First smoke - advice

[Alex Douglas]

so this sunday il be doing my first smoke, I’m going to be doing a pork butt, I’ve read so much on here and elsewhere but a lot of it is conflicting and has confused me.

Not asking for anyone’s secret recipe just curious how you all do your rubs, do you wrap? What temp do you get your smoker up to. Just the newbie stuff o_O

Cheers
Alex

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

I'd tell you my secret recipe if I had one...wait it wouldn't be a secret then would it :rolleyes:

No... I really just stopped by to say I'm going to follow this thread, saves me posting exactly the same later on :D

 

[pollard]

so this sunday il be doing my first smoke, I’m going to be doing a pork butt, I’ve read so much on here and elsewhere but a lot of it is conflicting and has confused me.

Not asking for anyone’s secret recipe just curious how you all do your rubs, do you wrap? What temp do you get your smoker up to. Just the newbie stuff o_O

Cheers
Alex

Butts are pretty standard and easy even if they do take a while. Most people smoke it unwrapped between 225-240f until they get the desired color(bark - approx 5-6 hours)) and then wrap it in double layer of foil. Smoker temp can then be kept the same or raised up closer to 300f to speed things up a bit and then cook to an internal temp 190-200f. Get everything prepped the night before so you can get that thing going early in the morning as it will take 10-14 hours.

I trim as much fat ass possible off the outside to get as much bark as possible. I even trim down in between the three different muscles a bit to be able to get rub down in there.

Here's BillBo's rub from here on the forum

The rub is a very basic, but very good dry red rub. It goes well on everything,
chicken, ribs, butts etc. Here it is.
1/2 cup paprika
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated garlic
6 tablespoons granulated onion
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Just mix all together and store in glass or plastic. Rub generously!

A lot of people put finishing sauce on the roast when done. It's a very light vinegary sauce. Careful not to put any on meat that you won't eat the same day because if it sits in that sauce overnight, the meat will taste like vinegar the next day. You can change the ratio of brown sugar to vinegar to tone down the vinegar taste but overnight, it's still going to impart the vinegar taste.
Here's a forum search for 'finishing'. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search/1291577/?q=finishing&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=100
SoFlaQuers has a pretty good finishing sauce.
Happy Smoking!

 

[Alex Douglas]

Butts are pretty standard and easy even if they do take a while. Most people smoke it unwrapped between 225-240f until they get the desired color(bark - approx 5-6 hours)) and then wrap it in double layer of foil. Smoker temp can then be kept the same or raised up closer to 300f to speed things up a bit and then cook to an internal temp 190-200f. Get everything prepped the night before so you can get that thing going early in the morning as it will take 10-14 hours.

I trim as much fat ass possible off the outside to get as much bark as possible. I even trim down in between the three different muscles a bit to be able to get rub down in there.

Here's BillBo's rub from here on the forum

A lot of people put finishing sauce on the roast when done. It's a very light vinegary sauce. Careful not to put any on meat that you won't eat the same day because if it sits in that sauce overnight, the meat will taste like vinegar the next day. You can change the ratio of brown sugar to vinegar to tone down the vinegar taste but overnight, it's still going to impart the vinegar taste.
Here's a forum search for 'finishing'. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search/1291577/?q=finishing&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=100
SoFlaQuers has a pretty good finishing sauce.
Happy Smoking!

Hey, thank you for that, very informative and has cleared the process up for me quite abit

 

[oddegan]

One thing I would mention would be the stall. As previously stated a lot of people wrap at 160f and that's to get past the stall. The stall will cause you to question your sanity. Wrapping will help you get past it faster but you will still probably have a few hours where the IT won't seem to move. Don't worry. It will pass.

 

[pollard]

Ahh, yes, the stall.
Seems my link broke. Prob because I didn't actually use the toolbar link thing, just pasted it.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/s...shing&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=100

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

One thing I would mention would be the stall. As previously stated a lot of people wrap at 160f and that's to get past the stall. The stall will cause you to question your sanity. Wrapping will help you get past it faster but you will still probably have a few hours where the IT won't seem to move. Don't worry. It will pass.

Ahh, yes, the stall.
Seems my link broke. Prob because I didn't actually use the toolbar link thing, just pasted it.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/s...shing&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1&c[node]=100

I had heard about this dreaded stall, so i'm so glad you guys mentioned this. Thanks, will check out that link!

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

Good luck with your first smoke! I can tell you my very first smoke I knew nothing. It was a disaster. You however have these forums to help you so you should be good!

220-250 is a good area to smoke butts at. I am a big fan of the low and slow process so I’m usually smoking mine around 220. I am also a huge fan of bark so I never wrap my butts. Never. So a lot of the time I’m 20 hours or more smoking my butts. Our smokers group likes to give me grief about it but it is what it is.

