Smokin' in the Rain

[Daddy-A]

I had my first taste of "real" BBQ 2 years ago courtesy of Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuck. It's his fault. Pulled pork butt, slow cooked ... dear God! It's like crack cocaine to me. I'll admit, I'm adicted. The hallowed halls of eGullet have introduced me to other like-minded folk. Persuers of the pig. Trouble is, they're all south ... and I don't mean Blaine, WA. I realised the only way I was going to bea able to feed this adiction would be to go it on my own ... purchase a smoker, and bring true BBQ home.

And so I did. I christened my BBQ like on eGullet during my blog, and have since used it with great success. The challenge I face, unlike those who partake in the southern climes, is the cold and the damp. So, when I decided to smoke 18lbs of pork butt for our annual "Victoria Day Luau", the relentless downpour forecast for the weekend did not bode well for my success. Not only was it going to be wet, I was attempting an 18 hour smoke - starting at 8pm on Saturday and finishing at 2pm on Sunday.

This my account of those 18 hours.

Here they are in all their porcine glory - 2 9lb. pork butts, trimmed and ready to go.

Rubbed with mustard and "Bob's Championship Rub" courtesy of Rockin Ron's cookbook

The "pit" - 8:00pm Pacific Time

The weather had been pretty good all day Saturday. High overcast, about 12C (54F) and a slight wind. I had successfully smoked 3 chickens earlier that day. The temperature of the Bullet help steady at 225F for the entire 4 hours.

The butts went in at 7:30pm ... I was impatient, and figured if they finished cooking earlier, it was better than later (guests were arriving just after 4pm on Sunday). Temperature held solid right up until midnight when I went to bed. I used cherry for this session.

First check of the pit was at 2:30am. This is what I saw:

Top level butt

Bottom level butt

By this time, the rain was falling heavier. The umbrella was not rain-suitable, so I had to make some modifications:

Vancouver-style BBQ Pit

Temperature was still rock solid, but with the rain falling harder I threw some more briquettes in preparation. Next temperature check was 5:30 ... when it all hit the fan!

There was a storm a-brewin'! I don't know what the winds were blowing at, but they were howling, and driving rain right under the umbrella. I was too busy attempting to shield the smoker to take any pictures. The temperature had plumetted to about 130F and the tarp was now flapping around in the neighbours yard! I had to light another chimney of coals (inside as it was blowing to hard!) and fight like mad to get the temperature back up.

Vancouver-style BBQ Pit with new Umbrella tarp & Wind-break.

From 6:00am on the skies opened up and it rained as hard as I've ever seen in Vancouver (I was born and raised here). The temperature in the pit flirted with 200F but would never reach it. At about 11am, my sons & I decided to perform an emergency pit rescue. We lit up another chimney of charcoal. When it was fully burning, we removed the entire top section of the of the smoker(my favorite thing about the Bullet), emptied out the old charcoal and ash, and started with fresh coals. I have burns on my forearms (don't panic, they're minor) but the pit finally got up to 210F!

The butts were taken out of the pit around 2:30 (thank goodness I started them early) with an internal temperature of just over 200F. They were left to rest for about 40 minutes as we made other preparations for the party. Then, the shredding began!

Success!

The end results were very satisfactory. Tender, juicy, and just the right amount of smoke. Would I do the 18 hour session again? Definitley ... but in August! The results are excellent, but smoking in the rain completely SUCKS!

Finally, thanks to my pit crew:

"Meat-Mad" Matt & "Rockin'" Ryan.

A.

[Luckylies]

so awesome. I just got may dad (myself) the same smoker for his birthday (yesterday) and will be making him (myself) some brisket next weekend. I look foreward to some rain type situtions...but am very excited. I wish my dad were as tenacious as you are....pork butt all the time. very lovely job! thanks for sharing with us.

[maui420]

be sure to get 2 themometers, 1 to watch the temp and another to make sure the first is right!.

i remember when i started real bbq, the first few cooks i had came out overcooked, or raw. my thermometer was off by 50degrees!

so awesome. I just got may dad (myself) the same smoker for his birthday (yesterday) and will be making him (myself) some brisket next weekend. I look foreward to some rain type situtions...but am very excited. I wish my dad were as tenacious as you are....pork butt all the time.  very lovely job! thanks for sharing with us.

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[Ling]

I can attest that it was some killer pulled pork. I mounded my plate three times with all that juicy, porky goodness (with lots of caramelized meat bits) and slathered it with the delicious homemade bbq sauce. Wish I had some now!

Thanks for going through all that trouble and opening your house to a swarm of meat-hungry Egulleters, Daddy-A!

[maui420]

oh btw, that is some killer looking pulled pork! i have plans all day saturday for the same very thing.

[peppyre]

Wow! When I talked to J and Monday night she said you had a hell of time and now i see that you truly did. it's a lovely butt, sad i missed it, but at least i got to have some bbq in portland as a very minor consolation.

[handmc]

There are times we must suffer for our art, but it is always worth it. Now that you have tackled rain, smoking in the snow will be a snap!

Edited May 26, 2005 by handmc (log)

[fifi]

I gotta say, Daddy-A, that set up looks a lot like a Texas Blue Norther rig.

You did the right thing by lifting the top off and starting with new coals. I love that about this little jewel as well. I also have a smoker (farmed out at a friend's house right now) that has the fire box off-set on the side. You would think that would be easier to maintain temperature but it isn't. And I would put pans of water in the smoke chamber of that one, too.

I have been able to deal with shifting winds by fiddling with the vents at the bottom. Here, I have actually started out a smoking session in 85F and light south winds, ending up with 40F, howling wind and rain.

[BCinBC]

Yeah what Ling said...

Thanks Daddy-A, they were indeed a couple of smokin fine butts - and the rest of the food wasn't too shabby either! Despite my zombie-like status, I won't soon forget the mass of meat (stomach rumbling for more now...), the best-behaved group of kids I've seen in a long time, and of course the deconstructed halo-halo.

[Toliver]

You would think that would be easier to maintain temperature but it isn't. And I would put pans of water in the smoke chamber of that one, too.

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Funny you should mention this...

Col. Klink just answered such a question in the eGCI. He suggested lining the firebox with fire bricks to help maintain and hold the heat, which I think is a brilliant suggestion. So the bricks would sort of do for the fire what the water pan does for the smoker.

[fifi]

. . . . .

Col. Klink just answered such a question in the eGCI.  He suggested lining the firebox with fire bricks to help maintain and hold the heat, which I think is a brilliant suggestion.  So the bricks would sort of do for the fire what the water pan does for the smoker.

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That is certainly a good idea and should work quite well. However . . .

I deeply resent the conspiracy afoot to deprive me of a new toy . . . with purple tiles.

[snowangel]

I deeply resent the conspiracy afoot to deprive me of a new toy . . . with purple tiles. 

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I'm feeling like an underachiever. I've never had a problem with my plebian Weber Kettle. I don't even need the bullet! I'll be smoking shoulders (probably in the rain) for a little girl's 11th birthday party tomorrow or Saturday.

[TJHarris]

That is some darn tasty looking pork. total jealousy!