First Pork Butt and charcoal trouble

[CharlotteLovesFood]

So this morning I was up at 4am in preparation to cook my pork butt. I'd ran out of my Weber charcoal briquettes but had some lump wood I'd managed to find in a local shop.
Well....haha that is when everything went wrong! So I've never used lump wood before, I'm new to grilling full stop...the lump wood seemed a bit on the small side to me (not that I know what it should look like) these were roughly 1-2 inches. Filled my chimney starter, they went a crazy snap crackle and pop for a good while to the point where I was hesitant to get close until they had fully calmed down. Once they had, I lifted my chimney and majority of them fell on the floor, I shovelled them up and tossed them in the fire box anyway. Of course being small they all fell through the fire grate and burned really quickly. I managed to find about 6 briquettes knocking around...so until someone could drop off more briquettes I used these to help keep temp up and kept topping up with the cheap lump wood. I was using apple chips today in foil as I found them in my pound store and couldn't resist.
I was really losing heat then finally I got my briquettes fired them up in the chimney and when you were practically ready I quickly emptied the entire contents of my fire box, on went the briquettes and temp was up and holding well. Vents were practically open all day today as my temp wasnt shooting up just dropping every now and then. Towards the end of the cook I did start using the lump wood, as well as the briquettes, just because I felt the lump wood was catching quicker but the briquettes were holding my temp steady for longer. Just wanted to share and wondered if anybody else uses both or has had similar issues or experience.

Anyways I managed to keep the fire going and complete my first butt and it tasted amazing! Still I feel the day could have gone better if it weren't for my heat source problem at the beginning :rolleyes:

I wrapped just before 160°F IT and took off at 203°F IT ...then rested for 1 hour just because I got carried away cleaning up and stuff :rolleyes:

 

[motocrash]

Very nice Charlotte.I like the exquisite looking chips too!
You should try a Carolina/Virginia finishing sauce if you like vinegar,it would be good on the chips also.

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Very nice Charlotte.I like the exquisite looking chips too!
You should try a Carolina/Virginia finishing sauce if you like vinegar,it would be good on the chips also.

Thanks Motocrash...and I will give your suggestion a try :)

 

[oddegan]

The lump will sometimes go a little crazy and it sounds like the cook could have gone a little smoother but that pulled pork looks fantastic! Think about it like this. You thought your way through the issues. Used what you knew, didn't panic and turned out some awesome looking pig. Great job!

 

[BKING!]

That’s a good looking plate!

 

[dcecil]

First off the cook looks amazing. Second, way to think on your feet and not panic. Looks like your efforts really payed off. Great job

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

The lump will sometimes go a little crazy and it sounds like the cook could have gone a little smoother but that pulled pork looks fantastic! Think about it like this. You thought your way through the issues. Used what you knew, didn't panic and turned out some awesome looking pig. Great job!

That’s a good looking plate!

First off the cook looks amazing. Second, way to think on your feet and not panic. Looks like your efforts really payed off. Great job

Thanks guys. It definitely could have gone a little smoother haha but I'll take it as a success for my first butt and 3rd smoke now... i'm happy and learning lots as I go. It did taste really good...put it this way I won't be touching a crock pot again for slow cooking! :D

 

[BKING!]

Thanks guys. It definitely could have gone a little smoother haha but I'll take it as a success for my first butt and 3rd smoke now... i'm happy and learning lots as I go. It did taste really good...put it this way I won't be touching a crock pot again for slow cooking! :D

I didn’t really begin to like cooking until I took up bbq. It’s the challenges that keep me coming back for more. If it was easy I’d be bored with it by now. By the way your meal was a win. That sandwich looks ridiculously good like a picture out of a magazine.

 

[mike5051]

Great smoke Charlotte! Congrats on overcoming the obstacles in your way! That butt came out fantastic, I love the no sauce pic!

Mike

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

I didn’t really begin to like cooking until I took up bbq. It’s the challenges that keep me coming back for more. If it was easy I’d be bored with it by now. By the way your meal was a win. That sandwich looks ridiculously good like a picture out of a magazine.

Yeah that's sounds about right...also after you've put in all those hours... and blood, sweat and tears have gone into it then it's so much more rewarding.

Wow, thank you i'm chuffed you think so...I do like making my food look pretty :rolleyes::D

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Great smoke Charlotte! Congrats on overcoming the obstacles in your way! That butt came out fantastic, I love the no sauce pic!

