Today's cook is a pork butt, and i decided to try something I have never done before. I "butterflied" the roast parallel to the blade bone making 2 thinner roasts. The results are fantastic. More surface area for heat transfer, smoke penetration and bark formation.

After butterflying a 7.5 lb bone-in pork butt from Sam's, I seasoned with Killer Hogs AP plus extra black pepper. Cooked on the Hasty Bake using pecan chunks. With the Hasty Bake running between 275 and 300, I started probing for IT after 2 hours. At the 3 hour mark, IT was 170, and I wrapped the meat in double-layer foil (I was looking for an IT of at least 165 before wrapping). Temped again after 1 hour in the foil, they were at 192, and after 1.5 hours in the foil they temped at 203-205 and felt like butter . At that point I pulled them to rest.

Total cook time was 4.5 hours, with a 2 hour rest. Could have done more or less rest, but it was still hot enough when I pulled it with my hands I had to use "hand savers." Taste, tenderness and moisture content all exceeded my expectations.






The pic below was at the 3 hour mark, immediately before wrapping in foil.

Got a 2 lb striploin and smoked on my Lonestar at 190 until 120. Rested and hard seared until 135.

Seasoned with Hardcore Carnivore Red because it’s delicious.

Cross Post...First Competition Chicken practice. They came out really good, maybe a few minor tweaks going forward. Cooked on the PBC, will likely use the PBX for ribs...

I will agree with others, trimming comp chicken sucks. I definitely need to work on the trimming.

Busy day, so only a plating pic. Today I installed a transmission control module in one of my cars, test drove it on an errand, visited the recycling center, donated to Salvation Army, got mulch and flowers from Home Depot, landscaped, planted, and then cooked.

Boneless chicken thigh marinated in Italian dressing (this was a freezer pull), grilled at really high temperature, about 700F. I've decided this is the year of hickory, so that's what I'm going to work with for the rest of 2026. A couple chunks thrown in with the lump charcoal for that lovely blast of smoke.

Fuji apples, jasmine rice, steamed French green beans. Pretty standard fare, but it was really, really good.

The lump charcoal, Royal Oak, popped a lot and was exceptionally smokey, unusual. Great heat made for good char, which the kids loved. That's about it. I'm tired.

Winner winner chicken dinner! And loving this double stack cooker synodog got me for Secret Santa 2025!

Any day cooking outside is a good day. Some days are just better than others. Today was one of the better ones. Weather was perfect. Coals played nice. The chicken skewers turned out good. Served with rice and corn on the cob.

prosciutto wrapped chicken thighs on the grill .... and turned a whole bunch of brisket trim into tallow today, too

6 lbs of brisket trimmings


40 oz of beautiful tallow


tasty chicken thighs

Finished up the day with some chicken qtr’s i had cut down on the 26 kettle, seasoned with a Baharat mix then finished with some garlic toum, served with butter finished potatoes topped with garlic scapes and chives.

My first ever PBX St. Louis cut spares! These were Fresh Market's Chairman's Reserve "prime pork" branding, and I feel they are one step up from the commodity ribs at Sam's, Kroger or Publix. Darker red, and a little better marbling.

I cut the racks in half, and after a dry brine, seasoned with The Holy Gospel BBQ rub from Meat Church. I started to do the double hooking thing, and after doing one that way, decided that these would not fall, and just did a single hook under the second bone. No worries!

And I must be running hot, as these were done not in 3-4, or more hours, but in just over 2.5! I lit a half chimney of B&B about 2:10, dumped it on a full basket in the PBX 10 minutes later, and about 2:40, hung all the ribs. They were done at 5:05pm! Around 2:30 total I think.

Right before pulling - they looked perfect, and the way the bones were pulling back, I knew it was time to check them with a probe.



Inside, before I started slicing them up for a Saturday Father's Day dinner with my daughters and their families... I love the bark on these!



This is the first full rack sliced up, and I ended up carving up 2 full racks, we ate about 1.5 (6 adults and 1, 2, 3 and 5 year olds).



I started with a couple bones, but went back for more! I think this is one of PJ's finer dinner plate offerings too!



In conclusion, I have to say that despite using NO wood - just charcoal, these were some of the smokiest, and best ribs I think I've ever done, in 34 years of owning a smoker.

pbc.. PBC... PBX

Coppa steaks from WF. Reversed-ish with a small chunk of peach. Mashed. Spinach.

We were in the Outer Banks of NC last week and I picked up a pair of Duroc loin chops and a rack of Duroc spare ribs at Harris Teeter, (related to Kroger), on the way home. I froze the ribs but cooked the chops last night. I thought they were very good, but not over the top good. Nan felt the same. I only took one photo, so here it is.