AllenOK
Executive Chef
Jeekinz, if you go with the second "feeder" fire to produce wood coals, you can keep the second fire in an older grill, if you have one.
ISO Smoked Pork Shoulder rec for Saturday
- Thread starter Jeekinz
- Start date
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Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Jeekinz….
To your original question, cooking a pork butt, the use of briquettes as I described above refers to indirect heat. Direct heat is grilling, steaks chops, burgers, etc. Indirect heat refers to BBQing the “low and slow” method used for pork shoulders, butts, briskets, and various fowl etc. The off-set cookers are designed for one to build the fire in the fire box. With the remainder of the cooker used a “cooking chamber” If your question also poses can you build your fire inside, and on the right of the cooking chamber and place your meat/fowl on the left side the simple answer is yes. This would qualify as “indirect” cooking. Not what your cooker was primarily engineered for, but would work.
Should you choose to use pure hardwood coals as your heat source, your second fire (to produce coals) can simply be built on the ground inside some type of fire ring, bricks, or concrete blocks etc. (Caution! Do not use stones that possibly could have moisture trapped inside they may explode!!) You would also need to check local fire codes to see if this type of (outside) fire is permissible in your jurisdiction. Not to mention what your sweet wife would think of a burned spot in the back yard. There are also patio fire place “things” that could be used. In the end this method is a lot of hard work. So, again the simplest, easiest method is charcoal + flavoring wood.
Your last question, “Am I familiar with the Minion Method of “grilling”? I am not sure I understand your question. If you are asking me how Jim grills steaks, chops etc. I could only comment by saying he is an excellent, professional, and knowledgeable pit master, and I would not hesitate to eat/enjoy any foods that he grilled/BBQed etc. If your question refers to the Minion Method of fire building/control etc, it is a widely accepted method that enjoys a large following. I have used it with excellent results many times.
Have fun!
To your original question, cooking a pork butt, the use of briquettes as I described above refers to indirect heat. Direct heat is grilling, steaks chops, burgers, etc. Indirect heat refers to BBQing the “low and slow” method used for pork shoulders, butts, briskets, and various fowl etc. The off-set cookers are designed for one to build the fire in the fire box. With the remainder of the cooker used a “cooking chamber” If your question also poses can you build your fire inside, and on the right of the cooking chamber and place your meat/fowl on the left side the simple answer is yes. This would qualify as “indirect” cooking. Not what your cooker was primarily engineered for, but would work.
Should you choose to use pure hardwood coals as your heat source, your second fire (to produce coals) can simply be built on the ground inside some type of fire ring, bricks, or concrete blocks etc. (Caution! Do not use stones that possibly could have moisture trapped inside they may explode!!) You would also need to check local fire codes to see if this type of (outside) fire is permissible in your jurisdiction. Not to mention what your sweet wife would think of a burned spot in the back yard. There are also patio fire place “things” that could be used. In the end this method is a lot of hard work. So, again the simplest, easiest method is charcoal + flavoring wood.
Your last question, “Am I familiar with the Minion Method of “grilling”? I am not sure I understand your question. If you are asking me how Jim grills steaks, chops etc. I could only comment by saying he is an excellent, professional, and knowledgeable pit master, and I would not hesitate to eat/enjoy any foods that he grilled/BBQed etc. If your question refers to the Minion Method of fire building/control etc, it is a widely accepted method that enjoys a large following. I have used it with excellent results many times.
Have fun!
Jeekinz
Washing Up
Thank you for all the great tips. Let's see what happens.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
FletcherNC said:
Too much smoke? Really? How come most everyone cooks the total amount of time in a smoker/grill with offset box and things turn out just fine? Prizes are won, competitions are won, accolades all around, and not one oven was used!
Just use briquettes to cook with, or lump hardwood, use no more wood smoking chunks. I've cooked a pork shoulder for 18 hours, I've cooked a 24-lb. turkey for 22 hours, both in a smoker, without any problem of them being over-smoked.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
In support of what Miss Elf says. It is not the BBQ appliance, nor the long duration of the cooking time that causes over smoked meats, but rather the use of to much flavoring wood causing excessive smoke.
