Behold My Butt! (2003–2006)

[snowangel]

I understand those against the CI method, but have you tried their exact recipe?

It's honest-to-god amazing and was better than any other pulled pork I've eaten.

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Sometime last summer, a friend wanted some smoking tips, so we smoked two butts on her weber. One done my way (no rub, on the grill really cold, no oven time, but some rest time in foil) and one done following the CI recipe.

Everyone agreed that mine won -- hands down.

Plus, on a hot summer day, I don't have to heat up my kitchen by turning on the oven.

[megwoo]

Okay, good to know! I will try your method next time. Thanks!

[lancastermike]

I have a butt on the Weber Smokey Mountain as I post. Been on for 4 hours now and the WSM is holding nicely. Like Fifi and snownangel I put it on cold and naked. I also have a rack of spareribs on the top rack which are coming off soon. I will see if I can get my old digital camera to work to post a butt picture for all you butt oglers. Also hoping my wife finds my hickory smoked smell of some interest at bedtime akin to the response snownangel recieves from her husband. That remains to be seen but I believe the butt will turn out fine

edited for spelling

Edited June 19, 2005 by lancastermike (log)

[Mayhaw Man]

Well, it's Father's day. Kid #2 is at his grandparents for what seems like the rest of the summer and kid #1 is upstairs sleeping til 2. Mrs. Mayhaw has gone to a meeting and I am left at home reading the Picayune and the NYT.

What does a dad do when left to his own devices?

He cooks a 9.5 pound butt on the Weber!

Tonight I will take the butt over to the newly relocated from Austin brother's house and feed everyone (they don't cook a lick-you are either going out to eat or bringing the food when you go to their house-but they have a kitchen full of basically unused kitchen gear that I would kill for, so it's kind of fun to do it sometimes).

Today's theme is SUMMER and FRESH.

It will include (photos later this evening)

Creole Tomato, Feta and Basil Salad

Lady Peas (from last year, fresh one's are about two weeks away)

Okra and Tomatoes

Roasted Cauliflower (roasted in the weber with the meat)

Homemade Peach Ice Cream (first of the local peaches-good, but not quite there yet)

Maybe peach cobbler to go with the ice cream, but it all depends on the organizational level that I achieve.

I am going to be going over to the Father's Day Bike Festival in a bit, as it's all of two blocks from here. It's a beautiful day and it's always fun to see the bikes and my ne'er do well friends with the bikes (my son always builds one-but this year he isn't finished and won't be entering-artist angst transferred from Mrs. Mayhaw, I suppose). It's usually alot of fun and has become an event that attracts people from all over the South.

Later, I will continue tearing the top off of my deck in hopes that I can get it finished this week. One more check of the total renovation list. Maybe by this time next year I will actually have a fabulous kitchen to make Father's day dinner in.

My dad is up at his lakehouse and I wish I was there, but it just didn't work out. He's a hell of a guy. Tulane won yesterday and that probably was about all the gift that he was looking for, and I'm glad he got it. Go Wave!

I hope that all of you Father's out there have as beautiful a day as we have here on the Gulf Coast. It's really nice and not too hot, which is good because we hit 96F a couple of times last week and it was a pretty good reminder of the downside of living in this part of the world.

HAVE A HAPPY FATHER'S DAY. CALL YOUR DAD, IF YOU CAN AND DON'T MAKE IT A COLLECT CALL ;)

[mizducky]

I have nothing substantive to add to this thread, but after reading it from the beginning while making various chortling noises, all I can think of (besides butt!) is a paraphrase of a peculiar cheer from Mystery Science Theater 3000:

"Look, look, look at my butt!

Look, look, look at my butt!

Look at my butt!

Look at my butt!

Look, look, look at my butt...!

Loooooooook at my butt! Yay!"

/the duck

P.S.: Oh wait--now I'm pondering the immortal question: "Is a duck's butt watertight?" Or perhaps more germane to this thread, isn't it smokable too?

[lancastermike]

I have a butt on the Weber Smokey Mountain as I post.  Been on for 4 hours now and the WSM is holding nicely.  Like Fifi and snownangel I put it on cold and naked.  I also have a rack of spareribs on the top rack which are coming off soon.  I will see if I can get my old digital camera to work to post a butt picture for all you butt oglers.  Also hoping my wife finds my hickory smoked smell of some interest at bedtime akin to the response snownangel recieves from her husband.  That remains to be seen but I believe the butt will turn out fine

edited for spelling

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The butt was wonderful. naked and cold is the way to go. Cleaning up certainly does suck. I scrubbed the grates and the water pan and smoker will have to wait till after work tommorow. I can see why the clean up would make you think twice about firing it up. But boy oh boy it was good. In the world of food I just do not believe that ANYTHING is better than smoked pork.

[ronnie_suburban]

The butt was wonderful.  naked and cold is the way to go.  Cleaning up certainly does suck.  I scrubbed the grates and the water pan and smoker will have to wait till after work tommorow.  I can see why the clean up would make you think twice about firing it up.  But  boy oh boy it was good.  In the world of food I just do not believe that ANYTHING is better than smoked pork.

