Boston Butt -- Researching Recipes

[Eapples]

Hello, Everyone -- Newbie here.  Still asking and moving ever so slowly into the realm of "real" barbecue and grilling, i.e. over charcoal.

I've checked with another website dedicated to charcoal barbecue, low and slow, and I received a variety of responses all with the same mantra, i.e. go ahead, try it, and don't forget to have fun.

Here's my question -- as I understand his recipe, Mixon's recipe for a quick and easy for pulled pork (6 to 8 pounds) is as follows:  marinade for at least an hour or preferably overnight (he provides the recipe for the marinade).  Get the smoker up to 550 degrees, and then lower it down to 300 degrees; or if you're using a charcoal grill, get it to high heat.  Using his rub, ensure that the whole piece of meat is covered, place the meat in an aluminum pan, and smoke for 4-4 1/2 hours until the meat reaches an internal temp of 195 degrees.  (This is for a 6-8 pound piece of meat.)

In another variation of the recipe, with a piece of meat big enough to serve up to 40 people, get the smoker prepared at 250 degrees.  Prepare as before.  Put the meat in an aluminum pan, cover with foil and cook for six hours.  Remove the pan and let the meat rest covered for up to 45 minutes.

I have a 5-pound pork butt.  I settled on a variation of these recipes -- in an aluminum pan, uncovered, for six hours, in the smoker at 275 degrees.

I will be doing this sometime within the next week or two.  What is your opinion on the variation of the recipe, in terms of cooking time and in terms of the use of the aluminum pan.  It seems that Mixon's primary purpose in the use of the pan is to make it easier to handle the meat, and to make cleanup easier.  Others have said to nix the aluminum pan until I reach the "stall".  Still others have said to nix the pan entirely.

This will be my "inaugural" cook on the smoker, as I've already christened my kettle.

As always, thanks for your input.

[jimmy_dong]

With the aluminum pan you will be almost braising the meat. Which is not a bad thing but the moisture will result in a soft(er) bark. Unless you raise the meat out of the liquid with a wire rack or something similar.

I just plop the meat straight on the grate and let it do its thing for however long. I pay little attention to how long the cook is. The meat is done when it is done. Getting the meat to 195(ish) for pulled pork is one thing but I am starting to lean towards "time at temp"

I have been doing a pork butt roast just about every weekend just to play with that idea. Each one I have tried to hold at 195(ish) for as long as I can, both on the kettle and in the prepped cooler.

The last was the most juicy, although I couldnt use the cooler, I warmed the oven and let the meat rest in there until a desired time just to see if holding the meat longer at temp would result in something different.

Now. I am not a Mixon nor do I enter any comps to let a handful of people tell me if my BBQ sucks. Take from this what you will but there has been differences in the meat with each cook. The only variant was the time at 195(ish), Everything else was the same relatively. The outside temps have begun to drop here in North Texas so I have to do more fiddling but that is just part of it.

[Eapples]

With the aluminum pan you will be almost braising the meat. Which is not a bad thing but the moisture will result in a soft(er) bark. Unless you raise the meat out of the liquid with a wire rack or something similar.

I just plop the meat straight on the grate and let it do its thing for however long. I pay little attention to how long the cook is. The meat is done when it is done. Getting the meat to 195(ish) for pulled pork is one thing but I am starting to lean towards "time at temp"

I have been doing a pork butt roast just about every weekend just to play with that idea. Each one I have tried to hold at 195(ish) for as long as I can, both on the kettle and in the prepped cooler.

The last was the most juicy, although I couldnt use the cooler, I warmed the oven and let the meat rest in there until a desired time just to see if holding the meat longer at temp would result in something different.

Now. I am not a Mixon nor do I enter any comps to let a handful of people tell me if my BBQ sucks. Take from this what you will but there has been differences in the meat with each cook. The only variant was the time at 195(ish), Everything else was the same relatively. The outside temps have begun to drop here in North Texas so I have to do more fiddling but that is just part of it.

Jimmy:  I take away EVERYTHING that I can.  Thank you.  I didn't think about the wire rack.  I'll consider that.

I do have a few questions regarding your response:  1.  What do you mean by "time at temp"?  2.  Given what I've told you about the piece of meat that I have, and my planned cook, do you think that 6 hours is too short?  Or are you advising me that "it's done when it's done, regardless of the time on the cooker"?

My problem has always been that if I'm going to follow the recipe, I expect the recipe to be precise.  I'm starting to realize that barbecue is an art and not a science.  I have much to learn.  I keep thinking about that quote from one of the StarWars movies, something like, "Not think.  Only do."

[1buckie]

Apples.......they will drip.....a lot.......

so, in the pan is a cleaner way to do it.......or, set the pan on the lower grate (Smoker is WSM, correct?) & put some beans & peppers & onions in there.......let the pork drip into the beans for some juicy pork drip bean goodness......

"X" time @ "X" temp are approximates for this kind of thing......this is not baking, it's somewhat different................your "Boston Meat Hunk" ( I think that's what the USDA / FDA changed the offical name to) will cook at whatever rate it wants to, to a certain extent........sorry it's not as exact as some  recipe descriptions would have you believe......

I got a real toughie going right now......smaller butt, 6-1/2# & it seems as if it's taking forever.......

dumped a little of the juice from a bottom grate drip pan into foil & I'm running it # 290~300 for awhile, with the top of the foil wrapping open so it doesn't get completely steamed & mushy......

In the pan braizing will let the bark get soft, like Jimmy says.......me, personally, if I wanted something real crispy, I'll eat me a box of Cap'n Crunch.....without the milk......

[HankB]

Butts are tolerant pieces of meat so it will be hard to spoil it. Braising it in an aluminum pan would do  that. No, I'm sure it would still be good, it just wouldn't be traditional 'Q.

I think I might have rubbed the night before once or twice with butts but do not do so any more. I rub before I get my WSM ready. Rub goes on an hour or two prior to the cook. I still do low 'n slow though many claim good results hot and fast. I don't wrap. I just smoke until the butts are done (your WSM will hold more than one!) IMO your biggest mistake is to start so small. You will regret not having more leftovers!

I would not take any smoker up to 550°F and then bring it down to cooking temperature. That's crazy talk! Do that with a new WSM and you may not get the temperature back down until the charcoal is consumed. 275° should be good. And by that I mean if it goes anywhere between 250 and 300 I would not even touch the thing.

I would only use the aluminum pan on the rack under the meat. However if you are shooting for 275° then you will not want to use water in the pan since it will tend to keep temps lower. I would just foil the water pan rather than add an aluminum pan. (And I would have a second butt on the lower grate.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[Eapples]

Thanks, everyone, for your guidance.  The reason for a small piece of meat is that there's just two of us, and neither of us is a people person.  We did a small pork butt in the oven a while ago, and it came out really, really, really moist, although a bit on the salty side (that was my fault).  So, I'll just proceed with my WSM, following some of your suggestions, and we'll see how it goes.  When this happens, I definitely will post pictures.

[jimmy_dong]

There is also just 2 in my household.

The left overs get used in a ton of other recipes. Tacos, stir fry, beans, ABTs, whatever the hell else I feel like needs a little pulled pork. Which is most everything. Its the cousin of bacon, what else can be said?

[pbe gummi bear]

Here's a good topic with how to use leftovers: http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/other-recipes/ideas-for-pulled-pork-leftovers/