Inaugural Shoulder for my #3!

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KY Smoke

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Finally, will be smoking my first shoulder in my new #3 tomorrow!  Prepping tonight with DM's Boston Butt Brine for 12 hours. This will be the first time that I've brined a Butt, so looking forward to seeing how it turns out Tony!  :D

Will add to post with commentary and pics as things progress tomorrow.  Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July Everyone!  8)
 

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Has been on since a little after 5am this morning at 225F.  Since only smoking one 10 lb. Butt, I added four foil wrapped fire bricks to the shelf below the Butt, to help maintain the temperature.  Doing a pretty good job too, as I'm only seeing about a 28F temp swing.  Plus/minus 14F is pretty good from what I've read so far. 

Sorry, no pre-entry pics but I don't seem to think very well, that early in the morning on a Saturday!  If it wouldn't have been for the dog and a small bladder, it wouldn't have been on until 7am! 😉

But IT temp is at 167F going on 10 hours.  Still another 3-5 hours to go I'm thinking.  Stalled at 163F for over an hour or so but is now finally moving again slowly.  If the smell is any indication though, it's going to be awesome! ☺️
 
Jeff, don't be afraid to use 235 on butts.  Also, I noticed you left a pretty good fat cap on.  I trim almost all of the external fat, since butts have plenty of it inside.  It helps with brine, rub and smoke penetration - and lowers cook time a bit!
 
My bad Tony.....temp was set at 235 F.  Fat finger syndrome!  Still approaching 13 hours and a little ways away.  I know the fat cap looks extreme in the pic, but it wasn't that thick.  Thought about trimming it off, but decided to leave it for extra flavor and moisture.  Slowly approaching the sweet spot, so will post some pics hopefully in a little bit. 

Appreciate your help and guidance.

Jeff
 
Ended up pulling the Butt at 192 F at 9pm, which was 16 hours total.  This in my opinion, was way too long for at 10 lb. Butt.  However, I'm going to have to get used to the electric heating system......because, the Butt was fall apart tender and the bone literally fell out of the Butt when I was taking it out of the tub to wrap it in film!  It was as moist....if not more.....that any Butts I've smoked in the past with wood or Gas!  😋. So very happy overall!

So, the smoke should be considered totally successful, but have a few things to figure out with time and temp.  Had the Maverick probe straight into the center of the Butt, so the temp should have been accurate.  Most likely could have pulled an hour earlier at 185F....which doesn't make sense.  Will have to discuss with the wealth of knowledge here, to figure out what I need to do differently moving forward.  Looking forward to some advice pouring in from all of the senior members!

Looking forward to some happy folks tomorrow as well, as we lay into my first Boston Butt out of the Smokin-It #3!  8)
 

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Thanks for the info Greg and George.  Guess I'm just going to have to get used to different smoking times with the Smokin-it, because man, the end product is good!  Just pulled the BB and was completely broken down and has awesome flavor and even great bark! :P

Still a little curious as to why I only achieved 190-192 F, and it was still done and completely rendered.  Will have to see how the next one goes and judge from there.
 
Jeff, the butt looks great!  192 is fine for pulled pork, and 16 hours is not at all out of line on time.  I usually average 1 - 1.5 hrs/lb.  Why was it so tender and moist at 192?  Here's why:  Once you get through the stall, and the temp starts climbing again, you are just finishing the cooking.  The stall is where all the internal fat and connective tissue is broken-down, so that's where the real "magic" happens.  In my experience, anywhere in the 190s is good, especially with a wrap/rest.  I go to 195 out of habit...predictable results, and fully-cooked all the way through.

One question - it looks like you wrapped the finished butt in plastic wrap?  I would recommend using 2 layers of HD foil instead.  The main idea is to retain heat, and plastic won't do that.  Plastic for raw meat, foil for cooked.
 
Thanks for the pointers Tony.  This first BB in an electric smoker was definitely a learning process!  And everything that you covered, answered all of the questions that I had.  Everyone else noted that everything was all good as well. 

In regards to the post wrap, I actually do two layers of film and then two layers of foil.  More of habit with what I'm used to doing than anything else.  I just feel that the film wrap helps seal in all of the juices and flavor, while it finishes cooking.  And if the results of this first smoked BB in the #3 are any indication, I've got a good thing going with all aspects!  At least according to the family and friends that ate it this afternoon!  My friend's wife (buddy that helped me with the front shelf) said I've found my calling with this smoker and need to go into business!! ☺️ 

Unfortunately, still have a lot to learn with the Smokin-it #3.  It will come with time though and everyone's help here.  Thanks again to all!
 
Makes sense about the wrap, Jeff.  I'm usually in a hurry to get the meat into that first layer of foil, so adding a couple of layers of plastic would have me all jacked-up! :o  I admire your dexterity!
 
DivotMaker said:
Makes sense about the wrap, Jeff.  I'm usually in a hurry to get the meat into that first layer of foil, so adding a couple of layers of plastic would have me all jacked-up! :o  I admire your dexterity!
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Plastic wrap is my arch enemy.  I have trouble wrapping a sandwich.  :'(
 
Not a fan of dealing with plastic wrap either boys!  Just a necessary Evil! 😡Trust me, I have to get the two layer of wrap all layed out before I pull the meat out of the smoker.  There is usually twice as much thrown across the room in a ball, than actually makes it laying flat!! 💥  But it seems to work, so will keep torturing myself! 😎

Jeff
 
http://smile.amazon.com/Wraptastics-Set-Plastic-Dispenser-Aluminum/dp/B00MAQU9QM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436233563&sr=8-1&keywords=wrapmaster&pebp=1436234183299&perid=1W2AHJRZX6ASYTN7YF0H


I have one from QVC that is similar/same brand.  I'll say not perfect, but 110 % than container it comes in from the store!
 
Thanks for the link John.  Haven't seen those before.  Unfortunately I normally get my foil and wrap from Sam's in 18" rolls and won't fit in those dispensers. 

But ran out of a Plastic wrap a couple weeks ago and was struggling to find a new 18" roll that was heavy duty.  So was using a 12" roll of Great Value this past weekend, and is what was causing most of my frustrations.  In this case, not so much of a "Great Value!" 😡.  Tony has since straightened me out though and the Sam's 18" rolls of wrap are still heavy duty, just don't say it any more. 

I'll wrap this long winded explanation with this....the boxes on the Sam's 18" rolls are sturdy cardboard and the cutter is very sharp.  Trust me, my thumb knows!  😉  So normally don't have a whole lot of trouble getting clean cuts on wrap, or foil with those.

But again, thanks for the suggestion.

 
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