First low-an-slow

Unknown · September 2005

Alrighty gang here is the story. On an egg I am a low and slow virgin. I have had my large for about 3 months now but this is the first picnic. The vital stats are as follows; I fired the egg up about 30 minutes ago starting it from the bottom with a fire starter. It’s at about 240 and I am hoping to stabilize her at around 225. I have an 8.5-pound picnic to cook. I purchased a Maverick 73 last week and this is the first time she has been out of the box. I have the meat high set at 195, the low pit at 185, and the high pit at 285. I won’t be using any wood, as the misses doesn’t like the flavor. When should piggy be ready to be pulled? Anything else I should know?

wingfoot · September 2005

Whitetail,[p]I don't have the fancy electronics, but if your grate temp is around 225, plan on about 18 to 20 hours, give or take, for your pork to be ready. I like wrapping them in foil and a couple of towells for an hour or so after I pull them off before I start pulling. That gives the juices time to redistribute and the bark time to soften a bit as well. Good luck and have fun. Pork shoulders are pretty forgiving, so have no worries.[p]Mike

BabyBoomBBQ · September 2005

Whitetail,[p]I use a bbqguru to run the long low and slow cooks. They work great and can "self-compensate" for changing conditions. Use the draft to set a rough maximum temperature and set the fan control to the minimum temperature. Gives you insurance on those 12+ hour cooks. Have fun.

Mike in MN · September 2005

Whitetail,
If you maintain 225, you will probably go the full 2 hrs per pound calculation. So, 17 hrs (give or take 3) is within reason.[p]I recommend some smoke. The pork likes the smoke in the beginning, and it enhances the overall flavor, especially if it is slow cooked. Smoke it heavy in the very beginning, and light to non existent from the half ways point to the end. [p]My wife hates smoke, but she likes the flavor with the pulled pork. That's from a woman who accused me of using lighter fluid to light the egg. "This meat tastes like lighter fluid." Believe me, there's never been any petroleum product near my egg! Lots of harsh lessons from the wife. Imagine hours of work, only to get a comment like that. It's been a real learning eggsperience, not all of them positive.[p]Mike in MN

Unknown · September 2005

Good Morning,
I called it the night a little after 11:00 PM. At that time the egg had been running at 240 for over an hour. Rather than trying to adjust I decided to just leave it. I had my alarms set at 185 and 285…didn’t want to get up unless things were really out of hand. I woke up at 3:00 AM and it was at 265. I decided that was too high and closed the bottom damper. At 4:30 AM the low alarm went off. Love the wireless alarm; a guru just isn’t in the budget right now. Anyway I opened the bottom damper all the way for 30 minutes. The egg came up to 230 so I set the bottom damper back to about 1/8 of an inch and went back to bed. At 7:30 AM it’s at 240 and the meat is 157. I guess I still have some learning to do on stabilizing the egg where I want it.

Sundown · September 2005

Whitetail,
Geezer talking now. I believe all new Egg owners should know how to build the fire in their Eggs and maintain it without any mechanical help. (then they can buy a Guru) I also believe that lo'n'slo cooks are part of a ritual that should be fun. Cooking like that is a way to slow down and catch your breath. Now days I stabilize my fire at 250º put the meat in and go to bed. Being a geezer I usually have to get up around 4:30 for a service call so I check the Egg because I can. In the last four or five years I can't recall ever having a problem with the temps - summer or winter. My wife gets nuts and always will when I tell her that "the butt/shoulder will be done when it's done." She always wants to know the exact moment when it will be ready. DISCLAIMER: Nothing aginst BBQ Guru but I like keeping it simple. Enjoy life now tomorrow my never get here.

stike · September 2005

Sundown,
i agree completely.
once you get your target temp dialed in, it really shouldn't go up or down more than 5 degrees, unless you have built the fire poorly. and i mean you'd have to TRY to build the fire poorly. i have dumped it out of the bag and still the temp hasn't wavered...[p]
the egg has been so faithful on overnights, i have never had a bad night's sleep. [p]

Unknown · September 2005

stike,
I haven’t peaked yet but the smell around the house is very appetizing. Do you light your fire from above or below?

Unknown · September 2005

Whitetail,[p]Light it from the top, it will go a lot slower that way. Don't forget if it gets ready too early, wrap in foil, put in cooler around towels and you can buy yourself another 3 5 hours before you pull it....[p]

stike · September 2005

Whitetail,
from above, usually in the center, in one spot.[p]don't peek! try to go all -tough-guy barbecue and toss it on, then open it when the polder goes off.[p]hard to do.[p](you can sneak a quick peek done the vent hole...)

Woody54 · September 2005

Mike in MN,[p]Keep the egg and get a new wife.[p]Woody

Unknown · September 2005

Success. I took the pig off at 4:30 at 201 degrees. I let it set in a cooler for an hour and half and then pulled it. It’s almost funny how the bone has nothing left on it. I did this picnic with no smoke and no spice on purpose as a measurement of what’s to come. Good stuff. To be completely fair I have to say it was no better and no worse than what I have done on a Brinkman water smoker in the past. It was a whole lot less work though. Mike in MN I am going to take your advice on the next one and add some smoke. Since your wife doesn’t like the smoke flavor either and she likes it on pulled, what do you recommend? Strike thanks for the advice on the fire. I have always started from the top but I recently went through a bunch of old posts and many talked about lighting from the bottom. This probably makes more sense for hot n fast than low n slow. I am on vacation so we are having fun. Next up a beef brisket. Any suggestions?

Unknown · September 2005

Mike in MN,[p]
When you do your next butt (or butts! - I never do fewer than 4 at a time), use lots of hickory chunks. If her only experience of "smoked foods" (and I use that term loosely) is from grilled products that used briquets, she doesn't know what smoked food tastes like. My wife has said several times that she doesn't think something is going to turn out well when she sees my egg belching smoke. Of course, when it comes off and is ready to eat she chows down with the best of us.[p]In fact, the first thing I smoked on my new Large BGE (which my wife didn't know was coming home with me from my first Eggtoberfest) was spathcocked chickens. I brined them and then literally "marinaded" them in smoke (apple & cherry chips), but used no other spices or flavorings. When they came off of the BGE their skin was a gorgeous mahogany color from the smoke and they tasted better than any chicken we've had before. My wife made the comment that if I kept cooking like that she "might" forgive me!

First low-an-slow

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