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I put my very fist BBQ attempt (a 5lb Boston Butt) in the smoker late last night. It's up to 172º right now. I checked the drip pan, and it's completely empty. I realized that I forgot to poke a hole in the foil, so the fat could drip out.

Should I just ride it out, or should I open the Smokette and poke the hole now?
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I opened the door with the intention of doing it, but realized how much was involved, and how I'd lose every ounce of heat that was in there, so I decided to leave it.

This thing is taking forever, though. 13.5 hours now, for a 5 lb Butt, and it's up to 190. Does that seem about normal?
Every butt is diferent. I have had 5 pounders go 14 hours and some done in six. All depends on the fat content and how long it spends in the plateau.

Have you calibrated your therm? Always a good idea to do it if in doubt. Make sure it's near 32˚ in a glass of ice and near 212˚ in boiling water.

Good luck!
Yes Smokin' some of them are doomed.

I still manage to forget to poke that lil hole about every 2 or 3 cooks. And this is the honest truth.......I'm not even intoxicated when I start. I'm just that dumb!

Anyway, Heavy Duty, being 1 who makes that mistake often has forced me to come up with a quick solution. I have a hanger with the end bent over so I can fit it under the wood box w/o actually moving anything. I just poke a hole and move it around to enlarge it to the size of the smoker's drain.
Or perhaps you pull the pan out and come up from underneath and poke the hole. No need to open the door at all. Poke the hole and quickly put the pan back.

If you used an "L" shaped piece of wire, you could use the short side (maybe 1/2") to pull down the edges of the foil into the opening if need be.

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