First Attempt at Pork Butt on GMG DB

[cemushr]

I'm going to consider this as my "dress rehearsal" for my first brisket in a couple of weeks. Trimmed her up last night and salted it about 10-11 hours before I planned on starting the smoke.

Made my first batch of Memphis dust...per the recipe in the book, I covered my butt well. 6:15 am, with the Boone at 225, it's on.




The plan is to fight through the stall and not use a crutch - I want to experience the panic and sense of hopelessness so I'll know what to expect for the brisket. 2 hours in, and the internal temp is at 116. Fingers are crossed that it will be done around 5 this evening.


I'm scared.

[cemushr]

Seven hours in...internal temp around 172. Looking good so far!

[HawkerXP]

Lookin good!

[kmhfive]

That looks perfect so far! Did you use a water pan at all? You can crank the heat up on the butt (and brisket for that matter) to 275 or 280 without any worries if you're getting near the end. It will be important to rest the butt in a warming oven wrapped tight for a couple of hours! That's when the gelatin will spread across the muscles and make it really juicy. Leave time for this step!

I have several times now used the "keep warm" function on my GMG JB for this function -- it drops the temperature to 150F. I wrap the Hunk of Meat tightly in two layers of heavy duty foil and then let it rest in the cooker. Save the juices from the wrapped meat and mix back in when shredding.

Good luck!

[cemushr]

No water pan. I did bump the heat up to 250 for the last hour, mainly for timing purposes (wifey was getting a little hungry). Didn't let it rest more than 15 minutes - will definitely remember to budget time for that next go-around.

[cemushr]

11 hours into the cook - temp's around 190. I've got the Maverick plugged in, too, to test the GMG's internal probe, which was fluctuating up a lot (15+ degrees) for the first several hours. The last 3 hours, they were within 2-3 degrees of each other.

[cemushr]

13 hours, and we're done with an internal temp of 201. That bone came out really easily!




Immediately pulled it with something similar to Bear Paws.



It was awesome even without any sauce!


The stall wasn't too bad, though it was different than what I anticipated. I figured I'd be stuck at 160 for hours before the temp started going up again; however, it creeped up slowly for the remainder of the cook. I got to 160 about 3-4 hours in, and, from then on, it only came up 4-5 degrees per hour.

I have to tip my hat to Meathead and the rest on here. Great rub...great process...great grill (thanks to product reviews)...etc. I'm just following y'all's instructions and reaping the benefits of what you all have done. I've got a week in Canada near the boundary waters with my boys' scout troop; in late July or early August, I think I'll have enough confidence/bravery/alcohol to try my first brisket. It's in the fridge and will be waiting for me when we get back.

[BarBQ22]

GMG Briskets are WONDERFUL! Slow smoke to stall... Wrap and crank him to 260. It will be 275ish in middle of cooking chamber. Will cut down 1-2 hours ok cook time with same results. I have a Daniel Boone and have cooked many. Used my thermoworks smoke air grate temp clip to figure out a Big difference from button temp, on left inside chamber to actual meat placement in middle. Also if you raise your meat inside your chamber say 6 inches you'll get better smoke.

[BarBQ22]

These cookers are a rotisserie style. Most of the smoke huvers to top. It will circulate around if meat is raised. If this makes sense.

[kmhfive]

I've found similar results in my JB. I like to put the big hunks of meat on the shelf with a drip pan underneath. Water pans on either end also help to equalize the temperatures a little.