The Big Test

[gmbrown]

So this past weekend, I finally tried out my first major smoke attempt: Boston butt for pulled pork. Actually, ended up being about two, between 6-8 pounds each, that were packaged together in one of those giant Costco packs.

I started out by brining them, using Alton Brown's recipe/method. Got that going late Saturday afternoon (after starting a load of fresh Polish sausage). Supposedly, 8 hours was on the minimum end of how long they should have brined, and I ended up leaving them 8.5. Which meant I got them out about 11:45 that night. Based on all the helpful posts here on the forums, I knew to prepare for as much as 2 hours per pound (and maybe a little more), so I figured I needed to get them going about midnightish on Saturday if we wanted to have it for dinner on Sunday.

I got some conflicting information re: whether it was better to rub versus not rub. So I decided to do some experimentation since I had two butts: one was the control (no rub), and one used that magical Meathead's Memphis Dust rub so many of us have sworn by.

Got the butts ready and going just before 12:30 a.m. 225 degrees, about eight ounces of Steve's sample hickory blocks. Then back to bed (I ended up dozing off a bit, which made me start about a half-hour later than I originally planned).

Because of all of my obsessive research here on the forums, I was prepared for what started around 5:30-6 am (according to my nifty iGrill thermometer): The Stall. The internal temps of both butts hit 168, and then stayed there for about 5-6 hours. Because of what I read here, though, I knew not to panic. I know there are two schools of thought on butts: one has you pull them at 150 IT and foil-wrap them, maybe even putting them in a hotter oven to finish faster (even Alton Brown advocates this) while the other, advocated by many here, says "embrace the stall, wait it out, and good things will happen." I decided in advance to go with the latter, because folks said the results were better in terms of tenderness, bark, etc. They're right, IMHO.

At around 11 a.m. or so, the stall broke, and the temps started slowly climbing. Around 4, I was in the upper 180s, but then: the rain, and the thunderstorms rolled in. I was a little worried, but encouraged by Steve's promise on his website that the smoker's okay to use in rain and snow. Plus I had a little overhang I could shelter part of the smoker with. So I powered on. At 5, it was hovering around 190ish, and I was aiming for 195. And the thunderstorms were starting in earnest. I broke down and bumped the temp on the #3 a little bit, and I covered my iGrill with a baggie. Then the storms REALLY started raging, to the point the warning sirens were going off. So we took cover, and around 6, the rain stopped and there was even a brief clearing. Figuring the butts were "close enough" to 195, I went to bring them in, and they were literally falling apart on me. I brought them in, pulled 'em, and we ate. Turned out fantastic. My wife was gushing in praise of them. As far as the experiment went, we both decided that the rub was the way to go, although the "control" non-rub pork was tasty, too.

I almost forgot the "picture rule" here, remembering only after I had pulled the pork.  So that's what the attached picture shows.

One more thing: as though any of us had any doubts, these smokers are built like brick [INSERT BAD WORD HERE]houses. It kept rolling right through heavy rain and thunderstorms. I won't be as worried about getting caught in the rain in the future.

Sorry for the long post. It's just exciting to be able to post about using my #3, instead of just reading you folks and living vicariously through it.

TL;DR: Smoked a couple Boston butts; they turned out great! 

 

[NDKoze]

Wow, that is a great recap Geoff!

I am super glad to hear that it turned out well.

One thing I am curious about though, is the rub vs no rub issue.

I haven't really heard anyone saying that they don't rub. I have heard brine/no brine or which binder to use (mustard, oil, honey, etc). But personally haven't really seen the rub/no rub discussions. Maybe on another site?

For me, I am definitely a fan of the brined, mustard binder, and using whatever rub I feel like at the time.

Nice job. Having the wife on board makes it all the better! Now, the sky is your limit to what kind of things you can smoke

 

[DivotMaker]

Congrats on a big smoke, Geoff!  That was a good "experiment," doing one without rub.  I could never sacrifice a butt like that, but good to hear it turned out good.  To me, the chewy bark from the rub is the best part!  Curious - did you use a binder under the rub (like yellow mustard or oil)?  It makes the rub stick like glue, and it stays in place.

One thing I recommend you try, next time, is to double-wrap the butt(s) in foil when you take them from the smoker, then place them in a cooler with a towel on top for at least 30 minutes.  This "rest" allow the fluids in the meat to "reverse course" and flow back into the meat.  When you pull it, not so much of the juice comes out (stays in the meat instead).  I always rest large cuts of anything, and even steaks off the grill (just not as long). 

You also hear a lot of opinions on the "perfect" temp to smoke pork butts to, but as you've found out, it's really not that critical.  Once you get through the stall, most of the tenderizing is done, so getting in the low to mid 190's is usually fine.

One more question - were these boneless or bone-in butts?  I've always heard Costco only sells boneless.  If boneless, you owe it to yourself to find/try a bone-in Boston butt; there's nothing better for pulled pork!  The bone helps stabilize the cook.

 

[gmbrown]

One thing I am curious about though, is the rub vs no rub issue.

I haven't really heard anyone saying that they don't rub. I have heard brine/no brine or which binder to use (mustard, oil, honey, etc). But personally haven't really seen the rub/no rub discussions. Maybe on another site?

For me, I am definitely a fan of the brined, mustard binder, and using whatever rub I feel like at the time.

Nice job. Having the wife on board makes it all the better! Now, the sky is your limit to what kind of things you can smoke

Yeah, it wasn't here. For what it's worth, the no-rub butt was great. Just not as great as the one with rub.  But the one with rub I used the mustard binder on as well. The "control" was just put in as-is.

