I Have Much Pork

[Chad]

Here we go.

[Fukui-san voice]Tasting and judgement. Who takes it? Whose butt reigns supreme?[/Fukui-san voice]

Well, it was pretty damn good. The meat was still juicy, to the point of being wet. The slashing didn't have any adverse effect. Didn't do any good, either. Skip the slashing step. James Villas is wrong. Not worth the time, effort or mess.

The Weber kettle performed spectacularly. Not a hassle at all. Once I got the ambient temperature settled down, I ran some errands, took a shower, read a little -- no worries whatsoever about the meat. Being the obsessive type, I did check it fairly frequently, but only to reassure myself that I was being paranoid. If you only have a kettle grill and haven't tried smoking, do so. It's no big deal at all.

The pork had a very definite, but light, smoke flavor. Nice indeed. As good as any I've ever had. My wife and kids loved it, and none of them has had this type of barbecue before. WNC style sauce was done to taste at the table. It's the stuff in the upper right corner of the Sammich! shot.

I ended up pulling the meat out of the oven at 185 (10 freaking hours), simply because the crew was becoming mutinous. I let it rest while Lisa boiled the corn and I toasted the buns over the remnants of the coals. It pulled pretty easily, but I ended up chopping it as well, mainly to get the crispies mixed in properly.

First slice, just to show the smoke ring. Not bad at all.

Sammich!

Out of a 6-pound shoulder we got five sandwiches for dinner (yes, I'm the pig who ate two) and a little more than a quart of leftover meat.

I'm thinkin' barbecue carnitas.

Thanks, folks, y'all have been wonderful -- answering questions, putting up with my bitching, offering suggestions. I really appreciate it.

Chad

edit to get my Iron Chef character voice right, remove an unappetizing photograph and add praise of the Weber kettle.

[Bombdog]

Chad, it looks DELICIOUS! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Now I REALLY can't wait for next weekend! And thanks for the experiment and report on the "slashing of the butt", as it should be now known.

[mnebergall]

This thread is what eGullet is all about; gathering the knowledge of the collective,. testing it, and putting it to use.

[enrevanche]

Chad, your butt is a thing of beauty, marvelous to behold.

Back home, in North Carolina, I assisted at many a pig-picking. One of the (relatively few) things I dislike about living in a New York City apartment is that I have no place to set up a grill or a smoker.

I have been living vicariously through you today. Thanks for documenting this so thoroughly and lovingly. Honestly, I could almost taste it.

[fifi]

Bravo Chad!

I can't tell you how many times I have pulled pork butt or brisket off before I really wanted to because waiting any longer would have resulted in the troops taking up torches and getting the dogs. What I do now is plan for 2 hours later than I think it might be. After all, If it does get to the magic 200 earlier, I can wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler. Of course, that sometimes results in my getting up at two in the morning to crank the thing up.

I am cancelling any thoughts of slashing and saucing routines. Thank you for "taking one" for the team.

[snowangel]

Thanks, Chad, for laying out tomorrow and Monday.

Tomorrow: Get me a nice butt.

Monday: Get the kids of to school and smoke.

Sounds wicked, doesn't it?

[Mayhaw Man]

Breakfast at Chez Chad-

Huevos con Butt.

Sounds delicious, no?

I enjoyed following your project and I completely understand a throng of hungry family members (for those of you that never get the experience-just picture little birds in the nest, their little beaks wide open and their featherless throats, starving and empty waiting on mom to return to the nest with a tasty prechewed morsel-that's what your family comes to look like in the eyes of a chef who is in no big hurry as he is enjoying the preperation as much as the actual eating of the meal)

[Varmint]

I've been too busy to check the site the past few days, and I can't believe I missed out on this. Strong work, Chad. Butts are the best, and you've got a might fine one.

The slashing is a joke, as the sauce doesn't have much effect. You need to start trying other types of wood. Oak works quite well, but get some pecan or fruit tree wood. You'll notice the difference.

Congratulations, as you're no longer a butt virgin. Ugh. Sorry.

[Chad]

Chad, your butt is a thing of beauty, marvelous to behold.

I find myself curiously flattered, yet disturbed

Back home, in North Carolina, I assisted at many a pig-picking.  One of the (relatively few) things I dislike about living in a New York City apartment is that I have no place to set up a grill or a smoker.

I have been living vicariously through you today.    Thanks for documenting this so thoroughly and lovingly. Honestly, I could almost taste it.

Yep, I really miss southern barbecue. Not that the hot cow with red sauce they're so proud of here in Kansas isn't tasty. It is. It's just not the kind of barbecue I crave.

Thanks for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

Chad

[Chad]

Thanks, Chad, for laying out tomorrow and Monday.

Tomorrow: Get me a nice butt.

Monday: Get the kids of to school and smoke.

Sounds wicked, doesn't it?

Woohoo! Good for you. I was thinking pulled pork carnitas for dinner tonight, but apparently my wife and kids really, really liked the barbecue. When I started talking about how carnitas are made, my wife said, "You're not making real carnitas anyway, so do you have to fry the meat? As a matter of fact, can't you just heat it up? And maybe put it on a bun? Don't mess with it."

