Memorial Weekend is traditionally a time we spend at home doing yard work, cooking outdoors, having a beer or glass of wine with the Neighbors, and generally appreciating our freedoms and way of life. And of course remembering those that fought and died for those privileges. The big project this year was to move and spread 15 yards of mulch. The material was delivered on Friday and we got started after work. After busting our butts on Friday evening we were reminded we aren't 40 anymore. So we spent yesterday finishing up the hard labor. But to make sure there was a reward at the end of a back breaking project, I woke up early and got a Beautiful 10 pound Pork Butt on my new Weber 22" Kettle w/SNS. This would be my first low and slow cook with this set-up. And to add to the excitement, I also got my new Thermoworks SMOKE tm delivered on Friday. So lots of new stuff to test out. Here are some reflections of the cook.
I Purchased a 10 lb Bone-in Pork Butt on Friday afternoon and immediately trimmed and applied Kosher Salt to dry-brine overnight. I awoke at 7 am to prep the meat and get the grill set-up. I used a light coating of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and applied Meathead's Memphis Dust to the Butt. Then got the fire started. The Low & slow lighting instructions from the guys at www.abcbarbecue.com were simple and easy to follow. I added a quart of boiling water to the reservoir and the Pit temperature quickly stabilized at around 225 degrees f. At that point I added some chunks of apple wood and placed that pork butt on the indirect side. The official start time of the cook was 8 am.
The Pit Temp was very steady holding around 225 degrees f for the first 5 1/2 hours or so. But then I noticed the Pit temp was starting to drop. It dropped pretty rapidly to about 190 degrees f. I knew that I would need to add more water around the 5 hour mark, but was surprised that I also needed to add charcoal at this time. Not a big deal, but I was expecting 8 hours based on others experience. After adding the charcoal the Pit temp came back up to 225 f and stabilized again.
After another 5 1/2 hours the Pit temp starting dropping just like before. In a half hour it dropped from 225 degrees f to about 190 degrees f. So again I added charcoal and kept on cooking. I did not add more water this time because the meat was wrapped and we were trying to finish up. The Pit temp came up to around 250 degrees f and held.
The internal temperature of the meat reached 203 degrees f after 12 hours. It was probe tender and ready! By this time the Neighbors had gathered in my driveway for Happy Hour and everyone was hungry. So we didn't bother with a cambro rest, but went right to pulling. The bone slid right out. I grabbed that Butt with both hands and it just exploded apart. The whole thing was pulled and ready to serve in about 30 seconds. We served it with my Wife's Boston Style Baked Beans. (She starts with Bush's Original and amps them up) and some slaw from the local Deli. The crowd dove right in faster than I could get my iPhone ready to take pictures. So I do apologize for a lack of finished product photos. But this was by FAR the best pulled pork I've ever done! And the first one I've ever done on charcoal.....Hmm!
I continue to be impressed with the Slow N' Sear. David Parrish has invented a GREAT product! Until I got my new Weber kettle w/SNS, I had not cooked on charcoal in about 30 years. Now I'm hooked. Whether it's low and slow or hot and fast the results have been great! Steak, chicken, sausages, and pork butt so far. I also want to shout out to the guys at Thermoworks. The SMOKE temperature monitoring system is by far the best one I've used. It is completely intuitive and ready to use right out of the box as advertised. It's rugged and substantial construction are sure to stand up to years of use and abuse. Well worth the money spent!!
I Purchased a 10 lb Bone-in Pork Butt on Friday afternoon and immediately trimmed and applied Kosher Salt to dry-brine overnight. I awoke at 7 am to prep the meat and get the grill set-up. I used a light coating of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and applied Meathead's Memphis Dust to the Butt. Then got the fire started. The Low & slow lighting instructions from the guys at www.abcbarbecue.com were simple and easy to follow. I added a quart of boiling water to the reservoir and the Pit temperature quickly stabilized at around 225 degrees f. At that point I added some chunks of apple wood and placed that pork butt on the indirect side. The official start time of the cook was 8 am.
The Pit Temp was very steady holding around 225 degrees f for the first 5 1/2 hours or so. But then I noticed the Pit temp was starting to drop. It dropped pretty rapidly to about 190 degrees f. I knew that I would need to add more water around the 5 hour mark, but was surprised that I also needed to add charcoal at this time. Not a big deal, but I was expecting 8 hours based on others experience. After adding the charcoal the Pit temp came back up to 225 f and stabilized again.
After another 5 1/2 hours the Pit temp starting dropping just like before. In a half hour it dropped from 225 degrees f to about 190 degrees f. So again I added charcoal and kept on cooking. I did not add more water this time because the meat was wrapped and we were trying to finish up. The Pit temp came up to around 250 degrees f and held.
The internal temperature of the meat reached 203 degrees f after 12 hours. It was probe tender and ready! By this time the Neighbors had gathered in my driveway for Happy Hour and everyone was hungry. So we didn't bother with a cambro rest, but went right to pulling. The bone slid right out. I grabbed that Butt with both hands and it just exploded apart. The whole thing was pulled and ready to serve in about 30 seconds. We served it with my Wife's Boston Style Baked Beans. (She starts with Bush's Original and amps them up) and some slaw from the local Deli. The crowd dove right in faster than I could get my iPhone ready to take pictures. So I do apologize for a lack of finished product photos. But this was by FAR the best pulled pork I've ever done! And the first one I've ever done on charcoal.....Hmm!
I continue to be impressed with the Slow N' Sear. David Parrish has invented a GREAT product! Until I got my new Weber kettle w/SNS, I had not cooked on charcoal in about 30 years. Now I'm hooked. Whether it's low and slow or hot and fast the results have been great! Steak, chicken, sausages, and pork butt so far. I also want to shout out to the guys at Thermoworks. The SMOKE temperature monitoring system is by far the best one I've used. It is completely intuitive and ready to use right out of the box as advertised. It's rugged and substantial construction are sure to stand up to years of use and abuse. Well worth the money spent!!
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