beerco
Senior Cook
Uncle Bob said:
Why do you prefer bone out? Just curious as the place near me with big butts sells them bone out and I've wondered if it makes any difference - I couldn't tast any.
Total Panic!
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Why do you prefer bone out? Just curious as the place near me with big butts sells them bone out and I've wondered if it makes any difference - I couldn't tast any.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Beerco...
I do not necessarily prefer bonless. This was merely suggested as a means to render a rather large butt to more manageable size for cooking. Retailers sell bonless pork butts as just another option for the consumer. They can be oven roasted as pork roast to the 170*+ range and sliced! In affect they just become a bonless "blade roast" or several other names depending on the retailer.
I do not necessarily prefer bonless. This was merely suggested as a means to render a rather large butt to more manageable size for cooking. Retailers sell bonless pork butts as just another option for the consumer. They can be oven roasted as pork roast to the 170*+ range and sliced! In affect they just become a bonless "blade roast" or several other names depending on the retailer.
It was two butts (thank god)
They are on BBQin' as I type this.
I have a pan of apple juice near the SFB side, and the butts are on the opposite side (I also have my cast iron pans in there seasoning... why not be coal frugal right?)
I am having a bugger of a time getting the temp up past 210 in the cooking chamber. I am leaving the chimney and vent wide open and it just wont do it... crazy I tell you. Probably all that cast iron in there is acting like a big heat sink :/
I have taken a picture, but I can't find my card reader right now =P I will post more later.
Sam
They are on BBQin' as I type this.
I have a pan of apple juice near the SFB side, and the butts are on the opposite side (I also have my cast iron pans in there seasoning... why not be coal frugal right?)
I am having a bugger of a time getting the temp up past 210 in the cooking chamber. I am leaving the chimney and vent wide open and it just wont do it... crazy I tell you. Probably all that cast iron in there is acting like a big heat sink :/
I have taken a picture, but I can't find my card reader right now =P I will post more later.
Sam
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Swinchen...
You may want to consider removing everything from your cooker except the two butts. Including the pan of apple juice. You are using up alot of btu's just to heat the juice. Those but's would be better used to cook the meat. If ya wanna use the juice, baste with it every couple of hours or so.
Have fun!
You may want to consider removing everything from your cooker except the two butts. Including the pan of apple juice. You are using up alot of btu's just to heat the juice. Those but's would be better used to cook the meat. If ya wanna use the juice, baste with it every couple of hours or so.
Have fun!
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Swinchin..
215* Where? Grill surface? Test you thermometer in a pot of boiling water. Obviously it should read close to 212* Give or take a few degrees.
215* Where? Grill surface? Test you thermometer in a pot of boiling water. Obviously it should read close to 212* Give or take a few degrees.
211.8 I would say that is pretty decent 
Well they have been in about 6 hours and the internal temp is about 150 degrees on one of them. Getting up to 200 will take a while I imagine. It is time to bust out the beer I think I have switched over to lump and I can coax that to raise the temp to around 230. So that is pretty good, still I thought I would have a problem keeping the grill cool enough!
Sam.
Well they have been in about 6 hours and the internal temp is about 150 degrees on one of them. Getting up to 200 will take a while I imagine. It is time to bust out the beer I think
I have switched over to lump and I can coax that to raise the temp to around 230. So that is pretty good, still I thought I would have a problem keeping the grill cool enough!Sam.
Ok, I think I need some tips on how to finish a pork butt in the oven. I am very quickly running out of fuel. I may know what the problem is... the chargriller SFB comes with a metal grate that is up turned on both ends (like a basket with only two sides) and right now I have the sides pointing up, so there is not much room between the ash catch pan and the charcoal grate. I think that this is cutting off airflow to the coals. Maybe next time I will try turning it over to life the coals up a little higher. *sigh* this is not a great first experience.
Ok, to finish in the oven... place in a pan, cover with foil and bake at 250ish until done? (around 200 degrees for pulled pork)
thanks,
Sam
Ok, to finish in the oven... place in a pan, cover with foil and bake at 250ish until done? (around 200 degrees for pulled pork)
thanks,
Sam
Here is my kitchen, you can see the soaking wood chips, my spray mop bottle, and a couple types of charcoal.
MEAT ON! Garlic oil for rubbin on, soaking hickory chips, and some coals.
3 hours into it.... not cooking as quickly as it should. Average temp ~ 200 degrees.
MEAT ON! Garlic oil for rubbin on, soaking hickory chips, and some coals.
3 hours into it.... not cooking as quickly as it should. Average temp ~ 200 degrees.
9 hours into it... notice how they are not black like they should be
Here I am trying to show the coal basket. See how the ash is suffocating the coals? If you look closely at the grate (top left) you can see how it is up turned like a basket. I am wondering if I have the grate in upside down... It makes sense this way though, it sort of holds the coals in, but it only leaves about 0.5 - 1.0 inche under the grate for air. Not sure, and the manual is no help.
