Sorry about the less than clever title, but it says it all. I performed a Weber calibration with a newly acquired SnS about a week ago (results posted) and the results prompted me to go for the Big One. I bought a 12.5 lb full packer and was informed that it was Choice++. I think that was a made-up grade and there were no markings on the cryo-vac packaging to indicate grade. So, I assumed that I just got select grade. I chucked the hunk into the fridge for 7 days awaiting the dinner party I was planning. I trimmed and dry brined the beast 36 hours for my scheduled 0300 cook start time.
Dry Brined and Trimmed To 9.7 lbs.
I used cheap yellow mustard to bind the BBBR.
Using a Weber Kettle and my new Slow 'N Sear, I put the meat on when the grill temp got to 140 degrees, added 3 chunks of Western Oak for smoke, and started adjusting the vents. After 45 minutes, I was able to stabilize the grill in the mid-220 degrees range.
At the 5 hours mark, I rotated the meat and topped off the water and fuel.
At the 8 hours mark, the meat temp 169 degrees when I crutch wrapped it. I had to relocate the kettle to keep it out of the blazing sun and made a very important discovery: PULL and DO NOT PUSH a loaded Webber Kettle! While I was pushing it, it stubbed a toe on a concrete transition and the whole shooting match self-emptied onto the patio (insert about 2 minutes of curse words here). Since the meat had been wrapped, it was easy to recover it, but the spilled water bath partially extinguished some of the burning coals. I left the lid off for about 5 minutes and the coals started generating heat again.
At the 12 hours mark, the meat temp hit 203 degrees and was put into the faux Cambro for 2.5 hours. The time is now 18:30 and it's dinner time. The meat temp only dropped to 190 degrees while in the Cambro. When I unwrapped the meat and tried to get it onto my cutting board, the meat was so tender and juicey that it was falling apart. Here's what it looked like after carving.
Served with pinto beans and warm potato salad with pecan pie for dessert. Needless to say, the dinner was a huge hit with my guests.
One question that I have is would the meat have firmed up had I let it cool outside the Cambro to more like 145 degrees?
Dry Brined and Trimmed To 9.7 lbs.
I used cheap yellow mustard to bind the BBBR.
Using a Weber Kettle and my new Slow 'N Sear, I put the meat on when the grill temp got to 140 degrees, added 3 chunks of Western Oak for smoke, and started adjusting the vents. After 45 minutes, I was able to stabilize the grill in the mid-220 degrees range.
At the 5 hours mark, I rotated the meat and topped off the water and fuel.
At the 8 hours mark, the meat temp 169 degrees when I crutch wrapped it. I had to relocate the kettle to keep it out of the blazing sun and made a very important discovery: PULL and DO NOT PUSH a loaded Webber Kettle! While I was pushing it, it stubbed a toe on a concrete transition and the whole shooting match self-emptied onto the patio (insert about 2 minutes of curse words here). Since the meat had been wrapped, it was easy to recover it, but the spilled water bath partially extinguished some of the burning coals. I left the lid off for about 5 minutes and the coals started generating heat again.
At the 12 hours mark, the meat temp hit 203 degrees and was put into the faux Cambro for 2.5 hours. The time is now 18:30 and it's dinner time. The meat temp only dropped to 190 degrees while in the Cambro. When I unwrapped the meat and tried to get it onto my cutting board, the meat was so tender and juicey that it was falling apart. Here's what it looked like after carving.
Served with pinto beans and warm potato salad with pecan pie for dessert. Needless to say, the dinner was a huge hit with my guests.
One question that I have is would the meat have firmed up had I let it cool outside the Cambro to more like 145 degrees?
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