Skip to main content

6 replies

Stovetop Smoking or Oven Cooking

FM Former Member
Good Morning,
I found pork butt 101 on the internet and I have been reading the related sites for some time now. I live in a small apartment in Chicago and I have no where to set up a smoker. I have a VillaWare stove top smoker. The problem is there is no open flame to generate smoke; you have to heat it on your highest flame for about 10 minutes and then scatter some sawdust and wood chips on the bottom, then place a drip pan in and then emplace the roasting rack with the meat in the drip pan and then cover the smoker.

I like to use pork shoulder and I brine it for flavor and to add moisture to combat the intense heat inside the smoker. I then rub s simple spice mix into the meat and let it rest. I usually keep the smoker at a very high heat for 20 minutes which does produce some smoke which is much better than nothing. I then lower the heat and later I put some water in the drip pan to moisten the atmosphere and cook until I think it is ready. I have just bought a meat thermometer and I will use it in the future. I realize the meat is done when it is done.

My results have been unsatisfactory. There is not enough cooking by smoke and most of the time the pork is too dry. I have used the basic mop sauce given in pork butt 101 which helps but I am still not happy.

I have two questions. First, what can I do to improve the results using my stove top smoker? Second, allowing for the fact I cannot use my oven for smoking pork, can someone instruct me or direct me to a source to instruct me on how to produce good oven roasted pork shoulder? Baking in a covered dish or roasting in an open pan? Marinades vs. spice rubs? How do you prevent the pork from drying out? Thank you for your assistance.

Zanzibar
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

FM Former Member
Well.....

Okay, you can't smoke under those conditions.

As you have no options, I'll try to help.

You might try generating more smoke by using smaller chips or even sawdust as the burning point of the wood has to be reached. But as soon as you put the lid on, the oxygen will starve it and you get a VERY bitter smoke that way.

Just not an option.

Don't brine a butt, as it just won't have time to penetrate very far. Take your brine recipe, but INJECT it about 6 to 12 hours before you smoke

Put it in an oven, set at 250. You want to Put a good rub on it and put it in a pan as it will drip a lot, and you might put it on a rack so it doesn't swim in juices.

Just let it go. It will take 1 to 1.5 hours per pound.

Get a great therometer, one you trust and verify it's temp.

Let the butt go until it reaches 170.

At that point, take it out, sprinkle more rub on the butt and put about a cup of apple juice in the bottom. Cover with foil.

Continue to cook until it reach 195.

Take out and let it rest for one hour.

If you want smoke flavor, use a BBQ sauce that has Liquid Smoke in it or just add a little LS to your favorite sauce ... but a little goes a LONG way.
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Well.....

Okay, you can't smoke under those conditions.

As you have no options, I'll try to help.

You might try generating more smoke by using smaller chips or even sawdust as the burning point of the wood has to be reached. But as soon as you put the lid on, the oxygen will starve it and you get a VERY bitter smoke that way.

Just not an option.

Don't brine a butt, as it just won't have time to penetrate very far. Take your brine recipe, but INJECT it about 6 to 12 hours before you smoke

Put it in an oven, set at 250. You want to Put a good rub on it and put it in a pan as it will drip a lot, and you might put it on a rack so it doesn't swim in juices.

Just let it go. It will take 1 to 1.5 hours per pound.

Get a great therometer, one you trust and verify it's temp.

Let the butt go until it reaches 170.

At that point, take it out, sprinkle more rub on the butt and put about a cup of apple juice in the bottom. Cover with foil.

Continue to cook until it reach 195.

Take out and let it rest for one hour.

If you want smoke flavor, use a BBQ sauce that has Liquid Smoke in it or just add a little LS to your favorite sauce ... but a little goes a LONG way.


Smokin Okie,

Thank you for you prompt and informative reply.

I have a Crate and Barrel digital thermometer which I will use per your instructions. I will look around for a brine injector. I will use my VillaWare smoker as the roasting pan, it is very well made, is quite large, and it has a roasting rack. I have used the entire set up to cook a six and one half pound pork shoulder in the past and removing the drip pan will increase the cooking volume.

I will look around for the injector and purchase a shoulder in the next few days. When I finish I will post my results and ask any questions I may have on the fine points. You will probably have to chastise me for gluttony. I really like my pork with coleslaw and a nice hoppy beer.

Zanzibar
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by zanzibar:
Smokin Okie,

Thank you for you prompt and informative reply.

I have a Crate and Barrel digital thermometer which I will use per your instructions. I will look around for a brine injector. I will use my VillaWare smoker as the roasting pan, it is very well made, is quite large, and it has a roasting rack. I have used the entire set up to cook a six and one half pound pork shoulder in the past and removing the drip pan will increase the cooking volume.

I will look around for the injector and purchase a shoulder in the next few days. When I finish I will post my results and ask any questions I may have on the fine points. You will probably have to chastise me for gluttony. I really like my pork with coleslaw and a nice hoppy beer.

Zanzibar


Just go to the store, buy one of those "canjun injector" kits and they have a simple syringe.

If you like hoppy beer, and since we're not doing Q anyway, put some beer in instead of apple juice when you wrap.
FM Former Member
Smokin Okie,
I followed your instructions and my pork shoulder was great. I used apple juice because I got started before I read your suggestion to use beer. I covered my roaster after three hours and there was a remainder of apple juice and meat drippings. I poured it into a mason jar and seperated the fat and used the defatted juices in a pot of beans. I used the last of the meat in a Vietnamese pork salad with rice noodles and a tangy lime, pepper, and fish sauce dressing. It felt like I had swallowed a basketball.

The meat pulled beautifully and I used your apple juice basting and serving sauce. The sauce was good but I preferred your vinegar mop sauce for pulled pork which I have used before. This time I will try your Virgin Mustard Sauce.

I did not mop the meat which stayed moist throughout. Should I add mopping this time?

Zanzibar
FM Former Member
glad it worked and happy to hear the results. While it's not traditional, it works for you and that's ALL that counts.

No, given the method you used, I wouldn't mop.

the flavor will come after you finish. Sprinkle more rub on after you pull, a splash of finishing sauce (or whatever) and toss.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×