Butt Fat

[=Mark]

I have to add that a couple years fighting with an el cheapo H2O smoker can aid one in a crucial aspect of smoking: fire control.

Jmcgrath sold me my first el cheapo Brinkmann (known as the "ECB" on the smoking lists) 5 or 6 years ago when I was first getting interested in smoking. To paraphrase, he said that anyone can get a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) and immediately start cranking out good BBQ without much effort, but to struggle with an ECB which lacks any air intake control requires you to be more attuned to the elements and aspects of burning charcoal and wood while maintaining an optimum temperature and degree of smoke.

You have to learn to be proactive as there are wide lags between adding fuel and wood and the resulting temps and levels of smoke. You have to learn by trial and error such things as when you go from a thin whisp of bluish smoke to no smoke at all that one of your wood chunks has caught fire and you better get on it before you get a 400 degree temp spike.

Once you've beaten your head on an ECB smoker for a couple of years you can REALLY appreciate the graduation up to a WSM. The control of the air intake as well as the knowledge of smoking with proper fire control really enhances the experience.

So, Klink, jmcgrath... You guys up to an EGCI class on smoking?

[Toliver]

So, Klink, jmcgrath...  You guys up to an EGCI class on smoking?

And what about a grilling/barbecue class? Are you guys planning to do one on that, too?

[col klink]

I'm just working on a smoking class. I think I'll address both a turkey and a butt or maybe a brisket since the later two fall under the same category of "cook at a low temp for a long time" category and it's not that more difficult to write up.

I am going to address grilling, but only as a method of cooking -- I'm not going to teach a class on it. If anyone would like to teach a grilling class, jump right in.

[russ parsons]

one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that untrimmed pork butt is almost exactly the ratio of fat to lean that is necessary for making good sausages.

[alanamoana]

i just had to add my two cents worth because of the topic title. i would agree to trim the butt fat, but that would require liposuction in my case and i can't afford it

man, the fat on the pork butt is the best thing. when my mom buys pork butt and trims it down, she makes cracklin'...damn the american "health consciousness"...