# Smoked Pork Butt pictures!



## AllenOK (Jun 27, 2005)

Ok, here's my offset smoking setup:







Heat source and foil-wrapped, soaked, Hickory chips on the right-hand side (right next to the air intake).  I took off two of the cast iron grates so that I could feed the fire easily.  On the left-hand side, you'll see the two remaining grates, the pork butt, with a drip pan underneath.  You'll also notice the exhaust will be over the pork when the lid is shut.

Here's the finished product:






And it smells heavenly!  The smoke ring isn't as big as I'd like.  That's mainly because I only smoked it for 4 hours, then wrapped it in plastic, then in foil, and put the pork in a 250°F for 3 hours.  I do this mainly as a compromise between several things, mainly that PeppA and her family can't handle a heavy smoke flavor, and I have other things to do besides tend a fire all day (like take the kids to a lake).

It doesn't really show up in the picture, but I managed to get about a pint of really dark liquid that came out of the plastic when I opened it.  This is a smoky, dark, pork gelatin, that rendered out as the connective tissues broke down.  I've saved this.  I want to make a Posole with the smoked pork, and I may use a little bit of the gelatin.  If I don't use the gelatin in the soup, I'll just freeze it for later use


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## texasgirl (Jun 27, 2005)

MMMMMMMMMMMM, looks so good Allen!!!


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## Raine (Jun 27, 2005)

Lookin' Good!  That is a nice smoke ring.


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## htc (Jun 28, 2005)

Looks so good! I hope mine will eventually look like yours. 7 hours was enough to make it pullable? I really hope that mine will have the same coloring as your eventually!!


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## kitchenelf (Jun 28, 2005)

It looks great!  Nice smoke ring Allen!!!


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## thumpershere2 (Jun 28, 2005)

Yum! that looks wonderful and such a geat setup.


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## AllenOK (Jun 28, 2005)

htc said:
			
		

> Looks so good! I hope mine will eventually look like yours. 7 hours was enough to make it pullable? I really hope that mine will have the same coloring as your eventually!!



I probably should have let it go another hour.  The bone pulled out, but it had just a little bit of resistance, plus I saw some connective tissue that hadn't completely broken down.  There were a few muscles that didn't want to pull apart as easily as the rest, but for the most part, it was pullable.

The hard part about running the pork for so long, is keeping PeppA out of it!  Same thing with my ice cream


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## htc (Jun 28, 2005)

Is PeppA a family member or an ingredient I've never heard of???


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## AllenOK (Jun 28, 2005)

PeppA is my other half.  She's made a few posts on this board.  Her nick is an abbriviated combination of my old internet handle, and her's.


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## kitchenelf (Jun 29, 2005)

htc said:
			
		

> Is PeppA a family member or an ingredient I've never heard of???



PeppA is a MAJOR ingredient!!!!! The mother of all ingredients   (see you on the boards PeppA)


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## htc (Jun 29, 2005)

I would have to agree with Elf, sounds like PeppA is a very major ingredient!! Your dishes probably wouldn't turn out right w/o a little (or a lot) PeppA


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## aquaman (Jul 3, 2005)

*Indirect heat with side firebox*

Looks like you and I have the same grill.  I picked mine up at Lowe's last year and this spring I finally got around to putting on the side firebox (it's about 40 bucks extra).

Anyway, I wish I'd done that a year ago.  You can load up the whole grill with butts, sausage, ribs, etc. and still get that great indirect heat and smoke.  Wonderful stuff.


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## Winglover (Jul 9, 2005)

that looks awesome... one question though... when I buy the pork what do I ask for ?  Do I really ask for a pork butt ? or is there a term for it that it more common ?


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## Andy M. (Jul 9, 2005)

Ask for Boston butt or pork butt.  Same thing.  It's the front shoulder of the hog.


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## IcyMist (Jul 9, 2005)

Okay who snitched the Boston Butt?  Somebody must have thought it looked so good they ate it!!!  I can't see a thing.


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## kitchenelf (Jul 9, 2005)

Did you check the first page?  If it's not there I think Winglover took it to the grocery store so she'd get the right thing.   (I still see it)


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## IcyMist (Jul 9, 2005)

Took a while for the picture to load for some reason.  My new computer should be better and faster at loading pictures.


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## Mr_Dove (Jul 9, 2005)

so, what exactly is a smoke ring?  Is that the depth that the smokiness penetrates the meat before you start hitting the unsmoked portion?


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## Raine (Jul 9, 2005)

Smoke rings are produced by a chemical reaction between the meat and the penetration of the smoke. You will see a smoke ring on meat barbecued over a wood fire. It is a pink color that extends from the outside surface into the meat. It's thickness is dependent on several factors, such as the type of smoke and the duration of smoking. See the following section about chicken for a better understanding of the chemical reactions involved. 

smoke has a reaction with the chemicals in the bone and meat. The meat turns a pink color even though it is thoroughly cooked. Ash is loaded with potassium and sodium nitrates. This reacts with oxymethyglobin to form nitrosaminoglobulins and gives us the pink color of hams, lunch meats, hot dogs, and smoke rings.


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## luvs (Jul 9, 2005)

looks great! i love smoked food.


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## AllenOK (Jul 10, 2005)

Rainee said:
			
		

> Smoke rings are produced by a chemical reaction between the meat and the penetration of the smoke. You will see a smoke ring on meat barbecued over a wood fire. It is a pink color that extends from the outside surface into the meat. It's thickness is dependent on several factors, such as the type of smoke and the duration of smoking. See the following section about chicken for a better understanding of the chemical reactions involved.
> 
> smoke has a reaction with the chemicals in the bone and meat. The meat turns a pink color even though it is thoroughly cooked. Ash is loaded with potassium and sodium nitrates. This reacts with oxymethyglobin to form nitrosaminoglobulins and gives us the pink color of hams, lunch meats, hot dogs, and smoke rings.



Rainee is right on.  The nitrates in smoke react with the protein in meat, turning it a pink color.  Sodium Nitrate (saltpeter) is used to preserve foods, and will also turn meats cured with saltpeter pink, i.e.; ham, hot dogs, salami, corned beef, etc.

Artificial smoke rings can be created, buy using a nitrate compound in your rub.  I don't do this.

Usually, a sign of good BBQ is a pink ring penetrating deep into the meat.  On my pork butts, this pink ring is usually 3/8 - 1/4" deep into the meat.  I've seen a 1/8" deep pink ring on smoked turkey legs, and the chickens I did last weekend, although the breast meat didn't have a pink ring, the legs did.  The legs also stuck out from the main body of the bird more, and thusly, were more exposed to the smoke.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Jul 10, 2005)

Allen; I wish I could add something constructive here.  It's what I like to do.  But what more is there to say.  You do a great job with your smoking technique.  By the way, is your home somewhere between the Petoskey Turn-off (Headin South from the Mackinaw Bridge on I-75) and Petoskey?  I'm going to Petoskey This coming Thursday and would like to know on your door wehn we head home again.  Let me know your address.  I think you already gave me it once, but it's lost on some thread a long time ago.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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