DivotMaker
New member
Nice job, Keith! ;D
Today is the day!
- Thread starter Longhornamus
- Start date
Longhornamus
New member
I tried a 5lb'er on Saturday night but something went wrong. I set the temp to 225, put the Butt on second rack from top, inserted the meat probe (which was not too easy on the 5lb'er) and let her fly. The temp swings would go from 241° down to 218° which I figured was normal. It took 14.5hrs for that piece of meat to hit 195. When I took it off I double foiled it and placed in a cooler with towels. The bark was, well, actually like trying to eat bark...but the rest of it was not too bad. It was not to the dried out stage but it was going there in a hurry. There was not much juices in the meat, nor in the drip pan. I think next time I will try with a larger Butt.
Now for the good news. We made up a batch of the Neely's Sweet & Spicy Coleslaw and it was fantastic!
Now for the good news. We made up a batch of the Neely's Sweet & Spicy Coleslaw and it was fantastic!
BedouinBob
New member
Keith, two things come to mind. Did you brine and did you have a juice pan? Both help with moistness.
NDKoze
Moderator
Great points Bob! These can definitely affect the moisture and taste results. The time that it took to get to 195 falls pretty closely in line with what others are reporting with the smaller cuts.
It seems that it is becoming a common theme when people smoke smaller cuts of meat. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough mass in the smoker and it affects the results.
You are much better off smoking a 7-10 pound butt, and then freezing leftovers. I think the smallest one I have smoked was around the lower 7ish range and it still turned out good, but I don't think I would try one smaller than that. Based on what we have been seeing here, it seems that when you get down to the 5 pound butts and the 3-5 lb brisket flats that you fight a little bit of an uphill battle to make them come out as well. For a smaller butt, I think I would just take it to 175 degrees and slice it instead of pulling.
Like I said, I haven't bought a smaller one, but my guess is that there isn't as much fat in a smaller one which could also lead to the issue. This would also lend better to slicing.
It seems that it is becoming a common theme when people smoke smaller cuts of meat. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough mass in the smoker and it affects the results.
You are much better off smoking a 7-10 pound butt, and then freezing leftovers. I think the smallest one I have smoked was around the lower 7ish range and it still turned out good, but I don't think I would try one smaller than that. Based on what we have been seeing here, it seems that when you get down to the 5 pound butts and the 3-5 lb brisket flats that you fight a little bit of an uphill battle to make them come out as well. For a smaller butt, I think I would just take it to 175 degrees and slice it instead of pulling.
Like I said, I haven't bought a smaller one, but my guess is that there isn't as much fat in a smaller one which could also lead to the issue. This would also lend better to slicing.
Longhornamus
New member
Bob I did remember the pan this time! I did not however brine it. I just got in the "Briner" buckets (small and large) and will brine the next one. Can't wait!BedouinBob said:
Longhornamus
New member
Gregg, I agree completely. The next one will be in the 7-10lb range as recommended. Your assessment is correct, there was not very much juice leakage in the drip pan. On my old pit I was used to seeing a steady stream of goodness dripping down into the bucket. I also found that there is no time savings for going smaller on the meat. Can't really say why but luckily most of the cook took place while I was snoring......NDKoze said:
BedouinBob
New member
Bacon over a trailer hitch would be good....who cares what it's there for. ;D
