British BBQ Society Forums

Over the weekend i fired up the smoker for the 2nd time.

This time I decided to smoke some ribs on the top shelf and a blade of pork on the 2nd. I don't know if this is the ideal cut for pulled pork, but that was my intention.

I fired the WSM up at around 9 to get the blade of pork on early. I then threw the ribs on an hour and a half later.

I checked on the temp every hour or so and although it was running quite hot it wasn't anything silly. I was averaging 130-145 C. I reduced the size of the bottom vents considerably and reduced the top vent to about half. It seemed to bring temps down to about 125-130 C and after 3-4 hours I added a bit of cold water into the bucket.

By 3PM the ribs were perfect. However by 4PM the blade of pork was also done. Temp wise, I was around 84 degrees C, more than I was expecting, especially as this was something I wanted to smoke all day, say 8-10 hours (not 6).

Do I need to reduce the heat on the coals? Am I doing something wrong? or do you just leave it in despite hitting temp?

Thanks

Sorry, I work in Farenheit for cooking, so you'll have to do your own conversions...

183F, the internal temp you said your pork was done at, is far too low for pulled pork. Keep it going until it hits at least 200F, then rest it for at least half an hour before pulling. If by "done" you mean the outside of the meat, then wrap it in foil for the rest of the cook.

Temp control - how did you set your fire? Did you use the minion method? If not, use it, if so, perhaps you used too many lit coals.

Cut of meat - yes, blade is part of the shoulder joint, and should be brilliant for pulled pork.

Eet smakelijk!

Yes, used minion method. Seems to work quite well.

OK, So I was on the right track, I just needed to cook beyond what I was expecting.

We ate it last night and it tasted amazing with the smokey flavour. It just didn't pull as easy as expected after i cooked it. I know what to do next time.

Thanks

Another piece of advice is don't ever go by time. Whilst you might expect, say, a large piece of pork shoulder to take about 1.5 hours per lb, BBQ is only ever done when it's done, not a moment before.

Rob is correct, BBQ is so variable that timings mean little, the way you set your coals, ambient temp, ventilation, weight of meat, water temp, humidity, all affect the way the BBQ functions, it drives you mad!!!
Now where did I put those tablets and bottle of wine?

Best thing is to not let it stress you out to the point of requiring too much in the way of medication ;D I find beer helps. It also ensures rule #1 of bbq is ticked off - ensure the chef is well hydrated.

Allow plenty of time, and if cooking for a particular meal, it pays to have backups just in case.