Summertime...Barbeques, Grills & Smokers!

Saturday, I went to the grocery intent on getting a pork loin to make some back bacon. Unfortunately it was on the pricey side. They did have Boston Butt on sale for $.99 a pound, so I got two (one for pulled pork and one to cure). Here is the 10 lb hunk of pork on the kamado. It took just under 9 hours to cook. My grill was stable between 250 and 275F the entire time. I used a mix of apple, hickory and cherry wood as that was what I had on hand.

8 AM when it hit the smoker.


Here is 3 hours in to the cook.



About 6 hours in.... Inserted the temp probe, midway through the stall.



And the final result... A nice sandwich on an onion roll, with my home made ghost chili sauce, cole slaw and pickles.

 

Looks great!

 

I'm hungry now. I need a smoker... I was actually considering using a crock pot to slow cook a pork butt and then I see this... I don't think a crock pot is an appropriate substitute.

 

A slow cooker is a whole lot less work, but also much less satisfying.

I have a slow cooker too, but rarely use it for this purpose.

 

Looks great, Dale!
One of the joys of making pulled pork is it requires little attention, easy prep and the rewards are plentiful!
My biggest challenge in making great PP sandwiches is finding a proper soft gluten-free bun!
How long was the cook overall? In the past, I've done overnight smokes with pork or beef brisket (9-12 hours), much depending on the size, of course.

 

Thanks Kevin. It was 5 minutes short of 9 hours. I put it on at 8am and pulled it at 5 pm. Wrapped it and let it sit for about an hour after the cook. Once the Kamado was at temp, I really didn't mess with it at all. Mid way through I put a probe in and checked it every couple hours and gave it a spritz with apple cider when I did.

 

My wife can't have gluten, corn, egg yolks, chicken, beef and a multitude of other things... so I'm in the same boat. I buy different bread for her than what I use. Her's costs more than twice as much too. Fortunately, she can have pork, turkey and bison... so I try to get creative with those choices.

 

Fired up the Kamado last night and did some pork steaks hot and fast. No pics of the finished product, but I snapped one of the grill getting ready.

 

omg......

 

Today I went to the store for a couple of steaks, but ended up coming home with a ham. I smoked it with apple wood for roughly 3.5 hours. The grill ranged from 250F-290F during the cook. I made a quick glaze of coffee, cola, brown sugar, and a pinch of my rub. Here it is about ready to come off the grill.

 

Crazy busy weekend but since mid-February here in NorCal feels more like late Spring, I thought it time to do some more meat smokin'.
Nothing complicated = a 9-lb pork shoulder/butt, given a good rub and put in the smoker for 10-12 hours (low & slow) with applewood & hickory.

Up early this morning (4:30am), and checked the temp on this overnight smoke (weber temp: 215°F; meat internal temp: 188°F). Pulled and wrapped the meat, let it rest and the IT ended up about 194°F.
After it sat for about an hour or so, I began pulling. Bone pulled right out ( a good sign) and the pork was very tender with a crisp, spicy bark.
Later on I made some coleslaw and the BBQ sauce. This should make for an enjoyable dinner later!

After a good rest (the sun is finally up!)


The Pullin'— you can see the bone (upper left) just prior to me pulling it out. Decent smoke ring, spicy bark & tender pork….

 

Looks delicious! Today, after Church, I started a bison stew. It came out fabulous. It was a great dinner!

 

Mmmmmm...... We have a cranberry pork roast in the crock pot and mashed potatoes on the stove.

 

Very nice Kevin.

Tonight I cherry smoked some frenched chicken legs. Applied my general purpose rub, smoked at 275 for about an hour. Mixed up a Cherry Chipotle BBQ sauce and returned to the grill to set the sauce for about 30 mins. Served with baked beans and a salad. They disappeared upon reaching the table.

 

My old Weber (after 16 years of companionship) bit the dust. Picked up a new one today and smoked a top sirloin for the family. Sorry no pics.

 

When I was in college I smoked a lot of cigarettes. Now that I'm older, I only smoke meats. Either one will probably kill me, but only one will do it deliciously.

 

Decided to make some pulled beef for the last snow (hopefully) of the year. Here is a 4lb chuck roast just about to be foiled.

 

That's looking good! I can almost smell it by looking at the picture!

 

Thanks. It turned out really well. My dog turned into my shadow when I brought it inside in hopes that I might drop a chunk of it.

 

Made a little over 9lbs of Italian sausage today. My wife uses it for spaghetti but I'm thinking some breakfast tacos in the morning. Also can't decide if I should smoke the other pork butt tomorrow or wait for the weekend.