PORK BUTT -- HERE WE COME!

Toronto James

This weekend my first try at pulled pork.[p]I plan to follow Ward Elder's directions as best I can but any extra advice would great.[p]* I'm going to do two boneless butts -- each about 8 lb. -- on my large egg. [p]* When I estimate time I assume I use the 8 lb not the 16 lb as a guide. So I guess I'm looking at a cook of 12 to 16 hours at as close to 200 as I can keep it. (Yes I'll use a polder but want a basic estimate of time.)[p]* How do I set up? Build the fire, place my platesetter legs pointing up, then a drip pan then the grill with the meat on the grill? [p]* Do I put stuff in the drip pan or just leave it for drips?[p]* What do people recomend for smoke -- what wood? block or chips? soaked or not? ...[p]* How long before do I do the rub? Is there advantage to a long period of sitting with the rub on?[p]* Plan to do a few chickens for the none belivers after I take the pork off. And make both a vineger and a red sauce and serve with coleslaw and potato salad.[p]Now all I need is the courage to leave that sucker burning all night and the grace of the weather gods for a sunny Sunday.[p]Wish me luck and do send any advice.[p]Best,[p]James

Nature Boy

Toronto James,
you are in for a treat. First, your 12-16 hour timefraem sounds about right. But not at 200 dome. I think you'd be better off at 250. At 200 dome, your cooking level could be as low as 150. Not good.[p]For smoke, I prefer dry chunks. 2 or 4 good sized chunks is good for butts. I usually use an elevated grate, on top of the regular grate, with a foil drip pan under. Usually dry....sometimes I will pour in some coke (per Qfan). Your platesetter will work also, but I have found you need to run the temps a tad higher with the added mass and reduced air circulation. [p]For the rub, a couple hours will do, though wrapping overnight might get you another 1/16 inch penetration. I haven't noticed much difference either way in the final product.[p]Just a few thoughts anywho. Sounds like you gonna have some fun! Hope you have good weather.
Chris

Lawn Ranger

Nature Boy,
Today should be the day. By the way, it's finally raining in Texas.

bigmikej

Toronto James,
You will be happy with the results, I promise. Here are my pointers:[p]-While I too follow EW's advice, incl. separating my lump, 50% of the time, my fire goes out at some point in the night. I have always been able to salvage it by relighting in the AM, it just adds to my cooking time. Not a big deal if you allow yourself plenty of time. See below...[p]-I would plan for the butts to take much longer. This leaves you room for error. You can always wrap in foil, towels and stuff in a cooler to keep warm. I have done this for up to 5 hours before pulling and never had a problem. I would recommend that you do this anyway for at least an hour. I always do at least 2 bone-in butts about the same size as you and they always take 20-24 hours at 225-250 dome temp. I would recommend these temps as it is much easier to maintain them and it will speed up the process, without any loss of quality, IMHO.[p]-The setup you described is what I use.[p]-As far as filling the drip pan, I have put a variety of stuff in mine and have found that you do not want to put anything with sugar (i.e. appple juice, EW's vinegar sauce, etc.) as it will burn and make an unholy mess of your drip pan even if you covered it in foil. I would stick to H2O to catch the drippings and help keep thm from burning in the drip pan. This will make the egg take longer to heat up, so you may want to use hot water.[p]-For smoke, I recommend definitely hickory for that southern BBQ flavor. I use 5-6 half-fist sized chunks, a couple on the initial coals and the rest spread around the lump. I feel that you can't really over-smoke a butt as it is so large a mass, I have OTOH, over-smoked ribs! I also have been using some apple chips, only because I haven't found apple chunks. I have also heard oak gives a nice mellow flavor that balances out the strong hickory, but have never tried it. I soak, others do not, your choice.[p]-I usualy do the rub topped with a coating of yellow mustard the night before. Last time I left the mustard off of one and couldn't tell the difference. I have never tried putting the rub on right before you throw them on, but I am sure it would not make that much difference if you were pressed for time.[p]-EW's vinegar sauce rocks. I mix it into all my pork after I pull it (keeps it from drying out after pulling) and serve another red sauce (from a local BBQ joint) on the side. I prefer a little of both.[p]-As far as cole slaw, I like some on my sandwich and have tried EW's recipe, but to me, it was a little too sweet & watery. My favorite recipe came off of the back of a pre-shredded cabbage pkg. (Fresh Express, I think) that has 1 pkg slaw, 1/4 c cider vinegar, 1/4 c mayo, some sugar, and some celery seed. Check the pkg for measurements. It is just slightly creamy, and not too sweet. [p]-Calibrate your dome thermo beforehand and check your polders for accuracy.[p]-Pull butts (from egg) at 200 internal.[p]-You WILL get up in the night to check it. You won't get much sleep on your first overnight lo n' slo. The finished product is worth lack of sleep.[p]-I believe somewhere in the rules of BBQ, there is a 4 beer minimum to even start the egg. Make sure to take this into consideration and have the coolers stocked beforehand with your favorite beverages.[p]Finally, if you have polders, DON'T OPEN THE EGG until it is done. (Unless your fire goes out!)[p]Good luck and enjoy the results![p]Mike[p][p]

CR

Toronto James, I used EW's directions on my first overnight butt and everything worked out fine. As far as basics, IMHO, you need to do the following:[p]Begin with all new lump. Use a mixture of all sizes(large to small)
Fill Egg up to about 1 inch below the top of the fire ring.
Dome temp of 250° minimum to 275° for grill temp above 200°.
Use Polder type thermometer.
Don't get impatient when the meat temp plateaus.[p]

Washog

Toronto James,
I use Elder's techinique everytime and it works great. I would recommend that you give it a bit more time than 12 - 16 hrs. If you manage to keep the dome temp at or neara 200 degrees, you better figure closer to 22 hrs. You can speed it up a bit once the internal temp hits 175, jack the egg temp up to 275. Typically takes another four or five hours. I've done it both ways, keeping the dome temp at 200 and raising the temp when the butt hits 175 and I honestly can't tell the difference.