Suggestions for a cook for 15

[1buckie]

@1buckie so just to reassure myself, if I throw this 8lb bad boy on at 6am and keep the temp at 260-275 f I'll be good to go at 4ish? Or would I be better off starting around 2am and keeping temps around 225?

Yeah, the early morning route might be best......start 5~6 & just go back to sleep for a bit if you want.......was just trying to set out various possible maps so you could pick what seems most comfortable to you.....everybody's different in terms of early / late risers, length of day, etc.

One thing that gets to me is getting too tired near the end of a cooking stretch & not being ready at serving time to ALSO enjoy the meal & the company.....all that's important too.....it has to be fun or else why would we do this stuff !!!!

[VAis4BBQers]

@1buckie thanks for the suggestions! I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe I'll include some pics of the finished product.

[1buckie]

Cool beans......I try to take a pic or 3 all along the way.....helps me remember what went well, how it set up, what to watch for, how much people enjoyed it, & the finished pieces for posterity !!!!

[1911Ron]

@1buckie I just got a pair of bear claws back in February for my birthday. I haven't gotten to use them yet so looking forward to it. So, I'm thinking I'll start at 11pm or so. I'll check a few times through the night just to make sure the temp of the grill is ok bc i'm paranoid like that. Then I'll foil and towel it and slap in a cooler.

@1911Ron I've got a performer and otg but I may be borrowing a WSM from a buddy down the street. I've smoked plenty on the kettles but never used a WSM. So, I'm kinda leery to use something I dont have experience with. Would you suggest I stay with my kettle or try out the WSM?

I would stick to what you know and learn the WSM at a later date.

@1buckie so just to reassure myself, if I throw this 8lb bad boy on at 6am and keep the temp at 260-275 f I'll be good to go at 4ish? Or would I be better off starting around 2am and keeping temps around 225?

You should be ok at 275 or so, if you want you could start earlier if you wanted say 5?

[seasoned1]

a butt isn't done by time as it is done by temp and should be cooked to 190 to 195 for pulled pork. I usually smoke for 10 to 12 hours at 225 until I hit that temp. so I would start early and when it hits that temp you can double foil wrap it and keep It hot in a cooler that I pour boiling water in prior to putting the foiled pork in. I also wrap a towel around it and it will stay hot for several hours.

[seasoned1]

by the way pour the boiled water out before adding the butt.

[1911Ron]

a butt isn't done by time as it is done by temp and should be cooked to 190 to 195 for pulled pork. I usually smoke for 10 to 12 hours at 225 until I hit that temp. so I would start early and when it hits that temp you can double foil wrap it and keep It hot in a cooler that I pour boiling water in prior to putting the foiled pork in. I also wrap a towel around it and it will stay hot for several hours.

I don't go by temp any more because every piece of meat is different, i will use an ice pick or a Thermapen to probe a butt or brisket and if it slides in real easy it's done. 

[VAis4BBQers]

So here's what I did... butt went on at 6am. Kept temps for the most part around 280. Pulled it at 3 when temps were 199. Foiled and toweled it, stuck in a cooler for 2 hours. It stayed plenty hot and pulled apart incredibly easy.

@1buckie Only pick I got was right before I pulled it. Everything went way too fast after that.

[addicted-to-smoke]

VAis4BBQers that looks like perfection, and from your description of how easily it pulled apart I'm betting it was. Nicely done sir.

Don't know if eating at 5 vs 4 like you said earlier was planned or delayed but that extra hour in the cooler helped I suppose?

[VAis4BBQers]

Honestly I'm not sure if wrapping it did anything. It about broke in half when I was taking it off the grill. The only reason I wrapped it was to keep it hot until everything else was ready to go. Either way, wrapping or not, it would have been pretty good! Thanks!

[addicted-to-smoke]

... It about broke in half when I was taking it off the grill. ...

LOL well I suppose that's OK too! I take mine to about that temp also but they never pull apart super easy, and the ones I've done aren't big, either, 7lbs or less.

[VAis4BBQers]

It was fun. Definitely looking fwd to doing it again. I might try injecting next time. The only thing I did to the meat was a little bit of rub.

[1buckie]

Honestly I'm not sure if wrapping it did anything. It about broke in half when I was taking it off the grill. The only reason I wrapped it was to keep it hot until everything else was ready to go. Either way, wrapping or not, it would have been pretty good! Thanks!

"stuck in a cooler for 2 hours. It stayed plenty hot and pulled apart incredibly easy. "


Looks great......personally, I think wrapping changes the whole deal.....for the better......and a certain amount of resting, wrapped......give it a short breather to stop the cooking or slow it considerably, then seal up.........
gives the piece a chance to level & absorb the moisture all thru evenly......

people "rest" turkeys from the oven, steaks, even done in a broiler or pan, roasts.....all kinds of recipes call for at least a short rest after cooking....why not this that you've put so much time into to get to come out well ....?


As far as it falling apart trying to move it....try a decent, thick, medium size towel, wrapped around, using a hand on either side......
I've done this for years, along with using a serrated bread knife for almost everything......

Thought I was just a daffy goofball.....until I saw that Aaron Franklin did both of those things religiously.....felt slightly vindicated......

or if it's really coming apart, just roll it onto a piece of foil right on the grate........

[addicted-to-smoke]

* Wrapping in foil, either loosely or tightly, sounds to me like extending the time the meat continues to "cook itself" away from the heat source.

* Tightly wrapped keeps more moisture in.


Is that a fair summary?


When I read that someone "foiled" the meat it's as if some or most of that is assumed but I seldom know which. For example some meats are foiled and then put BACK on the grill, which accelerates (keeps heat in) or decelerates (insulates from heat)?

[VAis4BBQers]

My guess would be it retains the moisture. But not too sure, I only did it to keep it hot for a few extra hours until all food was ready to go. I may try doing another this weekend. Not one so large though. Maybe 4#