Butt Smokin' - A Photo Odyssey...

Hey! Are you the guy that played Red Green on the Red Green Show? That Cookshack stand is something he would have done. Being Canadian I presume you are familiar with the show, it was great.

Someone once uttered "It's done when it's Done", he also came up with an excellent pulled pork basting sauce. I take boston butts to an internal temp of 197-200 degrees and have never had one get there in less than 2 hours per pound.

Thanks LJ, for me, Two things will make your butt better.

1. Add some rub AFTER you pull. I started this a few years back, and people who thought it was good before, think it's better.

2. Add a little basting sauce that you mentioned.

Hey, except for the bark and that outer portion, a little flavor for the inside helps.

Looks good Canadian.

Had to go in and edit the image code so they would show, use the image button, it looked like you just put the links in, but it's lookin' good now.

Smokin'

Just a few comments:

I might try it without that extension cord - I'll bet your cook time drops. Also I'd go a lot heavier on the rub - there's a lot of meat you're trying to flavor! It also looks like a whole lot of wood you're using there - I need maybe about 4-6 oz for butts.

Definitely get to know Smokin's basting sauce - it is really the harmony that pulled pork needs! I don't think it even needs any bbq sauce at all, it really is the perfect match.

Happy experimenting!

I love the automobile. Is that a Mercury Grand Marquis?

I second the extension cord question. I stuggled in the past with one that was not heavy enough.

Went to Home Depot, couldn;t find a heavy duty one in reasonable length or gauge. Look very caerfully at what they call "heavy duty." Can be lots of insulation surrounding pretty skinny wire.

So I bought a chunk of 10/3 cable 20 ft long. (12/3 would probably been okay, but I only wanted to build it once.) Added the male and female ends and bingo, approx $35.00 bucks later, I have a cord heavier than most if not all of my house wiring. And one more thing, no more heat problems due to voltage drop.

That is an EXCELLENT smoker stand!!! Dave mentioned Grand Marquis? I was thinking Ford LTD? If those two gray spots on the front clip are bullet holes... First...I'm guessing you ducked. Second, my vote for smoker stand of the year!

Seriously, I wouldn't get too caught up with the rub, especially before you cook. The semi-fancy mustard may add a little, but it wont add anything that your tweaked rub and plain old yellow mustard can't. The mustard is usually just used sort of like glue to hold the rub on. For that matter, with pork butts, the rub doesn't make that much of a difference in my opinion. I never rub pork butts, FWIW.

With that said, Smokin's idea of sprinkling rub into the pulled pork definately has some merit. I don't do it, because the rub I use is too salty for that, but I think it's a great idea. The only reason I've not tried it myself with a less salty rub is because I'm lazy!

Pork butts are pretty versatile, in that your good 'ole BBQ leftovers can be Mexican carnita tacos the next day. Just allow a little more cooking time the next try. Figure 12-14 hours on just about any cooker (at 225), and you should be done in time to serve. If it's done early, pulled pork holds like no other meat and reheats nearly as well.

Thanks for the photos! Your careful documentation will help many others!

well thanks for the sunday morning laugh i just started busting up when i seen the stand. jeff

I noticed you putt the butt on the bottom rack. Believe most of us put it on the middle rack and achieve better results.

I get better results on the bottom rack with less problems with the heat plateau. Well, I mean racks as far up as they will hang and grill on the bottom.

The "stand" is in fact a 89 Grand Marquis parts car/storage shed/greenhouse.

And yes LJ, like most Canadians, I am a Red Green deep at heart :-)

My extension cord is pretty heavy and marked for outdoor appliances - I plan to get a second remote thermometer and start monitoring cabinet temperatures too. If that proves to be the problem I will certainly take your advice, Hook, and make my own.

Thanks for all your suggestions regarding rub - I'll certainly try new things with future butts...

Excellent stand. How much you gonna sell them for?

Is it possible that the temp plateau can be attributed to the stand? after all, looks like a winter beater to me.

OK...So I took everyone's advice (sortof) and did a 7# shoulder today.

The family just loves the mustard/rub results and I didn't want to chance anything different.

I let it marinade overnight then put it in at 225 when I left at 6:15 this morning.
I used about 3.5 oz of maple and 1 oz of apple.

Came home at 9:30 pm at it was at 196.

I took it out and it was perfect !!
It pulled fantastic and it was tender and moist.
There was a tasty bark like the above photo.

Served it with SmokinOkie's sauce and it was a big hit.

So, it would appear that patience and an abundance of time are the keys - (we all known SmokinOkie's saying.....)

Next time I will try injecting some rub mixed with Italian dressing up along the bone....

The only thing missing in the "Smokette Stand" photo seems to be duct tape.

It's Done when It's Done

That's the one !

I smoked a 5 lb boston butt from Walmart last week that looked just like your "raw" picture. It came out great, and agin looked like yor "finished" picture. Tasted great, but, not a great deal of real bark.
Picked up 2 today in Sams and I noticed a significent fat cap on 1 side of each Boston Buttand the quality looked much better. Am I better off buying at Sams vs Walmart?

My congrats to you Canadiansmoke, I must say I feel a bit of pride in the fact that another fellow Canadian has joined the "cause". Although I no longer hail from the great white north, I still remember with not a small amount of nostalgia, grilling shark steaks in the shed at
-20c in Edmonton�s west end.

BBQ RULES MAJOR!

quote:

Am I better off buying at Sams vs Walmart?

The quick answer is usually yes. The Walmart port is often "enhanced" with up to 10% water. Most don't like the effect or the increased price. Most folks have great luck with the Sam's butts, with many commercial BBQ places using them for supply.

-20C in Edmonton, Mike ??

Must've been May

Actually anything colder than that and I just went out for dinner. Here in Venezuela, my problem is rendering my own fat! Maybe I should open a spa?