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First BGE Butts - Liftoff! (Pics)

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Hey_Bulldog
Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
edited February 2015 in EggHead Forum
Annnnd awwwwayyy we go w/ Butts (2 - 9 lbs'ers) on the BGE @ 4AM!  Ill throw some updates through the day if I can (watching the kiddo today while wifey works), but I will CERTAINLY update later and include some more pics (without forks of course) :)

Stats: 

2 Trimmed Boneless Butts, approx 9 lbs each
Rubbed last night (about 11PM) with my BBQ Blend (the typical blend w/ brown sugar)
ID cook (obviously) - BGE Platesetter lets up, w/cookie cutter for spacer and a pyrex baking platter with a large splash Apple Juice for drip pan
60/40 Hickory / Apple wood chunk (about 5 good chunks total to start)
Dome to 265 (and somewhat still settling)
Hoping for about a 12 hour cook.  

Stay Tuned.

Horrible tie job (Gin), but here they are as of last night before a nap:

image
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Bondage and butts. This could just go so wrong. I hope >:)
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    12 hrs might be on the stall side. At 265
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  • noregard
    noregard Posts: 306
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    And just when I was about to go to bed.  JK, I am.

    @heybulldog, you've got a solid plan and some great advice from some good people…stick to the plan and don't sweat it!  Cheers and enjoy.  
    Lethbridge, Alberta         LBGE & MM
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
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    UrbanForestTurnings said:

    12 hrs might be on the stall side. At 265

    Agreed - my target is 300, its still gaining on the dial so I will let it do its thing for the first few hours and when I wake up (if I sleep), I will adjust to 300.  Im hoping that pushes me through any major stall by 5.
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Better done early than late. Hate when guests have to wait. The end up drinking all of my beer
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    That would be like a mini turbo I guess. You will knock it out of the park
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
    edited February 2015
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    So - has anyone every actually wished for a stall?  haha.  Butts are rocking, already up to internal temp of 161 after 9.25 hours.

    This is usually stall territory on the BGE from what it sounds like, but I got my cooler cleaned out and standing by just in case.  I dropped the egg from 275ish to 245 (dome) because I really want to develop a good bark and I got all sorts of time (right now) till 5 o'clock service.  Remember that when I am posting in a few hours asking how to kick out of a stall.  hahaha!

    BTW - interesting little improvisation I just made up... I have about 4 or 5 good sized hickory chunks down, but I wanted to augment with apple chips I had laying around.  The challenge for me has been getting chips into the right place on the fire when I have the platesetter, drip pan, grate, and food in the way.  So I took a long piece of aluminum foil, rolled up either end to create a bumpered 'chute' about 2 feet long, then I put a bit of a 45 degree bend in it...  When ready, I popped the lid off, put the chute in the hole in the side of the standard BGE grate, and put about 12 large apple chips into tactical positions in the fire bowl - about 10 seconds from open to shut [and thats the first time (and probably the last) I want to have this guy cracked open].

    I shouldn't even be posting this because I instantly thought about mass producing and selling them :)  Im sure I haven't been the first to think of this, and I don't have the heart to google search it because I'm sure someone is already making thou$and$ off 'my' idea. 8-}

    Anyways - I will update later!
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    See you could be on shark tank but you had to run your mouth :D
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
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    UrbanForestTurnings said:

    See you could be on shark tank but you had to run your mouth :D

    haha - I always get myself in trouble with that mouth of mine.

    So I just gave another peak - looking real nice, mahogany bark with an internal temp at 174 now, So it seems I'm coming out of that stall now.  I noticed my drip pan was 'funky'.  so I put some apple juice in it this morning (about 2 cups if I had to estimate) and I have it raised off the plate setter a good 1/2 inch with a cookie cutter (sorry honey), but it looks like the drippings from the butts mixed with the apple juice and congealed.  I poked at it through the grates and it was like hard(ish).  I poured some more apple juice over top because I didn't want that sludge to be putting off any funky odors... heres to hoping...

    Maybe I just had some particularly fat swine?  I trimmed pretty much the whole fat cap off so it must all be intermuscular.
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Still waiting :-w
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
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    Still waiting :-w


    Sorry - I've been back-stroking in beautifully cooked pulled pork all evening     :D.  I was channeling my inner scrooge mcduck tossing pulled pork around after shredding through these beauties... 

    image

    No doubt - came amazing!  BGE for the WIN on these butts... The best part is as much as I over prepared and micromanaged the grill all day, I totally know this would be just as good (or close to it) if I rubbed 'em down with whatever I had in the pantry, threw it into the BGE, slammed the lid closed and came back 12 hours later... 

    Came up to mid hundred pretty quickly (within 4 hours), stalled for about 4 hours, only moving 3 degrees, then it came right up to 200 on its own with no training wheels from me (I did bump the heat to about 325 for that last hour or so for safety but it was already moving towards the finish line on its own).  Rested for about an 40 minutes to allow me to get my sides and cornbread in the oven, served to a collection of anxious houseguests who 'smelled my driveway from the second they pulled in the development'.

    Here's the money shots:

    First, the most beautiful sight of the day

    image

    Everyone resting before service

    image

    One beast shredded

    image

    A little 'macro', and my new phone wallpaper

    image

    Plated

    image

    After dinner, and letting everyone take some home in a doggie box, we have leftovers for the week... on to find a leftover pulled pork recipe...  Let me know your favorites!

    Thanks for everyone's advice and input - it was a group effort and I always appreciate it!

    Night!
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  • UrbanForestTurnings
    UrbanForestTurnings Posts: 1,294
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    Great job. What time did you pull it?. And a vacuum seal a bag would be a great addition to your toys. And don't you just hate it when your guest start sniffing around like a bunch of dogs? ;)
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
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    UrbanForestTurnings said:

    Great job. What time did you pull it?. And a vacuum seal a bag would be a great addition to your toys. And don't you just hate it when your guest start sniffing around like a bunch of dogs? ;)

    It hit 200 at about 345 so about 12.5 hours from lid closed to open. I got a little nervous towards the end, hence the temp bump, but I figured worst case scenario I could have wrapped and got it to 2 bills and not rested at all.

    It's funny because I got the BGE for christmas, and we've been burried in snow, so I have it living in the garage and I roll it to the front door for smoking... what this means is every guest that walks to the front door says 'ohhh that smells great!' and pops the lid open to check it out. I actually resorted to putting a child cabinet lock between the lid handle and the side body handles with a note that said 'no peeking'.

    This could also explain why why IT Temps were slow to climb in those last few hours.
    =))
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  • Hey_Bulldog
    Hey_Bulldog Posts: 55
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    also, I just got a food saver like 2 weeks ago on a weekly sale at costco so I definatly broke that out last night for the first time. Worked great but as a PSA - always make sure to set the 'moist food' option for pulled pork less you want to fill the vacuum chamber with delicious pork butt runoff. Did I por that runoff in a glass and drink it? No comment.
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  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,567
    edited February 2015
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    Hey_Bulldog said:

    also, I just got a food saver like 2 weeks ago on a weekly sale at costco so I definatly broke that out last night for the first time. Worked great but as a PSA - always make sure to set the 'moist food' option for pulled pork less you want to fill the vacuum chamber with delicious pork butt runoff. Did I por that runoff in a glass and drink it? No comment.



    I put it in the bags then freeze it before I seal.

    BTW, forgot to mention the butts look great!

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  • jcaspary
    jcaspary Posts: 1,479
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    Butts look fantastic.  For leftovers I like egg rolls, nachos, and pizza.
    XL BGE, LG BGE, and a hunger to grill everything in sight!!!
    Joe- Strongsville, OH
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