An anology might be, It is not the bow and arrow, but rather the Indain shooting it that makes the difference.
(Miss Elf if this ain't what ya meant, please don't send me to the wood shed!)
An anology might be, It is not the bow and arrow, but rather the Indain shooting it that makes the difference.
(Miss Elf if this ain't what ya meant, please don't send me to the wood shed!)
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
Uncle Bob said:In support of what Miss Elf says. It is not the BBQ appliance, nor the long duration of the cooking time that causes over smoked meats, but rather the use of to much flavoring wood causing excessive smoke.
An anology might be, It is not the bow and arrow, but rather the Indain shooting it that makes the difference.
(Miss Elf if this ain't what ya meant, please don't send me to the wood shed!)
LOL - no woodshed for you UB - that is exactly what I meant.
Jeekinz
Washing Up
I leaned that the first time I smoked a rack of ribs. Waaaay too much Mesquite.
Jeekinz
Washing Up
BTW, not to confuze matters
. It's a 7.27 lb. picnic.
. It's a 7.27 lb. picnic.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
I did the same with a huge hunk of pork butt - It just took a bit of cider-based sauce and thoroughly mixing the outside into the inside while I chopped - whew - it was bitter!
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
VArious woods can be used with pork. Mesquite isn't quite as bitter as hickory can be. But hickory only becomes bitter if too much smoke is generated and absorbed into the meat. Fruit-woods such as apple an cherry produce a less bitter smoke and aren't quite as pungeant as is hickory. I personally prefer fruitwoods for pork and hickory for fish. For poultry, I like maple, white birch, white oak, alder, and mesquite. Each of these woods gives a great flavor without adding any bitterness.
The advantage of hickory is that it is widely available, and has a sharp, tangy flavor that is excellent when used properly. But for the novice, the fruitwoods are easier to play with. Even Cedar can be used, though it is much better with fish than with pork.
I sucessfully smoke turkeys, large pork roasts, etc., on a Webber Kettle Barbecue. The secret to that device is to control the amount of air getting to thte fire. I also use large disks of the flavoing wood, pre-soaked, and placed directly on a divided bed of coals to help insulate the meat from the direct heat of the charcoal. It burns slow and long. Temperature regulation is achieved strictly by use of the air vents, either starving the fire, or allowing a full rush of air to the fuel.
rubs and mops containing a lot of sugar will burn before the meat is done. So if you are using a rub or mopping sauce, keep the sugar to a minimum. If you are using a sauce loaded with sugar, brown, white, honey, etc., use it as a finishing sauce for the last ten minutes or so of cooking time.
As was said previously, use a meat thermometer and forget about time. When the temperature is right, the meat is done. Cook it too long and you take the chance of overcooking and turning the meat into something dry, and very tough.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Use what you have. Just add a bit of sense to the equipment and you will do great.
The advantage of hickory is that it is widely available, and has a sharp, tangy flavor that is excellent when used properly. But for the novice, the fruitwoods are easier to play with. Even Cedar can be used, though it is much better with fish than with pork.
I sucessfully smoke turkeys, large pork roasts, etc., on a Webber Kettle Barbecue. The secret to that device is to control the amount of air getting to thte fire. I also use large disks of the flavoing wood, pre-soaked, and placed directly on a divided bed of coals to help insulate the meat from the direct heat of the charcoal. It burns slow and long. Temperature regulation is achieved strictly by use of the air vents, either starving the fire, or allowing a full rush of air to the fuel.
rubs and mops containing a lot of sugar will burn before the meat is done. So if you are using a rub or mopping sauce, keep the sugar to a minimum. If you are using a sauce loaded with sugar, brown, white, honey, etc., use it as a finishing sauce for the last ten minutes or so of cooking time.
As was said previously, use a meat thermometer and forget about time. When the temperature is right, the meat is done. Cook it too long and you take the chance of overcooking and turning the meat into something dry, and very tough.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Use what you have. Just add a bit of sense to the equipment and you will do great.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Jeekinz said:BTW, not to confuze matters
Are you saying you have a cured picnic "ham" rather than a fresh pork butt??
