Hello everyone!
The name is Rybro. I'm 28 years old from the heart of the states, Iowa. I currently live with my long time girlfriend and our new baby boy of two months! I have always been an avid griller, doing mostly steaks and pork chops as my specialty. The science behind the food has always fascinated me, I have to know EXACTLY what is happening and why. BBQ has always been a fascination of mine. Now, that I am more settled I am able to pursue some of my life goals and passions.
I use a 22 inch Weber Kettle charcoal grill. I bought the Slow-n-Sear Plus from Adrenaline BBQ off of amazon in order to use with my Weber. I took a few weeks leading up to my first smoke to do as much research as possible. I hope to someday to buy a more permanent smoker, but as a rookie I thought I would start small until I get my bearings.
So Sunday, I did my first smoke. I decided on an 8 pound Boston Butt since they are so forgiving for a rook. I decided I wanted more of a bark and figured their was enough fat inside the butt to keep it moist and flavored. I trimmed a lot of the fat, including the cap, off of the butt. I did a dry salt brine for about 18 hours. Then, applied basic mustard along with a basic rub (garlic powder, brown sugar, paprika, and so on). I let the rub marinate for a couple hours while my grill/smoker was coming down to temp. My goal was to keep the temp anywhere between 220F and 245F. I'd say I hit a few good runs where the temp stayed right at 235F. I used mostly hickory with a little bit of apple. I did not use the minion method because I was using briquettes. I would add fully ashed briquettes when the time meant for it. I have a pretty strong palette, and can usually pick up the off taste non-ashed briquettes can potentially give off. I added wood for about the first 6 hours, then stopped. I started the smoke/cook at 7:30 am, I ended up being pressed for time at the end due to my family coming over. Stalled at 159F and ended up cranking the heat up 280F to finish. Did not want to foil and ruin the crust. I had to pull the Butt at 198F @ 6:45 pm, I was pushing for 205F. It rested for 45 minutes before I pulled, was hoping I could let it rest for several hours. Next Time! Total of a 11 hour smoke. It turned out much better than I thought.
I struggled with the temp at times, dropping below the 220F mark. I suppose my next run will be a little smoother since I have a better grasp on controlling the temp. I probably won't change a thing except for maybe smoking at a slightly higher temp, like 240F - 250F. That seemed to be a zone that I was able to easlily hit and manage. Any tips or suggestions are welcome! See the pictures below to see my process and how things looked!
A look at the butt before it has even been touched.
Got the rub on for a 2 hour marinade before it goes on.
My setup. Weber Grill with a Slow-n-Sear. The other grill is
meant for lighting charcoal. I also use a Maverick dual probe
system.
Mid smoke. I think it was at about 145F internal at this point.
Finished product before the pull.
Bone came out clean.
Get in my belly!
The name is Rybro. I'm 28 years old from the heart of the states, Iowa. I currently live with my long time girlfriend and our new baby boy of two months! I have always been an avid griller, doing mostly steaks and pork chops as my specialty. The science behind the food has always fascinated me, I have to know EXACTLY what is happening and why. BBQ has always been a fascination of mine. Now, that I am more settled I am able to pursue some of my life goals and passions.
I use a 22 inch Weber Kettle charcoal grill. I bought the Slow-n-Sear Plus from Adrenaline BBQ off of amazon in order to use with my Weber. I took a few weeks leading up to my first smoke to do as much research as possible. I hope to someday to buy a more permanent smoker, but as a rookie I thought I would start small until I get my bearings.
So Sunday, I did my first smoke. I decided on an 8 pound Boston Butt since they are so forgiving for a rook. I decided I wanted more of a bark and figured their was enough fat inside the butt to keep it moist and flavored. I trimmed a lot of the fat, including the cap, off of the butt. I did a dry salt brine for about 18 hours. Then, applied basic mustard along with a basic rub (garlic powder, brown sugar, paprika, and so on). I let the rub marinate for a couple hours while my grill/smoker was coming down to temp. My goal was to keep the temp anywhere between 220F and 245F. I'd say I hit a few good runs where the temp stayed right at 235F. I used mostly hickory with a little bit of apple. I did not use the minion method because I was using briquettes. I would add fully ashed briquettes when the time meant for it. I have a pretty strong palette, and can usually pick up the off taste non-ashed briquettes can potentially give off. I added wood for about the first 6 hours, then stopped. I started the smoke/cook at 7:30 am, I ended up being pressed for time at the end due to my family coming over. Stalled at 159F and ended up cranking the heat up 280F to finish. Did not want to foil and ruin the crust. I had to pull the Butt at 198F @ 6:45 pm, I was pushing for 205F. It rested for 45 minutes before I pulled, was hoping I could let it rest for several hours. Next Time! Total of a 11 hour smoke. It turned out much better than I thought.
I struggled with the temp at times, dropping below the 220F mark. I suppose my next run will be a little smoother since I have a better grasp on controlling the temp. I probably won't change a thing except for maybe smoking at a slightly higher temp, like 240F - 250F. That seemed to be a zone that I was able to easlily hit and manage. Any tips or suggestions are welcome! See the pictures below to see my process and how things looked!
A look at the butt before it has even been touched.
Got the rub on for a 2 hour marinade before it goes on.
My setup. Weber Grill with a Slow-n-Sear. The other grill is
meant for lighting charcoal. I also use a Maverick dual probe
system.
Mid smoke. I think it was at about 145F internal at this point.
Finished product before the pull.
Bone came out clean.
Get in my belly!