My Christmas Eve Pork Butt and ABT's
This was my second time making pulled pork, and my first time making ABT's.
I followed @Bearcarver's "Boston Butt (Pulled Pork Step by Step)" that can be found in the link in his signature. I followed it closer than I did with my first go at pulled pork, link below:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/236261/4pogo7s-first-pulled-pork-and-first-q-view-post
On Dec. 23 I prepped the butt for smoking the next day.
Bright and early Dec. 24 I got my smoker going, rubbed the meat again, and got it on the smoker. I didn't soak the wood this time and I used apple. Since it was cooler outside I poured boiling water into my water pan and put up a cardboard house around the smoker to trap more heat. This seemed to help some, but not enough when the weather took a dump. Temps dropped and the snow started to fly.
After 2-3 hours I put the ABT's on the smoker with the butt. After almost 4 hours of TBS I probed the butt and it was still not above 140. With little other options to salvage the meat, I brought it in and finished it in the oven
Had it set at about 350-375 I think. Wanted it hot to get above 140 as quick as possible. Since I hadn't probed or injected it at all I wasn't worried about it taking a little longer than 4 hours this time.
My wife wasn't very happy about that....She is pregnant with our second so between having heightened emotions and a heightened sense of smell she didn't like this option. When the grease drippings from the ABT's and the butt were missing my foil pan and the smoke started rolling inside....well lets just say I almost spent Christmas Eve on the couch alone.
It really didn't help that we were all getting ready to go to Christmas Eve church service and most had already showered and gotten dressed. She really didn't want us smelling liked smoked food or burning grease.
I turned off the oven, cleaned the bottom quick, and foiled the butt with apple juice. Got it fired back up, opened the windows, set up a fan, and put a curtain in the kitchen doorway to help buffer the rest of the house. Before we left I dropped the oven temp to 225 so that it wouldn't finish while we were gone.
When we got back the butt was right around 205. I tooth pick probed it and the whole thing was tender. I took it out, turned it off, and let it sit while we ate supper.
After eating I put the juices in a container in the fridge and pulled the meat and packaged it up.
Christmas day when it was time I put the meat we wanted to eat in the crock pot on high and added some of the juices. I then put the ABT's in the toaster oven to reheat them. Everything turned out pretty well, it all tasted great but the process was something else. Definitely waiting to use my E-ECB until it warmer and I can mod it like I want to.
A few pics below. Things got crazy so pics were not on my mind!
Thanks for looking
PoGo
Meat purchase. Ground beef tube and 2 butts. One butt was for this smoke.
How things looked when I started. Without the cardboard cover.
Just about to probe the butt. About 1" of snow so far.
Another pic before probing. Last pic before the craziness.
This was my second time making pulled pork, and my first time making ABT's.
I followed @Bearcarver's "Boston Butt (Pulled Pork Step by Step)" that can be found in the link in his signature. I followed it closer than I did with my first go at pulled pork, link below:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/236261/4pogo7s-first-pulled-pork-and-first-q-view-post
On Dec. 23 I prepped the butt for smoking the next day.
Bright and early Dec. 24 I got my smoker going, rubbed the meat again, and got it on the smoker. I didn't soak the wood this time and I used apple. Since it was cooler outside I poured boiling water into my water pan and put up a cardboard house around the smoker to trap more heat. This seemed to help some, but not enough when the weather took a dump. Temps dropped and the snow started to fly.
After 2-3 hours I put the ABT's on the smoker with the butt. After almost 4 hours of TBS I probed the butt and it was still not above 140. With little other options to salvage the meat, I brought it in and finished it in the oven
My wife wasn't very happy about that....She is pregnant with our second so between having heightened emotions and a heightened sense of smell she didn't like this option. When the grease drippings from the ABT's and the butt were missing my foil pan and the smoke started rolling inside....well lets just say I almost spent Christmas Eve on the couch alone.
It really didn't help that we were all getting ready to go to Christmas Eve church service and most had already showered and gotten dressed. She really didn't want us smelling liked smoked food or burning grease.
I turned off the oven, cleaned the bottom quick, and foiled the butt with apple juice. Got it fired back up, opened the windows, set up a fan, and put a curtain in the kitchen doorway to help buffer the rest of the house. Before we left I dropped the oven temp to 225 so that it wouldn't finish while we were gone.
When we got back the butt was right around 205. I tooth pick probed it and the whole thing was tender. I took it out, turned it off, and let it sit while we ate supper.
After eating I put the juices in a container in the fridge and pulled the meat and packaged it up.
Christmas day when it was time I put the meat we wanted to eat in the crock pot on high and added some of the juices. I then put the ABT's in the toaster oven to reheat them. Everything turned out pretty well, it all tasted great but the process was something else. Definitely waiting to use my E-ECB until it warmer and I can mod it like I want to.
A few pics below. Things got crazy so pics were not on my mind!
Thanks for looking
PoGo
Meat purchase. Ground beef tube and 2 butts. One butt was for this smoke.
How things looked when I started. Without the cardboard cover.
Just about to probe the butt. About 1" of snow so far.
Another pic before probing. Last pic before the craziness.