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I wouldn't bother cleaning the inside of the smoker itself. Let the residue build up. Some guides I've read have referred to this as "seasoning" the smoker. Cleaning the grates does suck but you can save yourself a whole bunch of effort by wrapping the water pan in foil. That should making cleaning it a lot easier.

Congrats on your results and welcome to the club!

=R=

[Abra]

Great thread, and although I still have not seen Al's butt, I've seen everyone else's, and they're, uhm, very appealing.

I notice this is mainly a Weber thread, and I just started a thread on my new Smokin' Pro, so if you have any experience with that, please hop on over and advise me. Otherwise, I'll just drool quietly over your butts on this thread.

[Mayhaw Man]

OK, so there were a few changes:

There was no decent okra to be found, but there was some really nice, pencil thin asparagus for $2.39 a pound.

So we had

Butt-It turned out great. I pulled it at 185F (it took pretty much all of 8 hours) and let it rest for about 1/2 hour. It was tender and delicious. Really couldn't have been better.

I grilled the asparagus and made a little hollandaise for it (I never make hollandaise, but I had some time to kill). I also roasted some cauliflower in the Weber. Both of them turned out great.

Peach ice cream for dessert. It's great ice cream and I just put the recipe in RecipGullet as there was not one in there for peach ice cream. It's pretty fabulous and makes a ton (or two small batches). There was none left.

I will come back and add a photo ot two, but apparently I left the cord to my camera at work on Friday.

[rooftop1000]

While just now sitting on the couch mentaly getting ready to ride 500 miles on a motorcycle at 6 am tomorrow....I glanced at the woodstove across the room .....and asked my husband "Hey do ya think I could smoke a butt in there????"

ahhh this may have to wait till winter

still havent fixed the gas grill after doing a butt with no water pan

off to Tennesee soon

tracey

[Toliver]

I also roasted some cauliflower in the Weber.

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Oh. My. God.

That sounds fan-freakin'-tastic.

That's sheer genious, Brooks.

[Luckylies]

have we talked about butt brining? I'm lazy and think my butt would turn out fine without it. What ya'll think? Is it a worth-it kinda thing to brine my butts? How shall I go about it?

[Mayhaw Man]

I also roasted some cauliflower in the Weber.

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Oh. My. God.

That sounds fan-freakin'-tastic.

That's sheer genious, Brooks.

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It was really good. All I did was put it on when I pulled the meat was to do the usual soak in evoo, cracked pepper and some sea salt- I then put it away from the charcoal pile, put the vent holes right on top of the cauliflower and opened the thing up, top and bottom, wide open. It heated up quickly and the stuff took about twenty minutes to reach the califlower level of "al dente" that I like. It had a nice, but not too, smoky flavor to it along with the usual roasted cauliflower flavor. I will do this again and again. It was simple and really, really good.

[ronnie_suburban]

have we talked about butt brining? I'm lazy and think my butt would turn out fine without it. What ya'll think? Is it a worth-it kinda thing to brine my butts? How shall I go about it?

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I would definitely brine butts. I use anywhere from 3/4 - 1 C morton's kosher salt and a gallon of super cold ice water. Brine it in a cold place (safer and brining is more effective at colder temps) for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours, with the idea that the longer you brine it, the less salt you should use. And if you plan to use rub, adjust the salt accordingly to compensate for the salt in the brine.

=R=

[snowangel]

Yes, brine butts. And, remember to put them on the smoker as cold as they can possibly be.

And, do crawl in bed all smokey smelling with your honey.

And, most of all, do take pics of your butts and post them.

Reminder to self: time to smoke butts again, and soon. They are on sale.

[Abra]

Ok, my butt's on! I have 14 lbs of bone-in butt smoking away in the rain. My oak is really dry, so keeping the temp down is a bit of a challenge, but hey, I've only been at it for 41 minutes. I'm taking pictures, and will post tonight. I have one piece that's 8.5 lbs, and one that's 4.5, so I'm thinking the smaller one will be done a lot earlier. That's ok with me, since smoking is my whole plan for the day. I can see that burning wood takes a lot more attention than briquets would but I think I'll figure it out. All please send a silent lip-smack to the pork goddesses for me: Let my dinner be thrilling.

[snowangel]

Be still my beating heart. Yet another smoking goddess is joining the ranks of the esteemed and elite!

Yes, your smaller butt will probably be done first.

Rain. Sorry about that. It's much more fun when it is hot and sunny, but I've smoked at zero F outside (temp control was a piece of cake!).

One of these times, you should really try with briquettes, so you can figure out which way works better, for you.

Waiting for photos!

[Daddy-A]

Ok, my butt's on!  I have 14 lbs of bone-in butt smoking away in the rain.

I feel your pain ... although as of right now, the rain has stopped in Vancouver. I hope you're having the same luck.

No butt for us this week, but I do have about 10lbs of brisket that has been nicely cured for me waiting to be smoke on Friday. Can I post here, or do y'all want me to start a My Briskets are Burnin' (er - Smokin')! thread?

A.

ps. Abra ... I hope that's NOT coffee in yer mug!

