Where did you get that butt?

[theakston]

Thanks (al et al) for all the advice. I think SFW sounds the best - I'll be heading out there later.

I did not realize that butt was shoulder!

There's another example of the 2 cultures divided by a common language I guess. I've only been here 15 years! I assumed butt = arse = a leg cut (but not ham as ham is cured and I wanted to brine it myself).

Haggis

allow me to summarize the discussions on best smoker:

Weber Smokey Mountain if you want an easy to use inexpensive smoker.

Barbecue with an off-set fire box (such as a brinkman pitmaster) if you really want to get serious Q and don't mind constantly supervising a less controllable fire.

Ceramic Kamado style smoker such as the Green Egg if you plan on using dollar bills instead of charcoal (they are seriously expensive but look very pretty).

Happy smokin'

[Chad]

This is slightly off topic...

I have a nice gas outside grill. This summer I want to get a smoker. Any suggestions?

FYI This whole converstaion about big butts has made me burst out laughting at work :)

Haggis, you might want to check out the eGullet Culinary Institute's tutorial on smoking meat at home. Our very own Col. Klink's guide to all things meaty and smokey -- with examples of various types of smokers.

Take care,

Chad

[TGTyson]

Barbecue with an off-set fire box (such as a brinkman pitmaster) if you really want to get serious Q and don't mind constantly supervising a less controllable fire.

I built my smoker up from a New Braunfels Silver Smoker (also sold at Home Despot under the Char-Broil brand) by combining it with a 45,000 btu gas burner from a turkey frier mounted in the bottom of the offset firebox. A 12" cast iron skillet full of wet wood chips goes in the offset firebox over the burner. With the gas burner providing the heat, the temperature is reasonably stable for 8 to 12 hours. and new chips can be added as needed without opening the cooking chamber.

Despite the fact that the burner could double as the reheat stage of an F-15 engine if I ran it wide open, I typically run it dialed down about as far as it will go without blowing out. That's why the gas bottle lasts for more than an hour or so.

- Tom Tyson

[FunJohnny]

So did everyone's butts get smoked and how were they? Mine turned out quite nicely in my Brinkman Smoker (The Gourmet Model, of course), and won acclaim from those who gathered at my house on Sunday. One friend, from Memphis said it was just as good as Tennessee pulled pork -- but she was probably just being gracious.

[Al_Dente]

I made three 4 1/2 lb butts this weekend. Rigged a big gas Weber which worked way too slowly, but I did manage to get a good bit of hickory smoke into the meat before finishing it the next day in the oven.

I found my butts at a Giant in Bethesda. Got lotsa leftovers

[mnebergall]

I did mine on Saturday. 13 hours in a Brinkmann electric smoker. I had to run out and get more hickory chips. It came out beautifully. I have a nice bag of leftovers. Next time, I am going to look for the big hickory chunks and wrap them in foil. The chips go too quickly. I think I will do a brisket next time as well. I also have anough room so that the next time I do a butt, I can put on a couple of racks of ribs about half way through.

Speaking of brisket, does anyone know of good sources in the NoVA area?

Edited June 1, 2004 by mnebergall (log)

[mnebergall]

Harris Teeter has Boston Butt on sale this week for 88 cents/lb.