Half a bottle is about right. So is medstar’s apple juice.
What do you want to know about a smoker? I have a 55 gallon one sitting outside right now, just waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more. Made from a drum that used to hold malt extract.
[QUOTE=wmulax93]
Also, I’d like to learn how to use a smoker. What resources are available?
[/QUOTE]
If you’re starting on a Weber Smoky Mountain (which I do recommend, because it’s relatively cheap --around $200-- and does a fantastic job), you really must start here. Do not deviate from the lessons! Faithfully follow every lesson in order and you will learn the basics of fire control and real barbecue.
Once you understand the technique, you can make barbecue on the crappiest of equipment–last year I managed a wonderful 12-hour pulled pork on one of those tiny $20 camping grills. It took constant fire management, but the end result was as good as what I get on a proper smoker.
[QUOTE=pulykamell]
If you’re starting on a Weber Smoky Mountain (which I do recommend, because it’s relatively cheap --around $200-- and does a fantastic job), you really must start here. Do not deviate from the lessons! Faithfully follow every lesson in order and you will learn the basics of fire control and real barbecue.
Once you understand the technique, you can make barbecue on the crappiest of equipment–last year I managed a wonderful 12-hour pulled pork on one of those tiny $20 camping grills. It took constant fire management, but the end result was as good as what I get on a proper smoker.
[/QUOTE]
Is this safe to do in an (open) garage at a townhouse? I don’t have much yard to work with, but have a wonderful driveway and two-car garage.
[QUOTE=wmulax93]
Is this safe to do in an (open) garage at a townhouse? I don’t have much yard to work with, but have a wonderful driveway and two-car garage.
[/QUOTE]
It’s great for smoking in the garage.
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
Cook on low for 8 hours or so. Then drain the liquid and discard it (there went most of your fat), pour a bottle or two of your favorite barbeque sauce into the crock, add the meat back in, and cook again for another 4 hours on low. I know, it takes a long time. But trust me, it’s worth it. You won’t even have to pull it - just scoop it out with a fork.
[/QUOTE]
ok not ripping on you at all here, I keep hearing this method and I hate it, (the method that is) if you do this you are getting a great sandwich I admit BUT, I highly recommend you try a similar but very different trick.
cook it in sauce of your choice. my preference is a jar of franks red hot buffalo wing sauce, either a can of spicy hot v8 or a jar of hot salsa (note the end product will NOT be hot, after 10 hours the heat is gone. chop up an onion and a bell pepper of whatever color you like)
I usually cut the pork into 2 inch thick slices or so.
cook for 10 hours or so on low and then Shred the pork in the pot BEFORE YOU DRAIN THE SAUCE, thats right shred, THEN drain.
after shredding (usually with a plastic spoon, all ya gotta do is smash it up) drain the pork in a large strainer of some kind. drain well but dont try to get it dry just kinda stir it around til its just dripping and then serve. it comes out great and doesnt need any sauce at all, but you can still add any sauce you would like to it.
[QUOTE=pulykamell]
If you’re starting on a Weber Smoky Mountain (which I do recommend, because it’s relatively cheap --around $200-- and does a fantastic job), you really must start here. Do not deviate from the lessons! Faithfully follow every lesson in order and you will learn the basics of fire control and real barbecue.
Once you understand the technique, you can make barbecue on the crappiest of equipment–last year I managed a wonderful 12-hour pulled pork on one of those tiny $20 camping grills. It took constant fire management, but the end result was as good as what I get on a proper smoker.
[/QUOTE]
I bought a WSM when I had to cook a turkey out of town for Christmas. Good unit, but it is a charcoal hog compared to my Big Green Egg.
If I was starting over again (assuming that money was not a consideration) which one would I buy? The egg is way more versatile and can do more things with less charcoal. The two advantages of the WSM are portability if you have to go out of town and smoke something, and size. With two racks you can get a bit more in a WSM. The advantages of the egg are greater temp range. I can cook from about 180F to >1000F. Which is great for searing steaks. I can cook for 24 hours straight on a single load of charcoal. To me the temp control is easier on the egg. Lastly due to the lower fuel consumption, I don’t need a water pan, as the meat does not dry out.
The bottom line is this wmulax93 which ever smoker you buy there are tons or resources out there. Smoking is about 1/2 science and about 1/2 art. Which ever smoker you buy there is a group out there on the net for support. Weber has a great site for WSM owners, as does The big green egg.
If you want more specific advice feel free to ask.
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl]
So, I have the hunk of pork butt, some fantastic bbq sauce, a cast iron Dutch oven, and some fresh Kaiser rolls. Um… now what?