Jeekinz
Washing Up
not cured.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
Jeekinz said:BTW, not to confuze matters
LMAO - If it were me, I would plan on 12 hours. There's no harm if it doesn't take that long. A friend of mine SWORE that her method of cooking a turkey would work in 4 hours - I had some grumbling guests after another 4 hours of cooking (oh, and a bit tipsy too)
And I know you know this already - shoot for 200 final temp. Let rest 20 - 30 minutes.And those pieces that turn black on the outside? MMMMMMMMMMM - those are prime picking pieces when it's done!
UB - picnic is just another name for it.
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AllenOK
Executive Chef
Uncle Bob, could you enlighten me on the "Minion Method"? I've never heard of it before.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Picnic another name for what? A pork butt?? Au Contraire!
While it is true that Pork shoulders, pork butts, and picnics are part and parcel of the front leg and shoulder of a hog they are not actully the same item. A pork shoulder (the whole thing) is made up of the picnic and the butt. When the top of the shoulder is seperated it becomes a pork butt. What is left is called a picnic or picnic ham as most of them are cured in the same manner as a true ham. Fresh picnics can be BBQed in the same manner as a pork butt. Due to their make up, bone structure etc there is more waste on a fresh picnic however.
Jeekinz.. If what you have is a fresh (uncured) picnic then I would recommend you remove any, and all skin before cooking. Rubs, basting sauces, finishing sauces, smoke, etc will not penetrate the skin.
Have fun!
While it is true that Pork shoulders, pork butts, and picnics are part and parcel of the front leg and shoulder of a hog they are not actully the same item. A pork shoulder (the whole thing) is made up of the picnic and the butt. When the top of the shoulder is seperated it becomes a pork butt. What is left is called a picnic or picnic ham as most of them are cured in the same manner as a true ham. Fresh picnics can be BBQed in the same manner as a pork butt. Due to their make up, bone structure etc there is more waste on a fresh picnic however.
Jeekinz.. If what you have is a fresh (uncured) picnic then I would recommend you remove any, and all skin before cooking. Rubs, basting sauces, finishing sauces, smoke, etc will not penetrate the skin.
Have fun!
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
AllenOK said:
It is a process "invented" by the World Renowned Pit Master, and Keeper of the Coals, Jim Minion. In this process, a small amount of lit charcoal is placed in the center of a bed of charcoal allowing the outer charcoal to gradually ignite as the cook progresses. Thus giving you a longer cook time! It is especially valuable in a cooker where adding charcoal during the cook is impractical or impossible.
Have fun!
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
UB - I do believe all that explanation (pork butt vs. picnic) rings a bell.
mudbug
Chef Extraordinaire
HH has smoked lots of shoulders. I keep the beer cold and make potato salad and change the CDs.
In other words, I'm no expert on the actual pig-fire-time ratio.
But I don't believe HH has ever smoked anything for as long as 11 hours. For Memorial Day he put a shoulder on the cooker around 1 p.m. and we were eating it by 6. He usually keeps his temp at 250 though.
In other words, I'm no expert on the actual pig-fire-time ratio.
But I don't believe HH has ever smoked anything for as long as 11 hours. For Memorial Day he put a shoulder on the cooker around 1 p.m. and we were eating it by 6. He usually keeps his temp at 250 though.
AllenOK
Executive Chef
Thanks Uncle Bob!
Jeekinz
Washing Up
Uncle B,
I picked up 2 20# bags of Kingsford Original. To keep a steady temp of 225-250 about how many coals should I use? Will 2 bags last for 12 hrs? I'm familliar with lump but not briquettes.
Edit - Sorry, I just read your post again....215-225 deg.
I picked up 2 20# bags of Kingsford Original. To keep a steady temp of 225-250 about how many coals should I use? Will 2 bags last for 12 hrs? I'm familliar with lump but not briquettes.
Edit - Sorry, I just read your post again....215-225 deg.
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