, and as I demonstrated with this smoke, I learned a few things here myself. I had my earlier experiences as to what the general outcome would be using a no-foil cooking method, but the dry water pan (pea-gravel filled) for a longer smoke was something I hadn't yet tried when going after the total bark experience. I had a pretty good idea that the meat could be much more moist with the absence of a fat-cap by drying the surface to reduce internal moisture evaporation during cooking.

The one thing I overlooked, is how the meat's surface becoming drier early in the smoke would reduce the smoke penetration. Now that I've seen it first-hand, it all makes sense...reducing the ability of the internal moisture to evaporate by tightening-up the meat fibers on the surface also reduces smoke reaction potential. Lower starting temps, heavier smoke at the start, and increased humidity during the start while removing it later could all have had a profound effect on the potential for better smoke reaction with the meat.

Overall, it came together better than I imagined it would. This experiment is by no means a failure, and can be improved for an even better finished product, and I will be taking this through further examination in future smokes, so I will let you all know how things progress.

Man a lot going on here to think about, so it took me a couple hours to write this reply...I get a bit slow after a long smoke like this anyway...LOL!!! It's all good fun!

Glad to have had the opportunity to share the experience with all of you!

Eric

oldschoolbbq said:

Very nice , Eric...

 . Beautiful Mahogany Bark and so juicy... that means a good , clean Smoke .

Very good job

Have fun and...

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Thanks Stan! That was quite an experience to watch that lowly pork butt transform into something the likes of which I'd never seen before. You see it on smaller parts of a butt, where the fat-cap isn't covering it, and thinking about it now, I may just trim-off all the fat-cap on the next round, as well as those couple of spots on the edge. The lean trim didn't worry me, as I knew the dry smoke chamber would do the trick for moisture retention, but, I never expected it to look that good, especially without anything in the rub to build a deep color. Definitely a simple and easy approach, and I like easy when the opportunity presents itself.

jfsjazz said:

Eric,

Thanks for your insight.  I'm checking with the Mrs. to see if we can get you here for the week of the wedding to manage the smoker!!!!!!  (all week-what a great gig huh?)

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LMAO!!! I may be laughing, but you sound serious! I would love to make the trip and spend a week in Ohio, and cooking for 40-50 mouths is not new to me. I organized and planned most of the logistics for our first family reunion a couple years back, prepared and precooked a lot of meats, brought home-cured/smoked sausages and pastrami, etc, on top of on-site cooking, and lots of the family were making sides on-site...it was a blast to bring it all together (not to mention the wide variety of fantastic home-cooking to eat). With some extra helping hands, a few hundred could be accomplished.

I'm afraid my real job that pays for my cooking hobby and supports my other habits and loves, like family, would suffer too much though (sigh). If I could make the trip, it sure would be a challenging and fun experience...I like challenging, not always, but if it's new to me, I'm usually game, and if it involves outdoor cooking, well, it's hard to pass up.

You're most welcome for the info.

SmokinHusker said:

Thanks for the resting info. I'm definitely going to be doing this one on my next pork butt. KISS will work for me!

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Your welcome. Alesia. You gotta love simple and easy. I go crazy with methods and new ideas sometimes, not lately, but this pork butt smoke really is easy, as you've read. If you really want a killer bark, just roll with your favorite rub, or do like I did...either way it will be good eating, but a rub that aids in bark development will really take it over the top, and paired with the methods discussed earlier for bark preservation? You'll be in pulled pork heaven!

Let us know what you come up with, and don't forget the camera!

And, of course, have fun with it!

Eric

HarleySmoker said:

That looks really good! After seeing this and others not using water in the pan, I will be getting some play sand to put in mine.
 

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Thanks!

One thing I'm considering doing now, is to add about 1-qt of water to the foil drip catch-pan I've been fashioning for each smoke that is resting on top of the pea-gravel in the water pan in my charcoal Gourmet. This would allow for a bit higher humidity for the first couple of hours into the smoke giving a longer potential for smoke reaction with the meat, then when the water boils dry in the foil catch pan, it would bring the humidity down, which would then begin drying the meat surface to reduce interior moisture evaporation and at the same time, start the bark development. I think this method would give the best of all three worlds: better smoke reaction, sealing up the meat for moisture retention, and plenty of time for the development of a great bark on the meat as well.

The amount of water used could be adjusted, depending on the actual smoker and mods, weather and other ambient conditions...with a bit of trial and error, it could be fine-tuned to anyone's preference for a good balance of smoke, moisture retention and bark.

Eric