You can get a cast-iron enameled Dutch oven for about $20 (take that Le Creuset!) at Targets that stock 'em. I bought one for bread baking, and now find it the most-used pot in the house. It’s amazing.
You could it just as well wrapping the pork in foil, though. There’s no reason that wouldn’t work. Or a pyrex casserole dish or whatever other enclosed vessel you can get your hands on.
edit: If you do decide to invest in a smoker down the line, I’d recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain as a minimum (~$225). If you want to spend more, folks swear by the Big Green Egg. I’m happy with my WSM, and I’ve actually managed to pull off a pulled pork on a crappy little $30 portable grill using the knowledge and experience I gained from the WSM.
Oh, I know I don’t have to spend a lot of money on one. The problem is that my kitchen is full to bursting with equipment and I have no room at all for a big pot, especially one I might use only once a year at best. At least the smoker can go on the porch or in the garage and I’d use it for other stuff all summer. The Weber’s too expensive though …
Then you probably have something in your kitchen that would substitute fine for a Dutch oven for the purposes of some of these recipes.
As for the WSM, I think it’s the cheapest decent smoker out there. I had a $50 Brinkman for awhile, and I almost gave up smoking. Difficult to control air flow and temperature, subpar ventilation, no vent on the top lid (crucial to keep that bitter creosote flavor from creeping into your meats), etc. Just a point to consider before you make your purchase.
'Fraid not. Nothing that’s both heavy AND large enough. But that’s OK. I’ll probably end up using the oven - sounds like that will do, though I sure will miss that wood flavor.
You can always bow at the feet of the Cooking God, Alton Brown, and make his pulled pork recipe: http://tinyurl.com/ywtaza (from FoodTV.com).
The transcript for the show can be found at http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/GEFP/. The title of the show is, of course, “Q”. He discusses making a smoker out of two terra cotta flower pots, a tabletop electric burner, and a round grill grate. Cheap and easy.
Ha! I loved that episode - but let’s get one thing straight. It might be cheap, but it didn’t seem easy. Maybe not complicated, but jeez - all that work? Terra cotta pots? Burners? Alton so crazy!
You are about to behold Danny’s Freaking Awesome Ass Pork Recipe (YMMV)
Two cans pineapple chunks
Bottle honey
Merichino Cherries
Big Ass Picnic Ham
Take tooth picks, stab the pineapple and cherries into the meat all over. Take the juice and pour it into the pan (it will be a lot, thats cool), coat the whole bastard with honey, make sure it stays covered, and put the dude in the oven for however long it says (usually time = how much it weighs.)
Take it out, and eat away. Be sure to remove all the tooth picks and such. The juice will have turned into a yummy glaze, and it will be so moist you can just pull it off the bone.
It is a holiday favorite in my family, except for me, who doesn’t eat anything that didn’t have feathers.
A WSM is a great smoker, but you can have my Green Egg when you pry it from my cold dead hands.
I have also seen Brinkmans referred to as ECBs around the BBQ message boards. Stands for El Cheapo Brinkman.
I do picnics and Boston Butts in my egg at 200-225 for 12-24 hours (all depends on the individual cut of meat, some pigs cook faster than others) I cook until I get an internal of 201F.
One odd thing is that when the connective tissue inside the meat starts to turn to gelatin, the internal temp of the meat will stop rising and can actually drop as much as 10 degrees. This plateau can last up to 3 hours.
For the purposes of the OP, I would go with what Nic suggested.
You BGE owners sure are passionate. No, it seriously looks like an awesome product, and if I find the need to buy another smoker, the Big Green Egg will be first on my list. I like the flexibility of it, but you’ve gotta admit, the WSM is a good starter smoker.
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only frustrated by them. It is possible to get okay BBQ from them, but it takes some modification and a lot of oversight. They’re not the stress-free experience WSMs and (I assume) BGEs are.
That’s interesting. I’ve never kept steady observation on temps, but I have noticed plateaus where the meat will seemingly stay at the same temp for hours at a time. I guess this would be the reason why.
I need to experiment a little more this summer. I’ve found that I tend to like my Q cooked at slightly higher temps (250-275) rather than the typical 200-225. I smoked a pork shoulder in a crappy little $30 grill bought at Home Depot a few months ago on a road trip, and I had a hell of a time keeping the temperature right. It was bouncing wildly in the 250 - 325 degree range. But when all was said and done, it was honestly the best pulled pork I’ve ever made. Must experiment more with direct and higher heat methods.
No argument about the WSM, it is a fine unit. I almost bought one, then I saw the egg.
Get one of these and you can watch your temps at any time. Some of the guys over at the egg forum have been known to chart and post internal vs. egg temp charts. Way more info than I need.
Some guys have done Boston Butts at higher temp and gotten them done in only about 4 hours. They call them turbo butts. I cook mine direct on the egg since it does not use a water tray. I do sometimes put a foil pan down to catch the drippings, but I don’t consider a thin aluminum pan to be much of a temp barrier.
I actually have one of those (not that exact brand, but similar probe electronic thermometer.) I don’t like to use thermometers except as a final check. Nothing against them–I just want to teach myself the right feel for the meat and to trust my instincts. It’s helped me immensely in situations away from my WSM and my usual comfort zone.
I just wish those damned things weren’t so expensive. I would love to give a BGE a test drive.
Made this yesterday in the oven. Used a dry rub I got from Tyler Florence’s show. Six hours in the oven at 300 degrees - probably could have gone another hour since my oven tends to run cool, but internal temp was satisfactory and I was mighty hungry after smelling it all afternoon.
OMFG was it good! And there’s more for dinner tonight!
