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Smoking Food Thread

I'm going by and picking up 8 butts this afternoon for the NCSU tailgate this Saturday. I prefer whole shoulders, but the time needed to cook is so much less with butts.
 
A few pics from Saturdays smoke. The modification made pulling the trailer 1000000000x better. I may have to play around with the jacks on the trailer to make it more level, but it was a success. We did chopped bbq (ran out of time to pull it), ABT's and guy who tailgates with us brought me 6 racks of ribs to smoke for him.



 
I did make a pretty pivotal decision this weekend as well. I always inject my pork with apple juice to make it super moist inside. Doing so though, creates an incredible mess while chopping or pulling. I havent had any issues with it drying out, so I'll most likely only be injecting my whole hogs going forward.

I also used a Makers Mark 46 Cask Stave to add some flavor to the meat. Holy hell, the smokey smell was excellent and you could taste a hint of the bourbon in the flavor of the meat.
 
I did make a pretty pivotal decision this weekend as well. I always inject my pork with apple juice to make it super moist inside. Doing so though, creates an incredible mess while chopping or pulling. I havent had any issues with it drying out, so I'll most likely only be injecting my whole hogs going forward.

I also used a Makers Mark 46 Cask Stave to add some flavor to the meat. Holy hell, the smokey smell was excellent and you could taste a hint of the bourbon in the flavor of the meat.

Excellent decisions all the way around. The meat was very moist & I loved the smokey smell & flavor.
 
Alright. I'm pulling the trigger this week and doing some Pork Butts. I'm reading that I need to do a dry rub the night before and put it in the refrigerator, take it out and let it come to room temp. Then smoke 4-6 hours on Saturday.

I'll buy the smoker tonight and assemble it and plan on doing a burn off on Thursday to get rid of any lingering chemicals and what not.
 
Alright. I'm pulling the trigger this week and doing some Pork Butts. I'm reading that I need to do a dry rub the night before and put it in the refrigerator, take it out and let it come to room temp. Then smoke 4-6 hours on Saturday.

I'll buy the smoker tonight and assemble it and plan on doing a burn off on Thursday to get rid of any lingering chemicals and what not.

You can rub them down the night before, or right before you put them on. I've done it both ways, and to me there is very little difference in taste between the methods. I never let them get to room temperature either. The thought of letting pork warm up like that personally scares me, but thats just my opinion.

tsy - can I be your friend?

I'm a very friendly guy, and my friends will tell you....they eat well when they're around me.
 
I wouldn't think bringing the meat up to room temp when slow cooking really matters at all. I let steaks, pork chops, tenderloins, etc. come to room temp so that they aren't cooked on the outside and completely raw on the inside. But with smoking, you really don't have the same concerns because after 6 hours that ish is going to be cooked.
 
How long does a 6-8 pound pork butt take on a smoker? I've never actually done one and I'll be giving it a go in a couple of weeks when I go visit my parents. When I do it at home in an enameled cast iron dutch oven I usually go about 6-6.5 hours for a 6 pound butt at 300 degrees and it comes out perfect.

Also, I've tried fat side up and down, and I think fat side up works best in the pot because it allows the bottom of the butt to stick to the bottom and get a nice crunchy char to it, whereas when the fat side is down it doesn't stick. I thought it would help keep it more moist if the fat side was up but I didn't really notice a difference in that respect. What do you usually do on a smoker?
 
How long does a 6-8 pound pork butt take on a smoker? I've never actually done one and I'll be giving it a go in a couple of weeks when I go visit my parents. When I do it at home in an enameled cast iron dutch oven I usually go about 6-6.5 hours for a 6 pound butt at 300 degrees and it comes out perfect.

Also, I've tried fat side up and down, and I think fat side up works best in the pot because it allows the bottom of the butt to stick to the bottom and get a nice crunchy char to it, whereas when the fat side is down it doesn't stick. I thought it would help keep it more moist if the fat side was up but I didn't really notice a difference in that respect. What do you usually do on a smoker?

I usually smoke a butt for 6 hours or so. It really depends on the amount of fat that is marbled within the meat. I go with the fat side up. The main reason for me is when I go fat side down, the fat sticks to the grate and when I go to pull the butt/shoulder off the fat tends to separate from meat.

I got some bad news Monday. My oak/hickory supplier has signed a contract with a company to provide firewood so my hookup is going dry. I'm hoping to get a big shipment next week, but after that runs out I'll be cutting trees down on our property.
 
I wouldn't think bringing the meat up to room temp when slow cooking really matters at all. I let steaks, pork chops, tenderloins, etc. come to room temp so that they aren't cooked on the outside and completely raw on the inside. But with smoking, you really don't have the same concerns because after 6 hours that ish is going to be cooked.

Big cuts of pork are different than beef, fish, etc. If you are cooking at the competition level, you will be disqualified if you let your pork reach an internal F higher than about 40F while in the prep/storage stage.

If you want to ensure a very deep, purple smoke ring on your bark, place that pork butt on the smoker as cold as possible. It will require more fuel and energy over the long haul, but well worth the task. You are basically buying yourself additional time that the meat can absorb smoke. The trick is using the right kind of smoke and not killing the bark.
 
How long does a 6-8 pound pork butt take on a smoker? I've never actually done one and I'll be giving it a go in a couple of weeks when I go visit my parents. When I do it at home in an enameled cast iron dutch oven I usually go about 6-6.5 hours for a 6 pound butt at 300 degrees and it comes out perfect.

Also, I've tried fat side up and down, and I think fat side up works best in the pot because it allows the bottom of the butt to stick to the bottom and get a nice crunchy char to it, whereas when the fat side is down it doesn't stick. I thought it would help keep it more moist if the fat side was up but I didn't really notice a difference in that respect. What do you usually do on a smoker?

Honestly depends on what temp you are cooking the pork. I like to cook at 225F, and the general rule of thumb for a bone-in 6/8# butt is about 1.5 hrs/lb. Butts can be done at higher temps, but there is a sacrifice in taste/moisture/appearance to the trained eye.

Fat side down in the smoker. You will get a darker bark, almost black like. Once the meat hits 195F, then flip it over while it rests and self bastes itself.
 
Apparently HT has brisket on sale this week? My wife called and asked if I would pick one up for this weekend.

Since I've never done one before, any suggestions?
 
My dad's smoked brisket is pretty much the best brisket I've ever had. I'll find out what the rub is he puts on it and how long he does it. And him being a true Texan, he only uses mesquite.
 
I'll be using hickory and oak for this one since I have it on hand. A good friend of mine that I gave a quart of our pork rub to said it is wonderful on brisket. For the hell of it, I might get two and try a couple different rubs.
 
Two briskets. I like your style.

Back in law school I cooked an 18 pound brisket. The specialty butcher I went to looked at me like I was insane when he held it up and I said I'd take the whole thing.
 
lol, I'm thinking the ones at HT are smaller anyways. I cant imagine walking in and seeing such a large cut of meat just hanging out. Costco, yes. HT, not so much.
 
Here's the brisket HT has:
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Boneless Brisket Roast
HT Reserve Angus Beef
[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
Save at Least
$1.50 lb
[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]$3.99 lb[/FONT]
 

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Apparently HT has brisket on sale this week? My wife called and asked if I would pick one up for this weekend.

Since I've never done one before, any suggestions?

For flat brisket, I typically cook it in an aluminum foil roasting pan and mop to keep it from drying out. I use red oak chunks. I have had the best results smoking for about 8-10 hours around 225.
 
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