What a disaster !!!!!!! Please help !!!!

[Stewpot]

how did the ribs go?

cheers

stew

[Rockape]

Stew ,

The weather was horrific so i had to do them in the oven !!! They were ok !!!

I have a small pork butt about 3 1/2 lb to try this weekend for pulled pork . Im looking around 4/5 hrs and no peeking !

[slatts]

Hi Rockape

Whenever I do a pork shoulder I do it over night, 3lb or 10lb, I don't think it can be "overdone" or ive never seen a difference in the meat.
I wouldn't rely on 3-4hrs, its done when its done and that could be 3hrs or it could be 10. I normally foil in the morning with some bbq marinade or sauce and take off at an internal temp of 195-200f.
Agree with above, 3 fist sized chunks of wood, love the smoke and bbq flavour.

I still use Tesco bone in pork shoulders as they're perfect for the amount of people that I have round, if I more than usual then I just get 2 of them.
I started with pork shoulders and did quite a few before attempting a brisket or anything else that size.

Once you learn how your smoker works then you'll be fine.
I use the Weber briquettes all the time and usually get a decent sleep before the maverick goes off.

All the best and practise just means more bbq food to eat.
Slatts

[Rockape]

Thanks Slatts , good advice there.

I post up how it goes at the weekend.

I do fancy a go at lamb and brisket as well

Thanks

Paul

[slatts]

I put 2 shoulders on last night at 11.30pm and haven't looked at them yet, added a 1/4 of a chimney of coals earlier.

Will be trimming a leg of lamb and rubbing with seasoned salt soon for that to go on the Weber later, last time I took one to a party and it went down very well.

Practise makes plenty of food and a belly

[Rockape]

Hi Slatts

I have put my 3lb pork on at 12:15 today , now 6hrs , i havent looked at it today until i put some thighs on 30 mins ago. It stalled at 65c , now on 77c. For a small bit of pork its taking a long time. I had the heat much higher today as well.

So im wondering what time you plan to eat if you cook overnight ? Do you keep them in a coolbox to rest and stay warm ?

Cheers

[Scantily]

Hi Slatts

I have put my 3lb pork on at 12:15 today , now 6hrs , i havent looked at it today until i put some thighs on 30 mins ago. It stalled at 65c , now on 77c. For a small bit of pork its taking a long time. I had the heat much higher today as well.

So im wondering what time you plan to eat if you cook overnight ? Do you keep them in a coolbox to rest and stay warm ?

Cheers

One of the key rules of BBQ is that the meat is done when it's done, often defying all rules of x amount of time per pound. And you need to plan with this in mind, I always allow an extra 2-3 hours onto any calculated cook time. If it's ready earlier than needed then allow it to cool for a short while (to prevent over cooking whilst resting) before double wrapping in foil, wrapping in towels and put into a cool box, pack out any empty space in the cool box with extra towels and it should keep it hot for a good few hours.

Also if you aren't wrapping then this can significantly increase the cook time, I've cooked several 5-6lb bone in shoulders that have taken 12 hours+, way beyond any standard timings, often I'll crack and end up wrapping just to power through the last few degrees. Much better to have the meat ready early than be hungry waiting for it to be ready.

As for overnight cooks it depends on how dedicated you are, if you want it to be ready closer to your eating time then you may need to get it started in the wee hours of the morning. But personally I like my sleep far too much and will start the cook around midnight and let it run until my temp probe alarm tells me I need to adjust pit temp or probe the meat for tenderness. When ready, as above I'll wrap and chuck in the cooler, and if necessary heat it back up in the oven if the internal temp has dropped too much.

[Rockape]

Thanks for the info.

I got it to 94 internal and pulled it and it was good. Another lesson learned there , allow plenty of time.

One thing i noticed as well. I had some coals unburnt on one side. This was from the side of the vent facing into the breeze. I will make allowances for that next time and maybe push the coal grate away from that side a bit.

Also , the temp started dropping a bit , and opening all vents only kept it at 110. I put a starter 3/4 full and it stayed around 125 then.

Cheers

Paul

[slatts]

Hi

Sorry didn't get on here sat night or yesterday.

I took my shoulders off at 11.30am so a 12hr cook.
If I have to add extra coals then I always have some left over, depends where the wind is blowing and how you have the bottom vents, I usually have some left on one side.

I foiled my pork around 9.30am and put them straight in the cool box when I took them off at 195f internal, covered them in a towel and left them for an hour or 2, pulled perfectly and went down very well. I couldn't get my usual foiling marinade so I used Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce and it still worked fine.

Leg of lamb then went on for 5hrs.

hope that helps

[keith157]

Thanks Slatts , good advice there.

I post up how it goes at the weekend.

I do fancy a go at lamb and brisket as well

Thanks

Paul

Hi Paul as a few other posters have said concentrate on getting one cut of meat as close to perfect as you can. This doesn't preclude cooking others as well but if you crack the pork butt it allows you to concentrate on the next cut. I started off with chicken and ribs then when I, and more importantly, my family & guests were happy I moved on to butts, ribs, lamb and beef. I actually prefer cooking a lump of chuck rather than brisket as if it is not at a pulling stage it slices beautifully and if it pulls properly it has worked.