First smoke, darker than I'd like

[crvtt]

This is my first ever smoke, 6.7 lb bone in pork butt.  I used Billbo's world famous dry rub on it, let it sit in the fridge over night.  Smoked it in my Smokin-It #1 smoker, with two small pieces of hickory for almost 11 hours at 245.   The crust (is it bark?) is darker than I'd like.  Was my temp too high?  Too much sugar in the rub?

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• crvtt
• Feb 15, 2013

 

[jirodriguez]

That looks pretty darn good from here!

Bark generally is almost burnt looking, but it actually is very tastey. If you want a softer bark, foil it at 165°, let it go till the IT hits 190°, then pull it out of the foil and put it back in the smoker - the IT will drop to about 180°, let it go till it comes back up to 190°. The bark will still be there, but it will be a lot softer - it's kind of like doing 3-2-1 ribs, but with a pork butt instead.

 

[crvtt]

Thanks for the explanation on  bark.  My gf and I both said it looks burnt, but tastes really good!  Wasn't sure if that's how it was supposed to be or not!  I'm not opposed to how dark it was, but she'd prefer it more caramelized looking and less black. 

 

[fpnmf]

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• fpnmf
• Nov 4, 2012

I dont foil or use sugar...these were perfect..

Yours looks like the sugar was the culprit..

Try it once using only salt pepper onion and garlic...aka SPOG...

           Craig

 

[crvtt]

Looks like you cooked them in disposable foil trays?  Does that work well?  That'd certainly be a lot easier than lining the bottom of the smoker with foil and have scrub the racks afterwards.  The foil was a pain to get off after this smoke.  Some of the juices still made their way under the foil and it stuck. 

 

[fpnmf]

Looks like you cooked them in disposable foil trays?

Nope!!

They went into the trays after the cook..then covered with foil and into the cooler for several hours...

Here's how I do butts..

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/128258/todays-smoke-a-tale-of-two-butts

  Craig

 

[jirodriguez]

If you have more than one rack, just put the butts on the top rack and a foil pan under them to catch all the drippings. Much easier clean up!