Second attempt at a brisket on the KBQ. No one at home is particularly interested, but just had to post a picture here… 
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I have had one since 2017 and will never leave krack bq.Comment
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New KBQ owner checking in from Phuket, Thailand.Comment
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Congrats and welcome to the club!
What types of wood do you have there?
And what's the first thing you plan to cook? -
So far I smoked up a batch of Jambolan Chicken. I’m testing Jambolan, Tamarind, Logan and Lychee wood. Kiln dried Hickory is available in Bangkok but that’s 900 miles north and I’m trying to source closer. Keeping the bottom poppet open and the top closed these tropical woods smoke clean and light like Apple wood. Nothing close to mesquite or even hickory. Just getting used to the KBQ cooking a lot faster than my old pellet smoker and my really old Camp Chef gas smoker.
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Hello folks, new KBQ owner in the SF Bay Area here. After reading over 100 amazing pages of the "KBQ ~ has landed" and other threads (thank you for all your hard earned advice!), I finally got to give mine its "maiden voyage" yesterday. I did 8 racks of ribs in honor of KC for a Superbowl party. While the ribs were cooking, I tested out the new grill grate that now comes with the KBQ, on a prime ribeye that I had dry aged for 45 days and cooked sous vide. It got beautifully browned outside while the inside temp has only come up to 54 degrees, so I threw it in the cookbox with the ribs to come up to temp, and even just those 15ish minutes gave it a beautiful mild smoky flavor. No pictures on the cooked steak, as we ate it way too fast, but here's a shot of the finished ribs. I used white oak. Looking forward to being a more active part of this community!Attached FilesComment
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Beginning Pork Butt?
Planning my first pork butt, or at least I’m hoping that is what will be arriving from my new found meat merchant. In Thailand large cuts of pork are scarce as the locals use meat more as a flavoring in a hot wok with lots of veggies than dumped on rice. When you chop meat up into tiny bits not much attention is given to the part of pig it comes from. I’m taking a risk with about a 2.5 kilo slab (6+ lbs) arriving fresh likely butchered earlier that morning and arriving around 10AM and I need to serve it as pulled pork at 7 on Friday night. My plan is to trim and season ASAP and get in the frig. I could fire up the KBQ about 4AM and expect it to finish by 2-3PM let it rest wrapped and pull it at 7. But being retired and being a first cook this is not leaving much time for any SNAFU’s. So if any KBQ pros have any tips for creating some time for Murphy to screw this up, I’m all ears. Like maybe cutting the butt into 2 pieces that hopefully finish more around noon. Or throwing it on the KBQ Thur afternoon for 6-7 hours putting it into the frig and starting around 6AM to finish it easy? I read pork butts are hard to screw up and it will likely turn fine I’ll still consider any advice. Thanks for reading this and I’ll send before and after photos of how this drama unfolds and or I’ll need help identifying what the locals consider a pork butt.Comment
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Not a KBQ owner (yet!) but I’ve smoked more than my fair share of butts. It’s very forgiving, but I’ve also found it takes the longest of any cut. On my offset stickburner it’s 14 hrs minimum. It’s also proven to be one I can’t rush too much or the connective tissue doesn’t break down as well.
On the other hand, you can hold it darn near forever. I’ve held many butts for 12 hours in a warm oven, and they come out great.
So my advice is start earlier and hold as long as needed.
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Is there an optimum size?
And temp that is both tender and renders fat? If a full pork butt can take 14 hours to cook properly cutting the butt in half must reduce the cooking time somewhat? Each cut increases the bark surface area but does it limit tissue breakdown and fat rendering? I burn at least $2 of wood every cook hour so I’m kinda working out cost benefit analysis on operating costs. My KBQ cooks faster and burns less wood than previous offset smokers but wood cost is still big concern. Smoking meat started off as a hobby but becoming a quasi business just smoking this and that for others.Comment
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Not specific to the KBQ here, but I cut my pork butts in half, always. Usually this amounts to 3-4lbers. Yes, you're right, it increases surface area for more smoke exposure, rub coating, and bark, all good things. And as far as cook time, it might. Obviously cook time is dictated by thickness, how long it takes the heat to reach the center and do its thing throughout. Cutting a 6" thick x 14" long butt in half results in two 6" thick by 7" long butts. The heat still has to go the same distance -
(cont'd)
in this case, so not really any time saving. If your cut makes a significant dent in the the distance the heat has to go, then yes, it could speed the cook up. But don't count on much time savings, that's not really the benefit to cutting them down. -
I haven’t tried it, but I want to slice one in half horizontally and see what happens. Using @Huskee’s dimensions I’d have two 3x14" butts.
With your wood being so expensive you might want do the last half in the oven since most of the smoke is absorbed in the first 4-5 hours. Sous vide might also be a good option.Last edited by Sid P; February 15, 2023, 05:08 PM.
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Getting an oven to finish and hold meat for serving is an option under consideration. Aside from tourist hotels and pizza joints few Thai’s even own an oven as little of the local cuisine is baked. Meat and seafood are grilled in a clay pot over charcoal and you buy bread at the 7/11 store. My little 3 year old Honda has A/C but no heater some things are just different in the tropics. Other than a toaster oven with a 60 minute timer an oven large enough to finish a couple of pork butts or a brisket is expensive.Comment
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You could fashion one if they're too pricey to buy, maybe a 30 or 55 gallon drum (not galvanized, and food safe or thoroughly cleaned), put a few screws in it at the top in a circle to hold a round grate, pop a couple air holes at the bottom and toss some coals on the bottom, makeshift oven to hold a couple hunks of meat.
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Pork Butt mystery resolved.
The difference between what I was expecting and what was delivered precluded cutting it in half. I think I was delivered 2 pieces of pork neck and nor a pork shoulder. I will smoke them in the morn but this pork is so lean I’m not expecting a happy ending
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Received mine yesterday. Hope to get it together tonight. hoping to break it in Sunday with some ribs.Comment
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I got mine put together yesterday and made some wings. Today a couple of chickens and a few racks of spare ribs!Comment
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