New AQ came today

congrats on your new AQ. i can tell you happy. have a beer once you get the butt in. you deserve it. then give you wife a big kiss and say thank you honey. your the best.

You're already having a great time, and you haven't even tried your first smoke yet. Way to go. Enjoy!! It'll only get better from here.

Well it's 1:19 pm and the 8 lb butt has been in since 10:30 pm last night ( 180* smoker temp.), then up to 235* at 7:00 am. Can't wait, haven't opened the door or anything. Been in the 170*-180* range for the last 2 1/2 hrs. Must be the plateau. No worries just chillin, drinking a Fat Tire, waitng for " It's done when it's done " ehh Smokin? Up to 180* on the way to 195*. Used Butcher BBQ Honey rub and 3 ozs. of apple and 2 ozs. of pecan as per A LOT or you guys. You guy's are rock stars, keep up the BBQ tradition. Peace out, "Q"

Quecrew

Time to work up your slaw, beans and dirty rice recipes !! You'll love it !! I use my 150 to smoke pans of baked beans in, using either leftover pulled pork or burnt ends to jazz up the beans. Really very good. I let them smoke about 6 hours with whatever product I'm running.

Smoked the beans after the butts today I am guessing you put them on the top shelf?

I have a 150 - that's got 5 shelves. So I put the beans on the 2nd shelf in a 1/3 hotel pan (or maybe you'd call it a steam table insert) and the pork butt on the 3rd shelf, beans off to one side a little. Love those 18 x 18 shelves.

I reserve a bit of smoked meat, even if I have to freeze it in a small storage container, for my next batch of beans. The beans come out really stiff (a little dry) but are so doggone good. Just about any brand of beans works, I fry up some chopped up bacon in a dutch oven, the add a chopped vidallia onion and fry it up and once the bacon has rendered up some of it's fat I add the pork (or burnt ends) and brown it up just a little. Then add about 1/2 cup of Coke to deglaze the pan and once I have all those browned bits on the bottom of the pan dissolved I add the beans, a glug or two of molasses, some brown sugar and a splash of Sweet Baby Rays sauce. I can slide that dutch oven right into the smoker but it's my Go To stove top pan and I'd rather keep it a little less smudged up - that's why I switch to the hotel style pan.

Ok Smokers,

My 8 lb butt finished at 4:30 pm. It was dry Maybe the probe is off. I didn't have time to check it with my new Mav 723, because I hadn't checked it's acurracy. Plus I was stoked to smoke some meat, so I may be guilty of being overly excited. Anyway have another 7.5 lb. butt with the first layer of rub on it. I think the temp. may be off by 10* This is a crapshoot, but I think pulling out at 185* internal meat temp. may work. This is just going to smoke on the swag method until I can verify all probe meas. I will also lower my smoking temp. to 225*, down from 235* Using 5.2 ozs. of pecan. Any help would be awwwsome, I'm not freaking out just having fun. Peace out q'rs. "Q" P.S. Check out the details of my first smoke, with pics to come on my above posts.

did the probe go thru it was poking thru butter??
if not, it's probably not done yet!

185F is probably a good shooting temperature if you're planning on slices instead of pulling

Correct me if my math is wrong, but according to your posts you cooked an 8lb. butt for 18 hrs.?
I have never had to cook any butts in my AQ for more than 12hrs. no matter how many butts I had in there. Did you probe it for tenderness at any time during the cook. Also why 180 deg. ? why not set at 225 and leave it alone. I do not cook by probe on the AQ. It has never been to my liking, just not accurate. I do not cook by temp alone. You have to check for tenderness to determine if it is done.I have had butts finish at 180 up to 200. Each piece of meat is a little bit different. The art of Q is a bunch of guidelines mixed in with experience. What did you do with the butt when it came out of the smoker. I always put mine covered in a foil pan for an hour at least. This will keep it moist.
Gary

Gary,

I foiled for an hour and a half. The AQ probe must really be off. Ordered a Thermapen to check accuracy of AQ probe.I set at 180* for overnight smoking while I sleep and then turn it up to 225* when I get up.At what point in the smoke do you check for tenderness? Thanks, "Q"

Theres as many ways to smoke a butt as there is skin a cat. I set the 045 to 225 and let it do it's thing. I've never had a smoke run over 13 hours, even with 4 butts in one smoke.

S&H,
That's only because of the overnight smoke, so it isn't done way before it will be eaten. What size butts,when do you start, when do you eat? On the same day? "Q"

one thing that will really trip up the cooking is if the AQ temp probe which controls the temperature is touching the the pork butt. that results in the AQ running at a much higher temperature than indicated!

also, i've been FTCing the butts if i want to hold for several hours before eating.

Most of the time I'll start the butts the night before as you did,FTC them when ready then start a load of ribs. The butts hold fine until the ribs are ready. As for start times really depends on when im going to serve. Lunch, I'll give myself 13 hours to smoke (give or take) so they come off around 6. Ribs in at 6:30 / 7:00 am out at 10:30/ 11:00 am. Just an idea. I almost always smoke butts at night while I sleep.