I’m thinking of just dumping the meat and sauce in the Dutch, setting the oven itself to about two hundred, and letting it cook in there for about five or six hours. Simple, but will the pork end up shredding nicely for sandwiches or end up a large, solid, uninviting hunk of overcooked sadness? Should I roast the pork first, then shred it and put it in the sauce for a few hours? Should I just get over the fact that I’m a Yankee and leave southern cooking well enough alone?
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Rhythm
[/QUOTE]
The Dutch oven is OK, but the advantage of oven roasting vs. crockpot is you needn't add liquid. The cut will generate plentiful liquid.Don't take the liquid off 'til you're done as the fat bastes the meat. Fat can be separated later and the liquid used for other purpose.Rubs are a good thing.
The main thing with any method is the long slow heat breaking down collagen.Smoke from combustion of wood/coals adds a unique element but isn't mandatory.
Your BBQ sauce would best be added after shredding onto a broiler platter and carefully heating to just under char temp.
[QUOTE=Rick]
I bought a WSM when I had to cook a turkey out of town for Christmas. Good unit, but it is a charcoal hog compared to my Big Green Egg.
If I was starting over again (assuming that money was not a consideration) which one would I buy? The egg is way more versatile and can do more things with less charcoal.
[/QUOTE]
I was going to menion the Egg, but aren’t those all around $500 or so? I didn’t want to scare the poor fellow off with the cost.
The WSM is certainly not as efficient as the Egg. After all, the Egg is a ceramic smoker, and retains heat an order of magnitude better than a WSM. In a WSM, a 12 hour smoke usually requires two loads of charcoal. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Egg is a better smoker. However, learning on the WSM, in my opinion, has made me a bit more adaptable to situations where a ceramic smoker is not available (read: most), so I definitely would recommend people to start on something like a WSM. It’s a little more finicky, but I feel it helps you understand fire control better.
But, hey, when it comes to barbecue, everyone has an opinion. 
[QUOTE=Rick]
To me the temp control is easier on the egg. Lastly due to the lower fuel consumption, I don’t need a water pan, as the meat does not dry out.
[/QUOTE]
Temp control is easier on the Egg. No doubt. The thing is rock steady so far as I’ve seen. I think the WSM seems steady and solid, but I don’t use a grate thermometer, so I don’t know. The graphs I’ve seen online seem to indicate it’s pretty steady.
On the WSM, you don’t need the water pan. Depending on what I’m making (especially chicken), I will forgo the water pan and do a direct cook over coals. For something like chicken, you don’t have to build the coals any differently. However, for something like pulled pork, there’s other ways of building the ring that will allow for long low and slow cooking.
[QUOTE=Critical1]
cook for 10 hours or so on low and then Shred the pork in the pot BEFORE YOU DRAIN THE SAUCE, thats right shred, THEN drain.
[/QUOTE]
The thought of just that made my Weight Watchers leader pass out in pain, I assure you. What you see as a “bug”, I see as a feature: a way to render off most of the fat without losing the gelatin.
If obesity wasn’t an issue, (or if I planned ahead and alloted the Points for it), I’m sure your method would yield a very excellent pulled pork as well, I admit.
I was wondering when the regional debate would begin! I’m from Chicago. “Barbeque” (even if it’s made in a crock pot) here means thick tomato based sweet tangy sauce. Now, I’m enough of a barbeque lover to adore vinegary sauces and mustardy sauces and hoisin and satay and tandori besides - but I must have sauce. No matter how good the meat, I want the tang, sweetness and moisture of added sauce. YMMV, obviously.
[QUOTE=WhyNot]
I was wondering when the regional debate would begin! I’m from Chicago. “Barbeque” (even if it’s made in a crock pot) here means thick tomato based sweet tangy sauce. Now, I’m enough of a barbeque lover to adore vinegary sauces and mustardy sauces and hoisin and satay and tandori besides - but I must have sauce. No matter how good the meat, I want the tang, sweetness and moisture of added sauce. YMMV, obviously.
[/QUOTE]
It depends where you are in Chicago. On the South and West Sides, barbecue means what it should mean: food slow-cooked over real wood. Traditional Chicago barbecue is usually smoked in an aquarium smoker over hardwood (usually no charcoals). Off the top of my head, Honey 1 is one of the few North Side spots doing genuine Chicago barbecue. Hecky’s in Evanston also uses the Chicago aquarium smoker. Stuff like Twin Anchors or Gale Street Inn ribs are not barbecue, though they may be doused in BBQ sauce.