Now I’m not saying don’t wrap. If you have to wrap cause your short on time I guess you have to. I’d just start the night before and give yourself extra time so yo don’t have to wrap. You’ll really appreciate the bark if you don’t wrap.

I’ll also tell you I really cut back on the salt in my homemade rubs. Just to much of it in most recipes IMHO.

I don’t mop or baste as this also wrecks the bark your spending all day trying to create.

I’ll be following this thread to see how you do. Any questions just ask. And remember if your temp stalls for hours past 150 it’s ok. It is what it is. Just keep riding it out.

Good luck
Scott

 

[phathead69]

Saw someone mention finish sauce. Nothing wrong there but I found on here some mention about drippings. I preferred that. Keep a pan under catching the juice run off. Fridge and pull the fat off the top. Heat aujus a little mixing in your rub. Mix in or pour on servings and tastes great.

 

[SmokinAl]

Hot & fast is how I do my butts, no stall, and no wrapping.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t...ith-judys-pretzel-buns-thanks-mossymo.253165/
Here is the finishing sauce recipe. I freeze the leftovers with the finishing sauce on them & never get a vinegar flavor, so I disagree with this statement.
A lot of people put finishing sauce on the roast when done. It's a very light vinegary sauce. Careful not to put any on meat that you won't eat the same day because if it sits in that sauce overnight, the meat will taste like vinegar the next day. You can change the ratio of brown sugar to vinegar to tone down the vinegar taste but overnight, it's still going to impart the vinegar taste.
SoFlaQ’uers finishing sauce

1 Cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Course Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Warm the Vinegar up enough so that it disolves the Sugar well. Then add the remaining ingredients.

I use it in one of those clear Ketchup bottles you can get from Wally World for about $0.99. Snip a little bit larger hole out of the spout with a pair of scissors. Once all your ingredients are mixed together, put your finger over the top, and shake vigorously.

Randomly squirt this over warm freshly pulled Pork, then kind of mix it up with gloved hands. This adds very little heat (despite the Red Pepper) and mellows out the stronger, gamier parts of the Shoulder. The Vinegar also helps break it down even more for some REAL juicy pork.

Personally, I eat it just like that, but your guests can add whatever "Q sauce they prefer once it's on their plates or bun!


Good luck & take some photo's!
Al

 

[Geebs]

I have a pork butt on the WSM right now. I inject mine with apple juice that I simmered with some rub. I use Jeffs Rub on just about everything, its mighty good! I cook mine between 225 and 275 with apple and hickory chunks, I usually wrap when I hit the stall. I dont trim any fat, I put a tray of baked beans underneath to catch all those delicious drippings. Cooked to an internal temp of my magic number of 208 and its ready to slide the bone out and pull the pork.

 

[Rings Я Us]

I don't worry about crispy stuff in my pulled pork. The bark is great and tastes good even if it is not crunchy. I use coleslaw for texture if I want texture.
That being said... you can take the butt out of the smoker and stick it in a crock pot or a pan in the oven to finish. Crock pot will save juices as a pan in the oven covered with foil.
So you don't need to wrap and keep it in a smoker. If you do wrap, You can crank the heat up to 350 .. Oven is the same thing...in the crock pot, the steam will help cook it the same as foil does.

So, you have multiple ways to do it..

I like no foil and heat turned up after 155 internal. 300° helps go right past the stall with no foil. 350 is good also.

 

[zwiller]

Just making sure you cleaned, burned off and seasoned your smoker. I like Al's hot and fast for butt. Last one my AMNPS tray burned up too fast so I had open the smoker and it stalled 2x but I don’t really look at the stall as a problem per se. Every time I have the stall the results are fantastic. The point about smoke duration cannot be understated. Butt is a LOONG smoke. I got up 5am put mine on a 6am and even with hot and fast I reached 210F at like 8PM. +1 get Jeff’s rub and sauce recipes. I don’t always use them but you really owe to yourself to have them. These are another level beyond many of the recipes posted.

 

[Alex Douglas]

Thanks for all the great info gang!

Havnt decided exactly how I’m doing it yet but will take photos and write in my smoking notebook so I know where I potentially messed up haha!

 

[CharlotteLovesFood]

Thanks for all the great info gang!

Havnt decided exactly how I’m doing it yet but will take photos and write in my smoking notebook so I know where I potentially messed up haha!

Wise...but it won't hurt you to have a little more faith ;) I'm the same though

 

[Geebs]

Thanks for all the great info gang!

Havnt decided exactly how I’m doing it yet but will take photos and write in my smoking notebook so I know where I potentially messed up haha!

Nice thing with a pork butt is they are VERY forgiving. Good Luck!