We compromised on pulled pork quesadillas done in the oven (a trick I picked up from a Bobby Flay book) and roasted corn soup with chipotle cream sauce. Mmmmm.

Have fun with your butt!

Chad

[snowangel]

Plans revised. Since it has been cold and rainy up north, we will not go to The Cabin next weekend.

Instead, we will celebrate Heidi's birthday here, on Sunday. Pork butt it shall be.

Now here's the question. Due to time on Sunday, I should smoke the thing on Saturday. What's the best way to heat it up again on Sunday? Or, should I do what is truely something I abhor -- get up at like 3:00 am to get the thing going and be so exhausted I don't enjoy the party?

[fifi]

I would do it the day before so you are not pressured to pull it off too soon. IMHO, this stuff reheats really well since you aren't concerned with "overcooking". I would just wrap it in foil, put it away after it cools, and throw it in a low oven (300?) for a while.

[Chad]

Definitely do it the day before. If its pulled before it's put away, I've had good luck reheating on the stovetop, either in a double boiler or a heavy bottomed pan at low-med temperatures. If you just do it in a pan, it might need a little liquid. Whatever sauce you plan on using would be perfect, but you could also just use a little water or stock to keep it moist.

Have fun.

Chad

[dls]

Friend of mine did 4 good size butts recently for a party the following day. Took them off at 190, loosely foiled, and gradually cooled. Then pulled and put into large plastic containers and refrigerated. Following day, put pulled pork in a couple of large crockpots, stirred in sauce, warmed, and served. Great taste with no stress.

[snowangel]

I would do it the day before so you are not pressured to pull it off too soon. IMHO, this stuff reheats really well since you aren't concerned with "overcooking". I would just wrap it in foil, put it away after it cools, and throw it in a low oven (300?) for a while.

So, fifi, you'd advocating pulling on day of party?

I do not want to reheat it in sauce; I want it plain and let people make their own saucy choices with my butt.

[fifi]

Uh, no. Now that I think about it. Chad and dls have the right idea. I just wasn't thinking. I think it is easier to pull right after you take it off. Well, when it gets just cool enough to handle. I have done it the next day after it warmed up and it worked ok but it wasn't as easy. I have also done it after thawing a frozen one and heating. That was even harder. I guess some of the gelatin "glues" it all back together. Using a crockpot for serving is a good idea.

[Mabelline]

A truly moving tail of butts and requited love. Beautiful pictures, and lively commentary. I am so glad I waited till I ate my supper before I read it from nose to tail.

Whenever you can get pearwood, grab that stuff and run! It makes any meat, fowl, or fish excellent...my favorite; I like it much better than applewood.

[snowangel]

My butts are brining and I'm charging the camera for tomorrow's smoking. My family is going to think I'm crazy for photographing a smoking butt.

[fifi]

I will be doing a couple of butts this weekend as well. My freezer is out of pulled pork and I need to do one for a friend. Does this mean I have to charge my camera? Are we continuing this blog? Does a wild bear... ??? Well, you know what I mean. What would Memorial Day be without BBQ?

[mnebergall]

I have a 7.5 pounder in the brine. In the smoker tomorrow morning, early, hopefully Q by evening.

[Bombdog]

Picked up my 16 lb shoulder today. I have to work Sat/Sun at the port, but will be starting this baby late Sunday night for a Monday feast! Pics to follow!

[Chad]

Picked up my 16 lb shoulder today. I have to work Sat/Sun at the port, but will be starting this baby late Sunday night for a Monday feast! Pics to follow!

Hoo boy, a 16lb shoulder? Damn. I'll be interested to hear what Fifi and Snowangel have to say, but I'd plop that sucker in the brine Saturday morning before you go to work. At the latest, Saturday evening. One cup of salt for every gallon of water, maybe a cup of sugar for the whole thing and a couple of crushed pepper corns -- see Dave the Cook's course on brining in the eGCI for more details.

You know this thing is going to take forever, right? Even a conservative 1.5 hours per pound puts you at 24 hours of smoking. Or 6-7 hours of smoking (until the meat reaches 140) and many more hours in a 225 degree oven.

I would suspect that you'd have better luck cutting it in half. Two 8lb shoulder chunks will come up to temp a little sooner than one 16lb slab o' meat.

Okay, we've reached the limits of my knowledge. I'll let the more experienced folks take over from here.

Have fun!

Chad

[snowangel]

This is sounding like a ready, set, smoke your butt weekend. How many more will smoke butts?

Pics, everyone, please!

[Bombdog]

I would suspect that you'd have better luck cutting it in half. Two 8lb shoulder chunks will come up to temp a little sooner than one 16lb slab o' meat.

Yeah, that was exactly my thought, after I hauled it in the house and plopped it on the counter......Man, that sucker is HUGE!

[mnebergall]

I put the 7.5 pounder in the smoker at about 8:00 this morning. After three hours, the internal temp is up to about 120. My understanding is that when it reachs about 170, it will level off for a while: How long before it starts rising again? I am concerned that the internal temp is coming up too quickly. My smoker has 2 levels. I have the butt on the top level. Should I put it on the lower level?