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Behold My Butt! (2003–2006)

Al_Dente

By Al_Dente
in Cooking

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wcmckinney

wcmckinney

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the guidance:

The more I think about it the more I like the herb tea brine. I'm guessing something like a tablespoon of herb mixture per cup of water, or am I aiming too high?

Agreed that the point of cooking over wood is to impart the smoke on the meat, but i think that smoke is more flavorful than tasteful so hopefully I can get some herby quality into the pork that will go well enough with the BBQ sauce (which also admittedly takes away from the smokiness).

I'll leave the sugar for the rub, and probably keep it simple with a little Brown Sugar, S&P and paprika

William McKinney aka "wcmckinney"
  • 3 weeks later...
woodburner

woodburner

Posted
Posted

Rub a dub dub. I've got two butts, a pair of brisket flats, and 6 racks of baby backs bathing in hickory smoke right now, on this warm and sunny Sunday morning.

Plust... Yesterday I placed my order for a butchered half hog. Delivery next Friday.

whoa!!!

woodburner

ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
Rub a dub dub. I've got two butts, a pair of brisket flats, and 6 racks of baby backs bathing in hickory smoke right now, on this warm and sunny Sunday morning.

Plust... Yesterday I placed my order for a butchered half hog. Delivery next Friday.

Wow! Sounds like a nice snack. No butt today, but I'll be smoking some cured pork belly into bacon over cherry wood a bit later on.

I have a few questions about the butchered half hog: how does it breakdown, parts-wise? How long will it last you? What's your post-delivery plan?

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

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rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted (edited)
Rub a dub dub. I've got two butts, a pair of brisket flats, and 6 racks of baby backs bathing in hickory smoke right now, on this warm and sunny Sunday morning.

Plust... Yesterday I placed my order for a butchered half hog. Delivery next Friday.

whoa!!!

woodburner

Yay Easter Pig!

my father and his brothers like the easter pig better than the bunnies :raz:

T

going out for BBQ today

Edited by rooftop1000 (log)

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

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jmcgrath

jmcgrath

Posted
Posted
Rooftop - you are so lucky to be able to get fruitwood delivered.  I can't even figure out where I can go get some with a station wagon.

Many fruit orchards will give away their prunings or sell them at a nominal cost. They are more usable than split logs in most smokers.

Jim

rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted (edited)
Rooftop - you are so lucky to be able to get fruitwood delivered.  I can't even figure out where I can go get some with a station wagon.

Many fruit orchards will give away their prunings or sell them at a nominal cost. They are more usable than split logs in most smokers.

Jim

Jim that is what I had planned on doing this spring....

My friend works for his town Dept of Public Works and this load was from a tree they took down after a storm. He is threatening/offering plenty more firewood for winter. I see free heat....hubby sees splitting logs all summer :laugh:

tracey

Edited by rooftop1000 (log)

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

Abra

Abra

Posted
Posted

Hurray, is it butt season already? I thought that wasn't until May. You know, that little rhyme I learned living in Canada

"Hurray, hurray, the first of May

Outdoor (er...) smoking begins today!"

Just yesterday I found a place to get cherry trimmings, but they still have their bark. Jim, are you peeling your prunings?

Abra

Blogging our French adventures at French Letters

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snowangel

snowangel

Posted
Posted
Hurray, is it butt season already?  I thought that wasn't until May.  You know, that little rhyme I learned living in Canada

"Hurray, hurray, the first of May

Outdoor (er...) smoking begins today!"

Just yesterday I found a place to get cherry trimmings, but they still have their bark.  Jim, are you peeling your prunings?

Abra, it's always butt season. I've done one when it was nearing zero.

I don't de-bark my wood.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted

So...its not a butt......I have an 18# ham just out of its brine waiting around for tomorrow morning. I'm gonna smoke him.

Now I want it to taste like ham not BBQ Butt should I rub it with anything in the morning or just some brown sugar later in the day?

:biggrin:

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

garden state motorcyle association

Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted

After months of being badgered by snowangel about smoking a butt, the day has finally arrived. I can't tell you how excited I am about my butt!

My butt is a 6-7# Niman Ranch boneless butt, waiting for me at Whole Foods. I'm planning to brine my butt lightly overnight, use no dry rub, and smoke my butt in my Bradley with hickory and alder. I'll be serving my butt with =Mark's South Carolina Mustard Barbeque Sauce, along with a few sides to compliment it. Of course, I'll be taking lots of pictures of my butt.