And yes, having the wife on board is good. But we've always shared a love of good BBQ. And a frustration with how hard it is to find. The problem with the North is that people up here think good barbecued ribs = mediocre ribs grilled to within an inch of their lives and coated with thick, syrupy, sticky jarred barbeque sauce (necessary because of the mediocre meat grilled to near-charcoal state). And, God help me, before I knew any better, I was one of those people.    I'm glad I know better now. Even more glad that I only need to go to my patio to get the good stuff now. 

 

[gmbrown]

Congrats on a big smoke, Geoff!  That was a good "experiment," doing one without rub.  I could never sacrifice a butt like that, but good to hear it turned out good.  To me, the chewy bark from the rub is the best part!  Curious - did you use a binder under the rub (like yellow mustard or oil)?  It makes the rub stick like glue, and it stays in place.

Yes, I used yellow mustard (also for the ribs I did last weekend). Works great!

One thing I recommend you try, next time, is to double-wrap the butt(s) in foil when you take them from the smoker, then place them in a cooler with a towel on top for at least 30 minutes.  This "rest" allow the fluids in the meat to "reverse course" and flow back into the meat.  When you pull it, not so much of the juice comes out (stays in the meat instead).  I always rest large cuts of anything, and even steaks off the grill (just not as long).

That was my plan here as well, but it had already been about 18 hours, and they were literally falling apart on me as I got them out. And I didn't really seem to lose a lot of the juice. But next time, I want to make it so that time isn't such an issue (and hopefully no pouring rain/thunderstorms) and I'll definitely do the wrap/rest at that point.

You also hear a lot of opinions on the "perfect" temp to smoke pork butts to, but as you've found out, it's really not that critical.  Once you get through the stall, most of the tenderizing is done, so getting in the low to mid 190's is usually fine.

Yes, that's what I discovered with this run. That would have probably cut an hour off my time (or more), so I'll be able to factor that in next time.

One more question - were these boneless or bone-in butts?  I've always heard Costco only sells boneless.  If boneless, you owe it to yourself to find/try a bone-in Boston butt; there's nothing better for pulled pork!  The bone helps stabilize the cook.

Boneless. But I've read about the bone-in, and I would like to try that sometime. Do you find it adds much (or any) time to the process?

 

[DivotMaker]

No time difference on the boneless vs bone, but more flavor and even cooking, imo.

 

[NDKoze]

Since you have a Costco, you might also have a Sam's Club. They sell great bone-in double-packs.

I agree on the ribs. I often times don't sauce at all if I have a good rub on.

 

[DivotMaker]

Since you have a Costco, you might also have a Sam's Club. They sell great bone-in double-packs.

I agree on the ribs. I often times don't sauce at all if I have a good rub on.

One of my all-time favorite "snacks" is to grab the bag of leftover ribs out of the fridge (always smoked dry), and have a few cold.  No sauce - just cold ribs.  Mmmm, mmmm!!

 

[NDKoze]

Since you have a Costco, you might also have a Sam's Club. They sell great bone-in double-packs.

I agree on the ribs. I often times don't sauce at all if I have a good rub on.

One of my all-time favorite "snacks" is to grab the bag of leftover ribs out of the fridge (always smoked dry), and have a few cold.  No sauce - just cold ribs.  Mmmm, mmmm!!

I agree Tony. I quite often do the same thing. I will quite often, not sauce at all and just use a little sauce for dipping. But the cold dry rib leftovers are awesome!

 

[Smokster]

Geoff, looks like your off to a great start with the pulled pork. Reading through the forum really helped you achieve a successful smoke which also helps you justify knowing you made the right decision going with the Smokin It brand.

Try ribs for your next smoke, they are pretty easy with amazing results. My wife was on board from the beginning, but once she tasted that great Q, it was a done deal. And I never get any complaints about being on this forum so much. If anything, she knows that I am most likely researching for my next smoke, which translates to 'happy times are coming' real soon.

 

[es1025]

Geoff congrats on the success of the boston butt smoke. Dont worry you will have plenty og time to post awesome q pictures.  Give ribs a try for the next smoke.  Btw, a big fan of meatheads memphis dust. I use vegetage oil as the binder with the dust. Produces real nice bark.

 

[swthorpe]

One thing I recommend you try, next time, is to double-wrap the butt(s) in foil when you take them from the smoker, then place them in a cooler with a towel on top for at least 30 minutes.  This "rest" allow the fluids in the meat to "reverse course" and flow back into the meat.  When you pull it, not so much of the juice comes out (stays in the meat instead). 

I agree with Tony on this...a few weeks ago I did a BB and pulled it without a resting period.  The pulled pork had a lot of juice in the pan when I was done.  This past weekend I did another BB and let it rest double-foiled in a cooler for 2 hours, and then pulled it.  I saw very little juice running out of the meat...the resting period is definitely the way to go but obviously requires starting earlier for the smoke.

 

[gmbrown]

Geoff, looms like your off to a great start with the pulled pork. Reading through the forum really helped you achieve a successful smoke which also helps you justify knowing you made the right decision going with the Smokin It brand.

Try ribs for your next smoke, they are pretty easy with amazing results. My wife was on board from the beginning, but once she tasted that great Q, it was a done deal. And I never get any complaints about being on this forum so much. If anything, she knows that I am most likely researching for my next smoke, which translates to 'happy times are coming' real soon.

Way ahead of you on the ribs--that was actually my first smoke (my wife, in particular, loves ribs, which made it an easy choice), and they turned out great.