I've been using my Recteq Backyard Beast for over 50 hours now and thought I'd share the results of a - just completed - overnight pork butt cook. I'm particularly impressed with the temperature control on this smoker.
The Cook:
One thing I've learned over the years is that I don't particularly care for wrapping pork butts. In my opinion, wrapping tends to steam the meat and gives it a somewhat "blanched" flavor and texture. I much prefer leaving it unwrapped and allowing the bark to develop naturally. The bark on this cook was fantastic!
Temperature Control
Take a look at the attached temperature chart. The red line represents the actual smoker temperature, and the blue line represents the internal temperature of the pork butt.
What impresses me most is how consistently the Backyard Beast maintained 225°F throughout this nearly 18-hour cook. The brief disturbance in the temperature chart around 6:40 AM occurred when I opened the lid to check on the pork butt. Otherwise, the smoker ran unattended throughout the night.
The internal meat temperature followed a nice, gradual curve, slowing down as it moved through the stall before continuing upward.
The Finished Product
I pulled the pork butt at 197°F because it was already probe tender. I don't believe in automatically cooking pork shoulder to 203°F when the meat tells me it's ready earlier.
The bark turned out exactly the way I like it: dark mahogany, nicely developed, and not softened by wrapping.
I've attached a picture from approximately 6:40 AM and another taken just before removing the pork butt from the smoker.
My Thoughts on the RecTeq Backyard Beast
After this cook, I'm very impressed with the Backyard Beast's ability to maintain a consistent cooking temperature over an extended period.
Nearly 18 hours at 225°F, with very little temperature fluctuation, is pretty darn good performance.
I also appreciate being able to monitor the smoker and meat temperatures remotely through the Recteq app. The temperature chart provides a nice record of the entire cook.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Backyard Beast. It handled this long, low-and-slow cook without any problems, and the finished pork butt had exactly the bark and tenderness I was looking for.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave the lid closed and let the smoker do its job!
The Cook:
- Smoker: recteq Backyard Beast
- Meat: 8-pound pork butt
- Smoker temperature: 225°F
- Start time: 7:54 PM
- Total cooking time: 18 hours
- Final internal temperature: 197°F
- Wrapped: Never!
- Pellets: Lumberjack - Hickory
One thing I've learned over the years is that I don't particularly care for wrapping pork butts. In my opinion, wrapping tends to steam the meat and gives it a somewhat "blanched" flavor and texture. I much prefer leaving it unwrapped and allowing the bark to develop naturally. The bark on this cook was fantastic!
Temperature Control
Take a look at the attached temperature chart. The red line represents the actual smoker temperature, and the blue line represents the internal temperature of the pork butt.
What impresses me most is how consistently the Backyard Beast maintained 225°F throughout this nearly 18-hour cook. The brief disturbance in the temperature chart around 6:40 AM occurred when I opened the lid to check on the pork butt. Otherwise, the smoker ran unattended throughout the night.
The internal meat temperature followed a nice, gradual curve, slowing down as it moved through the stall before continuing upward.
The Finished Product
I pulled the pork butt at 197°F because it was already probe tender. I don't believe in automatically cooking pork shoulder to 203°F when the meat tells me it's ready earlier.
The bark turned out exactly the way I like it: dark mahogany, nicely developed, and not softened by wrapping.
I've attached a picture from approximately 6:40 AM and another taken just before removing the pork butt from the smoker.
My Thoughts on the RecTeq Backyard Beast
After this cook, I'm very impressed with the Backyard Beast's ability to maintain a consistent cooking temperature over an extended period.
Nearly 18 hours at 225°F, with very little temperature fluctuation, is pretty darn good performance.
I also appreciate being able to monitor the smoker and meat temperatures remotely through the Recteq app. The temperature chart provides a nice record of the entire cook.
Overall, I'm very pleased with the Backyard Beast. It handled this long, low-and-slow cook without any problems, and the finished pork butt had exactly the bark and tenderness I was looking for.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is leave the lid closed and let the smoker do its job!