I'm assuming I should be aiming for 215-225F in the Bradley, yes? I'm also assuming that there's no such thing as too much smoke -- though I'm aiming for a 2:1 alder/hickory ratio. If anyone has any Bradley tips, I'd love to hear them.

Feel free to tell me what exactly I should be doing with my butt. Indeed, I would be happy to place my butt in your hands.

Chris Amirault

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snowangel

snowangel

Posted
Posted

Oh, Chris, I'd love to get my hands on your butt!

You are right to brine, and right (at least in my opinion) not to rub. I like my butts naked.

Anyway, no Bradley hints, but yes, aim for somewhere between 200 and 225.

Oh, and I really think it helps to make sure it is as cold as possible before you put it on. I usually stuck my butt in the freezer as I'm getting ready to start the trusty old Kettle.

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted

Thanks, Susan. I knew that, with you, my butt surely would not be in a sling.

I last put my butt on my Weber kettle, but had some real temperature problems with it. As a result, my butt turned out a bit dry and crusty -- and who wants a dry, crusty butt? Not me.

Since I've got the Bradley, I'm feeling a bit more confident that my butt will be moist after its long smoke.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

peanutgirl

peanutgirl

Posted
Posted
Oh, Chris, I'd love to get my hands on your butt!

I like my butts naked.

I usually stuck my butt in the freezer.

I'd be content with the pictures! Please please us with the butt porn :raz: .

Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted

Behold my butt:

gallery_19804_437_157843.jpg

Just a smidge over eight pounds, and after an overnight (12 hour, approximately) brine using Dave the Cook's eGCI brining course ratios, my butt is now chilling out in the freezer as per Susan's instructions. (What's best for Susan's butts is best for my butt.) I've now got to get my Bradley set up -- I have to install a new smoke generator as the first one I got was a bit eager about feeding pucks -- and get my butt into the smoke.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted (edited)

Started at 8:30 with the temp at 34F. A few people have asked me some questions about the Bradley via PM, so I thought I'd say a few things about it here.

I love my Bradley so far. I got the "Original Smoker," the black one, instead of the stainless steel one, saving $100. As you can see from the photos below, I don't have a $45K outdoor kitchen, so stainless would be a total waste for me. I mean, let's be honest here: the thing is already a smoky, slightly gloppy mess inside, and I'm not going to be taking three hours per use to clean it, myself. Stainless would look silly.

I mentioned on another thread that the initial puck feeder on the smoke generator was feeding two or three or seven pucks at a time. I called customer service and got immediate assistance from a friendly rep who sent me a new smoke generator gratis, no questions asked, and told me to keep the original one. I've read elsewhere that the company has had a service problem in the past, but my experience suggests that's no longer the case, if ever it was.

I've been doing primarily hot smoking; the few experiments I've run to do cold smoking have been promising. The issue is that the smoke generator has a hot plate on which the pucks rest and burn, meaning that the smoke is not cool and that the plate warms the air in the smoker even if the heating unit is turned off. However, if you're considering a Bradley, remember that the smoke generator is detachable, so with a little duct tape, a cardboard box, and a dryer duct, you can rig up a cold smoker by putting some distance between the smoke generator and the main smoke box pretty easily.

A few people have asked how much smoke it generates outside the entire contraption. There's occasionally a little smoke released at the link between the smoke generator and the main compartment when it's windy, but not much. Here are two photos of the places where there's more consistent smoke escaping. First, the top of the smoker, where there's a little wheel vent that, even when "shut," isn't hermetic and thus releases some smoke. (I think that the photo is exaggerating the amount here because of the slant of sunlight coming from the upper left of the frame, btw.)

gallery_19804_437_271755.jpg

Next, I'm using a Maverick remote thermometer, and when that's in place, there's a little bit of smoke that releases in the space created by the cord between the door and frame.

gallery_19804_437_9252.jpg

Having said all of that, let me repeat that I'm thrilled with it. Hopefully, when you see my butt later today, you'll know why. :wink:

At 9:10 and my butt had reached 43F; it's now 10:10 and my butt's at 84F. The smoker's holding tight at 210F.