[snowangel]

No butt for us this week, but I do have about 10lbs of brisket that has been nicely cured for me waiting to be smoke on Friday.  Can I post here, or do y'all want me to start a My Briskets are Burnin' (er - Smokin')! thread?

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Go no further than here -- Smokin' Brisket -- how do I roll my own?. Read, smoke, snap some photos and post.

Those of us smoking goddesses and gods have made sure that there is a category for just about anything smokey and fatty and divine!

[Abra]

Daddy-A, what do you have, international X-ray vision??? I didn't even post a single picture and you can see the mug of coffee resting on the smoker table? You've gotta tell us how you do that!

My butts are now slowly climbing out of the stall. I'm so glad I read about that or I might be a bit freaked out. The rain has stopped, the butts are looking gorgeous, and the beans are simmering. More or less, all's right with the world.

Edited June 22, 2005 by Abra (log)

[Luckylies]

Okay ya'll got two butts for sat. start brining on fri. afternoon. I'm thinking of doing a little injection experiment. Two different injection substances (any suggestions?)

I'm so very excited about butts, as last weeks brisket blowout was quite the hotness.

Should I use rub if I'm injecting?

Should I nix the salt in the rub because of the brine?

do I pull the butts off the grill at 170 or 180 int temp?

Am I looking at about an hour and a half per #? aroundish...?

I'm so pysched. I promise pictures.

[snowangel]

We'd better see pictures of your butt(s) this time around!

Before you think of injecting, please read this thread.

I am a huge fan of brined, but naked butts. No rub, no nothing, other than =Mark's South Carolina Mustard Barbeque Sauce on the side. Squishy white hamburger buns (haute buns need not apply). There's something about the unadulterated by marinade, rub, etc. taste of that wonderful smokey pork that's absolutely beguiling. Would you marinade bacon? Just call me a purist.

How long the butts take depends on how big they are. Figure about 1.5 hours per pound, and start earlier, because they can and should be pulled, and wrapped in foil for a while before they are pulled.

And, reminder to throw as many butts (or add some chicken thighs, or whatever) to your smoker because it takes the same amount of wood, charcoal and beer to smoke more.

My motto is that the grill should be as full as possible when smoking.

[Abra]

Ok, my maiden butt voyage, as it were. It was raining, it was 7:00 a.m., but hey, anything for butt, right?

I had no trouble getting the fire started, thanks to fatwood, one of the wonders of the fire world. I put the butts in the freezer when I lit the fire, but it got up to temp so fast that I don't think they were even in there for half an hour. And my two lovely pieces of bone-in butt had been brining, but only for about 10 hours, since I didn't get my act together earlier. So they were perhaps in a slightly sub-optimal state, but I forged ahead and set them on the grate.

I babysat the fire like a mother cat for the first hour or so, learning how to keep it at 225, which is harder than it sounds. I was burning oak, with some hickory chips, and the occasional lump of mesquite charcoal, for a sort of eclectic flavor profile, also, it was what I had on hand.

After one hour they were already looking edible

After two hours, they were smelling edible

After three hours, I was drooling a bit

Meanwhile I was simmering some Anasazi beans, and waiting for the rain to stop, which it finally did. I had one butt that was half the size of the other, and I was expecting it to be done first. It was 4.5 lbs, and I thought it would take about 6 hours. I put it as far as possible from the firebox, sheltered by the 8.5 pounder, which I thought would take about 10 hours.

Lo and behold, after 7 hours and 40 minutes they were both at 195 and looking righteous.

I wrapped them in double layers of foil and tossed them into a cooler for a couple of hours to wait for dinner. Then, inspired (please do try this at home!) I put the beans into a cast iron skillet and set them to smoke for a couple of hours. Those beans...those were some of the best beans you ever imagined.

I had the sense to realize that the two of us, however much we love butt, were not going to make it through almost 14 pounds of the stuff, so I called in an emergency back-up pair of transplanted Texans to share our bounty. When they arrived, I pulled beauteous butt.

Now, here I should have a great shot of a plate full of butt, smoky beans, bread, Mark's really and truly fabulous mustard sauce, pickles, and a great green salad. Should have, but don't, because no one would stop eating long enough to take a picture.

What a totally fun and satisfying day, and a kick-ass meal. I have a huge pile of meat in the freezer, another more moderate sized bowl in the fridge, and we sent plenty home with our friends as well. I really need to get rid of it so I can do this again as soon as possible!

Next time I'm going to work harder to keep the temp from ever going over 225, and try to get another couple of hours on the cook time, and possibly smoosh a little more smoke into the meat. Not that I'm complaining, and there was a lovely smoke ring, it's just that it was, well, all over too soon.

[ronnie_suburban]

Congrats, Abra. That all looks good enough to eat!

=R=

[col klink]

Nice work Abra!

Those butts progressed exactly as they should have. And great idea with the beans! I'll have to try that. There's also a cabbage recipe that I've been meaning to try for the last two years but I keep forgetting because when I get ready to smoke, all I can think about is meat.

Here's the recipe, adapted from "Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook":

Take 1 cabbage and core out the base. Add one stick of butter. Wrap in foil. Smoke for 4 hours.

When the doc asks why you had a heart attack, you can say it was from eating cabbage!