Trying to Beat Titan!! Pulled Pork w/Tons of Q-View!!!

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smokefever

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
460
110
Martinsburg WV
Hello everyone, as you know there's a massive winter storm heading this way and I've been craving some pulled pork.  I have a 7.5 lb butt that I just rubbed down and injected with apple juice.  I have to work 1-10 tonight so I'll be cranking up the smoker at around 11pm.  Here is what I have done so far. . . .


7.5 lb butt I got from Sams Club.  Nice fat cap on it which I will leave on.  I don't like to trim the fat away as it not only protects the meat, but it also bastes itself helping to create even better bark! 


My go to rub, brown sugar based with lots of other spices in it


Starting to inject with apple juice


And its ready for a nice nap in the fridge.  I'll more than likely re-inject it when I get home from work. 

The game plan is this. . . . . .. I'll aim for a cooker temp of 240 using Royal Oak Lump Charcoal and possibly some Stubbs (depends on what the Mrs. brings home).  I'm going to use some Peach and Pecan wood for smoke and take the butt to an IT of 195 (unfoiled).  Then I'll wrap it and let it rest for a couple hours.  I am thinking this will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 11.5 to 17 hours.  I have learned the hard way that these don't get done on my time, but when THEY are ready.  Either way I'm in it for the long haul.  This will be my first overnight cook in the Vision Kamado so I'm interested to see how it works out.  I am averaging about 7 hours on one load of charcoal.  I am still trying to find the best setup for the charcoal so anyone with a BGE or other Kamado please chime in and let me know what techniques you use.  Thanks for viewing and I'll have more view early tomorrow morning.  Stay tuned!!
 
Welp, I just got home a couple hours ago and immediately fired up the cooker.  Once it got to 175 (cooker temp) I dialed back to see if I could anticipate the temp rise and unfortunately I was a little premature.  I had to open the vents back up and naturally, the temp climbed a lot quicker than I thought.  So it is settled in right now at 260 (not too bad considering) and the IT is at 82. 



Gotta have the adult beverages when pulling an all nighter 
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Sitting pretty on the smoker.  I have a drip pan underneath with some of the leftover rub/glaze, water, apple juice and apple cider vinegar.  We'll see how it goes, if the temp is steady for the next hour or so I'll probably get a good couple of hours in and hope I still have a fire going in the morning!  Thanks for stopping bye, more to come tomorrow 
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7.5 hours into the smoke and the cook has progressed very nicely to this point.  The Vision has maintained the temp through the night, allowing me to get a few hours of sleep.  I filled the firebowl back up to the holes on the side and added a chunk of apple wood.  Smoker temp is 255 and IT of the butt is 165 and has been for the last hour. 


Believe it or not, this was actually the FIRST time opening the smoker.  Is it weird to have that "Christmas Morning" feeling in anticipation of opening the lid??? 
 
 
That looks great, good job dude
Thank you ksmoker, just pulled it off the smoker and wrapped in foil/towels.  Waiting an hour or so for the final results 
SmokeFever. How many times do you inject a 7.5 lb butt
Hey BBQ, that really is up to you bud.  I injected right after rubbing it.  You just inject wherever you can get the liquid to hold.  Mine took a nap in the fridge for 12 hours, so when I got home I injected it again while the smoker was warming up.  It all just comes down to personal preference
 
Do you inject liquid to save the labor of spraying or basting every 30 min. I'm new to this sport and trying to figure out why some inject and some dont but get same finished product. Thanks
 
I cant say how pleased I am with this smoker.  Just last year, while using my Chargriller, I would battle a 7.5lb butt for 16 hours!  There were so many leaks in that thing, not to mention I burned through a TON of fuel just trying to maintain temps for a couple hours.  With this Kamado, I only added fuel once. . . . .from start to finish it took 9 hours, a HUGE difference.  It stalled at 165 for 2 hours and that was it.  I have a couple more shots of it right before I pulled it off and wrapped it.  More to come here in a little bit once I start pulling it.  Thanks again for stopping by!!!



There's the bone, just waiting to come out!


Love the bark you get from not foiling 


My new toy I got for Christmas just waiting to be used for the first time
 
I haven't pulled it yet Billy. I like to let them rest for a bit before pulling so I don't lose the juices to the cutting board. I'll be pullin it here in about 20 mins, there will be plent of pics :)
 
I just got home and as promised, here are the pulled pics! 



The bone just slid right out, no work required



This was the most tender, moist, mouthwatering pulled pork I have ever made.  The smoke flavor was subtle, not as pronounced as some of my other cooks (a good thing) and the bark was out of this world. 


Used my Bear Claws for the first time




I just hit it with a little finishing sauce (Vinegar, spices, hot sauce) and it was good to go.   Very pleased with this cook for a few reasons. . . . . I didn't have to babysit the smoker.  In my offset I would go through 30lbs of charcoal and it would take atleast 14-18 hours, where it was right on 9 hours in the Kamado. . . . . The flavor profile was spot on and the best part??  The wife dove right into it, even right after she brushed her teeth haha

Thanks again everyone for stopping by, I'll be posting again pretty soon I'm sure 
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You know I don't remember being thi9s way as a kid, but I have become a sandwichaholic. That's a beautiful Bear shot with that sandwich!  It deserves a frame!

Nice looking pulled pork Smoke. Guessing you decided to keep that old Kamado Pro??
 
 
You know I don't remember being thi9s way as a kid, but I have become a sandwichaholic. That's a beautiful Bear shot with that sandwich!  It deserves a frame!

Nice looking pulled pork Smoke. Guessing you decided to keep that old Kamado Pro??
Thanks Foam and yes sir, I most certainly decided to keep it.  It's a new toy for me and I haven't quite figured out completely how to keep temps under 250, but I've done pretty well adjusting to it in the mean time.  I like the sound of framing that pic, I might just have to get the Mrs. to do that!
 
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