1st attempt at pulled pork with Q-view

[mythmaster]

OK, I'm gonna give it a shot and see what I can learn! I picked up a 5.4# butt today, scored the fat on the one side, rubbed it with some "Head Country", plastic wrapped it, and stuck it in the fridge to hang out until tomorrow sometime. I was so excited about it that I forgot to hit it with some mustard or molasses first.

I apologize that the pics aren't focused very well. Hopefully the ones to come tomorrow will be better.

Thanks for looking, and Cheers!
-Bret

 

[caveman]

Looks like the begining of a beautiful relationship.

 

[fire it up]

Good luck!
No worries on no slather, it isn't necessary to add for the pork to be tasty so you're fine.

 

[polishmeat]

Bret,

Looking good so far man. Just as an FYI, and from my experience, the Hormel cryovaced meats (including ribs) are usually "flavor enhanced", meaning they inject the meat with a brine/cure. Not to say there is anything wrong with this at all, but just so you know you might get different results if you were to use a fresh butt from the butcher, and want to replicate/adjust results. Again, just for your info so you know, cuz I didn't know this until Jim (chisoxjim) pointed it out to me.

Check it out: http://www.hormelfoods.com/newsroom/...sTenderFS.aspx

Either way, you're going to enjoy!

 

[mythmaster]

Yeah, I know all about that -- it was a spur-of-the-moment buy. That's why I didn't even consider injecting it (well, that and I haven't really researched injecting butts yet). I usually get my cuts straight from the rancher, but that takes 4 days. I was itching to try something, and the ribs looked like crap (they had been frozen).

Anyway, this first run is all about getting the feel for a technique which is why I'm using a store-bought rub and I'll top the sammies with some Sweet Baby Ray's. There will be many, many more flavor experiments to come!

Thank you, btw!!

 

[roller]

Looks good and there are good folks on here that will help on the spur of the moment they did for me...and all came out good. Get plenty of Beer...lol

 

[rdknb]

looks good so far

 

[mythmaster]

Thank you...I was a bit concerned , honestly. Not any more, though!

Well, I have a whole box of Merlot...I hope that counts.

I can't wait to fire this one up!!! This rub smells so awesome, you guys! It can't possibly go wrong!

 

[Bearcarver]

Looks GREAT so far----Don't stop now----We're watching!

Bearcarver

 

[mythmaster]

I just woke up, so I'm getting started on this MUCH later than I had hoped. So, I have some hickory chips soaking, and I put the MES just inside the garage because it's windy as usual here. You can't see inside of it because of the sun, but you can see my 1978 280Z parked behind it.

I'll let the chips soak for a while then start up the MES and let the butt sit at room temp while it's heating up.

 

[hdsmoke]

My dad has a 1981 280ZX that is mint. They are cool little cars, and his moves pretty well too! That i-6 with turbo gets it pretty good

 

[coyote]

looking great so far.

 

[mythmaster]

I had to throw in a few dry chips to get a good TBS going. Now I need to get the cooking temp stabilized -- shooting for 220*-240*. Also, I'm using a foil tray as a drip pan, and I put some apple juice in it so the drippings don't burn to the bottom of it. I plan to use that as a finishing sauce once I get it pulled.

I don't know why my camera won't focus on anything -- maybe because the lighting is so poor in the kitchen. Anyway, here it is probed and ready to go in:

I think that I scored pretty good with the "Head Country" rub -- it smells awesome! I'm pretty sure that it's a local product because they list the championships that they've won, and most of them are in OK. So I don't know if it's available nationally or not.

 

[mythmaster]

Thank you to everyone who has posted so far!

The smoke is going really well -- the cooking temp is well within range, and it's getting a good amount of smoke. It was getting too much from the dry chips for a minute, but they didn't catch fire and I put some soaked ones in which toned it back down.

The meat is up to 110* already, but it will still be a long while before it is done. I expect it to stall around 160*, and I'll foil it at 170* then put it back in until it reaches 205*. Then I'll "cooler" it for a couple of hours before I pull it assuming that I'll still be conscious and patient.

I'm anxious to see if this MES will be able to produce a decent bark and/or smoke ring (not that it really matters -- as long as it tastes good and isn't dry!).

 

[mythmaster]

OK, for some reason my camera was in landscape mode (WTH???), so I set it back to auto.

Temp is at 135* so I decided to sneak a peek:

 

[realtorterry]

What times dinner

 

[mythmaster]

I wish I knew!

 

[roller]

Looking good...

 

[ddave]

Looks good.

Keep us posted.

You won't get much if any smoke ring with an electric. Not enough byproducts of combustion.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=61546

BUT, you're right, it won't really matter.

I'm sure it will taste great.

Dave

 

[mythmaster]

Well, it didn't stall, and I think that the bark looks pretty decent. Here it is at 170* going into the foil:

Like I said, I'll let it get to 205* then rest for a couple of hours in the cooler (well, at least one) before I pull it.

I'm sorry to drag this out. Next time I'll wait until after I eat to start a thread, and I'll post all of the pics in one place.