But, yes, as for sauce, tomato-based, sweet and tangy sauces are the general rule around here, but there is quite a bit of range, and they still can be quite vinegary, and often include (like Lem’s on 75th just east of MLK) an interesting spice, like cloves.
I sometimes get a little pedantic about Chicago barbecue, because many people, even those living in this city, don’t realize that Chicago does have its own regional style of barbecue, and the sauce is not what defines it, and it’s a shame. There’s some master craftsmen working the pits here. Rib tips and hot links are definitive to Chicago barbecue, as are the aforementioned aquarium smokers. Also, Chicago barbecue is smoked at a bit higher of a temp (like around 275-300F), so you get a vaguely grill-flavored element to the meat as well.
pulykamell don’t get me wrong, I like my WSM. I like it a lot. It sits on my patio right next to my egg and I trade off between them. You are correct about the price, the large egg is about $560 IIRC at Barbecues Galore. The XL is more than that.
About regional BBQ, pulled pork is generally considered to be a specialty of the Carolinas. (North or South, I can’t recall which right at the moment) and is usually served with a vinegar based sauce. If someone has only had bottled tomato based sweet BBQ sauce before, a taste of a vinegar based sauce might come as a bit of a shock. It’s great, but probably not was was expected.
I was unaware of Chicago Barbecue, I will keep my eyes open for some. BTW one question. Aquarium smokers? Doesn’t the smoke bother the fish? 
WTH is an aquarium smoker?
[QUOTE=Rick]
pulykamell don’t get me wrong, I like my WSM. I like it a lot. It sits on my patio right next to my egg and I trade off between them. You are correct about the price, the large egg is about $560 IIRC at Barbecues Galore. The XL is more than that.
[/quote]
Oh, I think we’re more or less on the same page. I REALLY would love a Big Green Egg, but I’m not sure I can justify the expense. (You know, not like that’s stopped me before.) Actually, in terms of charcoal savings, I’m sure it would pay for itself over the course of 5 years or so.
Pulled pork is both Carolinas. There’s generally three areas into which Carolina barbecue is divided into: Eastern North Carolina, Western North Carolina, and South Carolina. Eastern North specializes in whole hog as well as just shoulder, and the sauce is tomatoless, usually just cider vinegar, hot peppers, and salt. Western North has the addition of tomato, usually in the form of ketchup. South Carolina is a mish-mash of different styles (you’ll find all the above sauces in South Carolina), but it’s probably most well-known for its mustard-based sauce. I like serving mustard-based sauce with my pulled pork to mix it up from time to time. I do not like sweet sauces with pork.
Anyhow, this is a typical Chicago aquarium smoker. The design seems to originate from the early 1950s, from a local sheet metal business.
To further expound on Chicago barbecue, like I said rib tips (the part that gets trimmed off a St. Louis cut), hot links (different than Texas hot links, as I understand it) as well as whole spares are the usual offerings. Baby backs are not the preferred cut in this style (which is fine, I prefer spares by far.) A typical rib shack will serve it to you in a styrofoam container, with the meat on a bed of fries, and topped with two slices of Wonder (or equivalent) bread. A small container of cole slaw is included on the side (mostly as an afterthought). There usually is not much of a selection (if any) of sides. The rib shacks also generally do not contain any dining in facilities. Food is all take away at most places.
I seem to recall that in one of the Carolinas that goat was the meat of choice for Q.
Thanks for the info on Chicago style Q.
[QUOTE=Rick]
I seem to recall that in one of the Carolinas that goat was the meat of choice for Q.
[/QUOTE]
Hmmm…not that I know of. I know that in parts of Texas goat is popular, but, as far as I know, pork (whether whole hog or shoulder) is the predominant meat of choice in both Carolinas. So much so that “barbecue” is synonymous with pulled pork in much of the region.
:smack: A quick Googling confirms that you are correct. Where the hell did I get that idea I wonder.
[QUOTE=Rhythmdvl]
So the rush is off – after reading how it should be done and the underlying emphasis on how good it is when it’s done right, I’m putting things off until Wednesday – I’ll be able to start it first thing in the morning and will be able to let it go all day into the evening – if I’m lucky, I’ll have a 12 hour spread to work with.
Again, though, I’m working with a Dutch oven, not a crock pot – I assume most of the above still stands though. It does have those dimply things on the lid for self basting, if that helps at all.
Oh, also waiting to find out what kind of beer…
[/QUOTE]
First of all, let me say that pulled pork is proof that God loves us. 