Here I am trying to show the coal basket. See how the ash is suffocating the coals? If you look closely at the grate (top left) you can see how it is up turned like a basket. I am wondering if I have the grate in upside down... It makes sense this way though, it sort of holds the coals in, but it only leaves about 0.5 - 1.0 inche under the grate for air. Not sure, and the manual is no help.
my rule of thumb for butt is a hour and a half per pound ...
after about 4 or 5 hours i wrap in foil for 3 hours or so ...
also .. i have done 10 -12 hour cooks on 20 lbs of
charcoal .. i have a terrible problem with kingsford ...
it lights slow .. burns quick ...
also .. i think you are missing the darkend bark on your
butts because you didnt rub with seasoning ..
i never put oil on them ...
but it does look good ..
oh yeah .. kingsford produces insane amounts of ash
after about 4 or 5 hours i wrap in foil for 3 hours or so ...
also .. i have done 10 -12 hour cooks on 20 lbs of
charcoal .. i have a terrible problem with kingsford ...
it lights slow .. burns quick ...
also .. i think you are missing the darkend bark on your
butts because you didnt rub with seasoning ..
i never put oil on them ...
but it does look good ..
oh yeah .. kingsford produces insane amounts of ash
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Swenchin........
BBQed meat is NOT supposed to be black! The golden/amber in the picture is getting there. A little darker, but NOT black!
I saw a cooker like yours at a Kroger store a few days ago. Next time I am by there I will look at the fire box design etc. to see if I can see anything that I might share with you. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but you might be on to something about the fire grate. I don't know. An 18/20 lb. bag of charcoal should be enough to get you through 10 hours or so of cooking.
In a slow cook of a pork butt the meat will go through a "plateau" when it seems the temperature will not rise no matter what you do. This is normal. The fat is rendering, the conective tissue is releasing etc, etc. It is using all of the available heat to do this. Next time be patient, and all of a sudden the temperature will start to rise again to your desired degree of doneness.
Good Job on your first attempt! It takes practice and getting aquainted with your cooker. Also, next time consider a good rub on the meat. Now finish it off, get out the buns for pull pork sandwiches and...
Enjoy!
BBQed meat is NOT supposed to be black! The golden/amber in the picture is getting there. A little darker, but NOT black!
I saw a cooker like yours at a Kroger store a few days ago. Next time I am by there I will look at the fire box design etc. to see if I can see anything that I might share with you. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but you might be on to something about the fire grate. I don't know. An 18/20 lb. bag of charcoal should be enough to get you through 10 hours or so of cooking.
In a slow cook of a pork butt the meat will go through a "plateau" when it seems the temperature will not rise no matter what you do. This is normal. The fat is rendering, the conective tissue is releasing etc, etc. It is using all of the available heat to do this. Next time be patient, and all of a sudden the temperature will start to rise again to your desired degree of doneness.
Good Job on your first attempt! It takes practice and getting aquainted with your cooker. Also, next time consider a good rub on the meat. Now finish it off, get out the buns for pull pork sandwiches and...
Enjoy!
Alright, well I took out and put it in the oven @250. Wrapped in foil. I will check the temp in a few hours. Oh, taking it off the grill I poked a hole in the top fat and exposed some meat below it... so I HAD to try it. OMG. It almost tastes like bacon. The flavor is AMAZING, and the meat that I had was very very soft and tender. I hope the rest of it comes out that well.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Swinchen....
Check it in an hour. You might be pleastantly surprised! Over cook it, and it will get mushy!
Check it in an hour. You might be pleastantly surprised! Over cook it, and it will get mushy!
Thanks Uncle Bob, and love2"Q".
I will take some pictures of the SFB tomorrow once I clean out the coals. I am sure I can take pictures that will show what I am talking about.
Right now I am just happy to be finished running outside ever 10-20 minutes to agitate the coals so it stays above 200 degrees.
Thanks again.
For now,
Sam
I will take some pictures of the SFB tomorrow once I clean out the coals. I am sure I can take pictures that will show what I am talking about.
Right now I am just happy to be finished running outside ever 10-20 minutes to agitate the coals so it stays above 200 degrees.
Thanks again.
For now,
Sam
Uncle Bob said:
Uh oh. I would almost describe the piece of meat I tried under the fat cap as mushy.... but I took the temperature of the large muscle on the bottom and it was only 160. 160 isn't finished for pulling though is it? Is it possible for one muscle to be done and not the other? Also the bone did not feel "lose" in the meat.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
If your thermometer is relatively accurate then you are looking at a minimum of 185 for it to be pullable. I take meat off the heat at 190-195 and let it rest (cool down) for a while, then pull it.