Edited by chrisamirault (log)

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

hwilson41

hwilson41

Posted
Posted
I've been doing primarily hot smoking; the few experiments I've run to do cold smoking have been promising. The issue is that the smoke generator has a hot plate on which the pucks rest and burn, meaning that the smoke is not cool and that the plate warms the air in the smoker even if the heating unit is turned off. However, if you're considering a Bradley, remember that the smoke generator is detachable, so with a little duct tape, a cardboard box, and a dryer duct, you can rig up a cold smoker by putting some distance between the smoke generator and the main smoke box pretty easily....

Having said all of that, let me repeat that I'm thrilled with it. Hopefully, when you see my butt later today, you'll know why. :wink:

It's now 9:10 and my butt's reached 43F.

Chris, I'm sure your butt will turn out splendidly, as almost all of your projects do :wink:. One thing you said above puzzles me. I thought the Bradley was more or less ideal for cold smoking also (unlike my side box smoker , which is difficult to hold much below 200F). I gather that is not the case without some jury rigging, right? I ask because I'd really love to cold smoke salmon, but if I'm going to have to jury rig anyway, I might as well rig the one I already own rather than buying a Bradley also.

"My only regret in life is that I did not drink more Champagne." John Maynard Keynes

DRColby

DRColby

Posted
Posted

Chris,

I too recently picked up a Bradley Smoker and so far hae done jsut run with it. some bacon, pork chops and ham.

I tried to put about 2 hours of cold smoke on the bacon and ham at the start but couldn't get the smoker to hold at much under 150 degrees even with ice in the pan. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Dave

O, yes, we were having some yams with the chops so I threw them in for four hours at 200; they didn't acquire much of a smoke flavor.

lancastermike

lancastermike

Posted
Posted (edited)
Behold my butt:

gallery_19804_437_157843.jpg

Just a smidge over eight pounds, and after an overnight (12 hour, approximately) brine using Dave the Cook's eGCI brining course ratios, my butt is now chilling out in the freezer as per Susan's instructions. (What's best for Susan's butts is best for my butt.) I've now got to get my Bradley set up -- I have to install a new smoke generator as the first one I got was a bit eager about feeding pucks -- and get my butt into the smoke.

thats a good looking butt going in Chris. I'm sure Susan would want that butt. I am unfamiliar with the Bradley. The heat and smoke are all generated by the hot plate? There is no charcoal or wood fire? Does it have a thermostat or just on or off. I love smoked butt just as much as Susan, but I use a WSM. I think you posted about the Bradley before, however I am search imparied and could not find it.

Edited by lancastermike (log)
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted
Chris, I'm sure your butt will turn out splendidly, as almost all of your projects do :wink:.  One thing you said above puzzles me.  I thought the Bradley was more or less ideal for cold smoking also (unlike my side box smoker , which is difficult to hold much below 200F).  I gather that is not the case without some jury rigging, right?  I ask because I'd really love to cold smoke salmon, but if I'm going to have to jury rig anyway, I might as well rig the one I already own rather than buying a Bradley also.

Thanks! My sense is that you could do it for cold smoking if the ambient temperature is pretty cool and you have a hotel pan or two full of ice.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted
I am unfamiliar with the Bradley.  The heat and smoke are all generated by the hot plate? There is no charcoal or wood fire?  Does it have a thermostat or just on or off.  I love smoked butt just as much as Susan, but I use a WSM.  I think you posted about the Bradley before, however I am search imparied and could not find it.

Mike, check out this topic for more info about the Bradley. There are a few other topics floating around, but that's a good place to start.

To answer your questions, the heat is generated by a heating element, which is separate from the smoke plate on which the pucks sit and burn.

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

snowangel

snowangel

Posted
Posted

Chris, I'm lusting after your butt. It's been way too long since I smoked a butt!

Let us know when your butt has stalled!

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
Chris Amirault

Chris Amirault

Posted
Posted

We're approaching eight hours: it's 4:10 pm and my butt is at 174F. I know that I want to pull it at around 190, but I'm not sure when I should take it out of the smoker and wrap it to rest/finish cooking. Thoughts?

Meanwhile, a troubling development. Remember that my butt was boneless? Well, I didn't tie it before putting it in the smoker. Now...

my butt has a huge crack in it. :huh:

Chris Amirault

eG Ethics Signatory

Sir Luscious got gator belts and patty melts

snowangel

snowangel

Posted
Posted

Pull at 190, 195 and foil it, and it will raise to the 210/225.

Thanks for my belly laugh of the day.

Edited to add: Where is your damned butt? Why haven't we seen a great photo of your cracked butt?

Susan Fahning aka "snowangel"
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