Pork butt is an inexpensive cut of meat which, done right, is like a little taste of Heaven on Earth. It’s not hard to cook a pork butt. The only thing you really need is patience. Sauces, spices, etc. are all personal taste and it’s up to you to experiment and find what you like best.
I made some in the oven last Sunday and plan to have some more of it for dinner today. If you can get a roasting pan with a rack, that works well and you can get one fairly cheap (I know I paid less than $20 for mine).
Pork butt has lots of fat on it, so there’s really no need to use any sort of liquid with it. Like pulykamell mentioned, if you use a dry rub you can get a nice tasty crust on the outside, aka ‘brown’ in these parts. Brown is good.
I make a dry rub with smoked paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, a little bit of brown sugar and salt. I liberally coat the pork with this mixture the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. Some folks like to oil the pork first, but I don’t do that as I don’t find it necessary.
The next day I put it on the rack in the roasting pan and roast at 300 degrees for about 8 hours (the roasts we get here are usually 5-7 lbs., the one I just made was 7.5). About 6 hours into cooking, if the brown looks like it might get crunchier than you want, you can place a tent of foil loosely over it, but that’s one of those things that’s up to personal taste.
When it’s done, let it sit for about a half hour and then shred. The meat should just about be falling apart; if it isn’t, then it’s not cooked enough.
I peel the brown off like a coat and then shred it and mix it in as I go. I shred by hand, with one fork. I also usually burn my fingers, but I’m so hungry by then I don’t care. 
You will get a lot of meat from a pork butt.
I usually eat mine plain because it’s just so dang good by itself, but I do make an NC Eastern-style sauce and also have some Western and Kansas City-style sauce on hand for my husband so he can use whatever suits his mood at the time.
I’ve also made pulled pork from pork loin, which is much leaner (and therefore better for you) but since it is lean, that’s where you have to get into things like adding liquid, using the crockpot, etc. so the meat doesn’t dry out. It’s also not as flavorful so sauces and spices also take on an extra importance.
Enjoy your pork!
[QUOTE=pulykamell]
Start with well-marbled pork shoulder. Coat with yellow mustard. Sprinkle on your favorite dry rub of choice (I tend to use sugar-less rubs with equal parts salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, and 1/2 part celery seed). You don’t need a dutch oven. In fact, if you want a crust (bark) of some sort, you’d best do without it. I do not like the crock pot version of this dish, and even the oven version is emergency-only-can’t-get-to-a-smoker last resort. One of the best parts of a nicely cooked shoulder is a mix of bark and internal meat, that’s one reason I don’t like crock pot versions.
Place the shoulder, fat side up, on the center rack. Turn oven on to 250 degrees. Cook until internal temp reaches about 195. Yes, 195. The collagen in your shoulder will turn into gelatin and keep the roast moist, despite the ultra-well done temps. Here’s a reference if you want it. If you have a well-marbled shoulder (Boston butt), you will have a perfectly succulent result.
If you want to, you can also administer a “mop” every so often to keep the roast moist on the outside. I personally don’t think it’s does too much, but every hour you can spritz or baste the roast with equal parts cider vinegar and cranberry juice.
Shred pork with two forks or with hands (wearing rubber gloves). I would add BBQ sauce at the table, but you’re welcome to mix it in the pork itself. I usually prefer North Carolina style, which is served with a finishing sauce of cider vinegar and hot pepper flakes. (No tomato).
Enjoy. Just don’t call it barbecue.
ETA: If you only have five hours, you’ll be cutting it very close. Generally, it takes me around 7-8 hours for a 10 pound bone-in butt.
[/QUOTE]
After reading the first few replies, I was all excited to actually contribute something to this thread. Then I got to this one, and all the wind was sucked out of my sails.
Good advice, pulykamell. You definitely want that crust, or “bark”, on the outside of the roast. If you don’t have a smoker, the oven is your best bet. Dry heat will concentrate the flavors, and there is enough size and connective tissue in a Boston Butt that braising isn’t a necessity.
[QUOTE=Labrador Deceiver]
Dry heat will concentrate the flavors…
[/QUOTE]
This along with bark formation is exactly why I prefer roasting to braising or cooking shoulder in a crock pot. You get the same, soft, shredded product, but with much more intensely concentrated flavor. And it tastes like pork, not unidentifiable protein drowned in sauce. Plus it gives your diners a choice. Those who like a lot of sauce can sauce it up. Those that don’t can leave it plain or just add a couple splashes of finishing sauce. In the end, I don’t care what you do with your meat (although it breaks my heart to see a lovingly smoked piece of pork go swimming in barbecue sauce), but at least give diners the choice.