Mike

Thanks Mike!
Yeah, I'm really happy with it :)
It's funny because I would never have liked pulled pork with no sauce/gravy before but it was so moist and soft with tons of flavour and tasted great.

 

[DaveDesign]

Hmmmm..... that looks awesome!!!!
Was it the Big K lumpwood you got local? It is always full off small bits and quarter the bag bin fodder as it more like chippings!
I'd like to try lumpwood but will wait untill I see a restaurant grade bag.
Aussie heat beads briquetes have been fantastic for a long and consistent burn.

How do you get on with wood chips in foil pouches? I struggle abit with them

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Hmmmm..... that looks awesome!!!!
Was it the Big K lumpwood you got local? It is always full off small bits and quarter the bag bin fodder as it more like chippings!
I'd like to try lumpwood but will wait untill I see a restaurant grade bag.
Aussie heat beads briquetes have been fantastic for a long and consistent burn.

How do you get on with wood chips in foil pouches? I struggle abit with them

Thanks Dave!
No worse...I was silly enough to grab a 5kg bag from B&M *cringe* I hadn't heard of it...The Original BBQ Company?! I wouldn't recommend it anyway! Haha I was desperate because I was out of my Weber briquettes. I don't think I'm going to rule out lump wood just yet though...a friend of mine got a bag off amazon that's restaurant grade and he did fab with it 12KG of Premium Grade Large Lumpwood Restaurant Cooking Charcoal- Comes with THE LOG HUT® Woven Sack
Not too bad on the wood chips...I brought the apple chips from Poundland, yep £1 :D soaked them in half water half apple juice for 20-30 mins drained added to foil packet pierced with a fork several times and tossed them on. My packet was quite rectanguar and I didn't always put them on my hottest spots as I didn't want them to go up in nasty smoke or flames, I was moving them about a bit. Think I used a few packets throughout the duration of my smoke.

 

[DaveDesign]

Yea I have to move them about abit, always seems ones not enough. Two and I'm sure the smokes white. Then try half on half off! Lol.. I shall have to buy some wood chunks for smoking!

Lol for b&m!! Atleast you tried, never know could have been the best thing ever!
Tried Aussie heat beads? I much prefer them over Webber now

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Yea I have to move them about abit, always seems ones not enough. Two and I'm sure the smokes white. Then try half on half off! Lol.. I shall have to buy some wood chunks for smoking!

Lol for b&m!! Atleast you tried, never know could have been the best thing ever!
Tried Aussie heat beads? I much prefer them over Webber now

I have oak chunks too but not sure I got on any better with those Haha!

True I was trying to be cheap! They could have been, but sadly not! lol I will use em up somehow... y'know as as fill in kinda thing.

I haven't but as I read your post I did take a mental note to try them. Thanks.

How did your smoke go...I'm waiting on updates over in your thread? :D

 

[gmc2003]

Great looking pulled pork Charlotte, I don't think I've every seen someone take the time to stack their fries up that way. You may want to be careful using lump. It burns hotter then normal charcoal. So you'll have to keep a closer eye on it until you feel comfortable using it. If you have a bullet type smoker try getting a second charcoal grate and put it down on top of your original grate so they criss-cross one another. The ash will still be able to fall through, but it will help prevent some of the smaller lump coals from falling through the grate.

Point for sure.

Chris

 

[tropics]

That is one of the curves in BBQ-ing you have beaten,the PP looks fantastic the whole plate is like art work. Points
Richie

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Great looking pulled pork Charlotte, I don't think I've every seen someone take the time to stack their fries up that way. You may want to be careful using lump. It burns hotter then normal charcoal. So you'll have to keep a closer eye on it until you feel comfortable using it. If you have a bullet type smoker try getting a second charcoal grate and put it down on top of your original grate so they criss-cross one another. The ash will still be able to fall through, but it will help prevent some of the smaller lump coals from falling through the grate.

Point for sure.

Chris

Thanks Chris... now the fries stacking I can handle haha took literally 10 seconds.
Yeah I noticed the lump compared with briquettes, my temp was spiking A LOT.

I've got a an offset duel fuel (duo trio whatever it is classed as). The fire box isn't the biggest and it's a commercial brand, doesn't have the best grate or anything but she smokes and cooks. I thought I'd get to know her a bit before splurging out on all the mods. The second grate thing though is a brilliant idea!

Thanks again
Charlotte

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

That is one of the curves in BBQ-ing you have beaten,the PP looks fantastic the whole plate is like art work. Points
Richie

Thanks for the compliment and encouragement Richie :D