# Total Panic!



## swinchen (Jun 15, 2007)

Ok ok ok...

So I went to the store today and I bought my first  Butt ever.  It weighs 20 lbs!   It is a total monster, but it was cheap and the smallest one they had.   The only thing I have smoked up till now has been chicken breasts....  this is a 20 lb pork butt and it is just my girlfriend and I .  If anyone is in the Bangor ME area drop me a line... might be able to get some free BBQ.   I pray to the BBQ gods (might be Uncle Bob I am praying to... heh) that shredded pork freezes well.

Ok, so I need a game plan...  I have meat, I have Kingsford charcoal (not the best I know... only ones I could find... that or cowboy lump)  and some Hickory chips.   I think I am going to prepare it simply with a rub down of Garlic Oil, salt and pepper.  I guess this is my only question really:  How heavily do I salt and pepper the outside?

I will probably have to cook this monster all day tomorrow.


Any tips, advice, words of encouragement or anti-psychotics are greatly appreciated. 

For now,
Sam


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## Katie H (Jun 15, 2007)

First, switchen, your pork will freeze just fine.  Make sure it's sealed well.  You could use heavy-duty freezer zipper-lock bags or, if you have one, use the FoodSaver.

I've never smoked anything outside nor anything the size you have, but someone will be along before long with advice.

Man, oh man, I wish I lived in your area.  I'd be there with my bib and fork in a heartbeat.


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## Barb L. (Jun 15, 2007)

You could probably take it back and have them cut it in half for you.  Freeze one !  Love them    Butts !!!


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## mudbug (Jun 15, 2007)

Get a sharp knife and cut it up into manageable chunks!  20 pounds is a monster.


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## love2"Q" (Jun 15, 2007)

i have had alot of luck freezing pulled pork ..
get a good night sleep .. you have a long day ahead of you ..
oh .. and dont forget . you can wrap in foil to get the 
temp up on the butt if need be ..


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## auntdot (Jun 15, 2007)

Smoking I cannot help you with, have been meaning to start but just never seem to get to it.

But a few years ago we wound up with a whole fresh ham, only about 19 lbs for the two of us.  Purchased a new hack saw, used a sharp knife, and did some butchering.  It was not all that hard. And now it doesn't faze me a whit.

Might want to give it a try.  Smoking a 20 pound butt seems very daunting to me.

Good luck.


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## Andy M. (Jun 15, 2007)

I'd cut it into two or three roughly equal pieces and cook them all.  It will take no longer to cook all three than to cook one.  This is a roughly 10 hour process so it's a big time saver to do them all if you have the room.

Pulled pork is easily frozen and is as good as fresh when thawed.


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## turtledove (Jun 15, 2007)

I would do as the others have said and cut it into half, at least. I do that when I am making tamales and end up with one the size you have.


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## swinchen (Jun 15, 2007)

Thanks for the tips.  If I have two 10 lb butts ... any ball park figure on how long that might take?  I know "cook it until it is done"   but still there is a rough estimate on time 


*takes a deep breath*

Sam


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 15, 2007)

Swinchen....

I know you are looking at what you have, and I am not. A 20 lb. pork butt is really big!! Most big ones run in the 10 to 11 lb range. Ya didn't actually buy Two butts in a cryovac bag did ya???! Oh well! No matter. If it is indeed a 20 pounder then do as everyone has suggested cut it up into manageable sizes. Bone it out if possible! And as everyone has already said it freezes well. 

Good Luck and have fun!


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## skilletlicker (Jun 15, 2007)

Hmm, two pork butts in cryovac.  I didn't think of that.  Even a 10 lb pork butt ginormous.  Usually I see them six to eight lbs.  I figured you have a whole pork shoulder (front leg or "arm").  Usually around here about the top third is sold as a boston butt and incudes the shoulder blade and i think the ball and socket.  Below that is what would roughly correspond to our bicep and sold around here as a picnic roast and is a little less expensive.  Because 20 lbs is alot for even a whole shoulder you might even be able to get some hocks out of it.
Look here and put your cursor over the words shoulder butt and picnic shoulder.  If I was going break it down myself I'd try to divide the two sections mentioned using a hack saw to cut the bone.  If you have a hunter in the family or the neighborhood, he might be quite a bit of help with this.  Truthfully, I wouldn't do it myself.  I take it to the butcher or grocer I bought it from and ask them to do it for me expecting it to be a free service.  They would probably be willing to grind some of it for you as well if you ask nice.


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## Poppinfresh (Jun 15, 2007)

Are you sure it's just a Boston Butt?  20 pounds is incredibly large for that cut.  Might be more than just the BB.

If so, yeah, 2 10 pounders is the way to go.  A 20 pounder is too large...you would have to smoke it so long that you would ruin part of the cut.


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## Robo410 (Jun 15, 2007)

whatevcer you got, cut it into manageable size...practice your meat fabrication and knife skills.  THen happy bbqing


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## Andy M. (Jun 15, 2007)

If it's all one piece, it may be a whole butt-picnic combination.  That will work if you cut it up.  

I wuold expect cooking time to run about 1.5 hours per pound for pulled pork which should reach an internal temperature of 195-205F.


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## swinchen (Jun 15, 2007)

hmmmm...  it may be two butts.   I don't know.   It is in a vacuum package so I can not really see or feel a separation.  I guess I will see in the morning!   I will make sure to take lots of pictures.


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## swinchen (Jun 15, 2007)

ok, so I was curious... I decided to inspect the meat in the package.  It seems that there is a great deal of symmetry in the bone structure between the two sides of the meat.   Also on the fat side there are strips of flesh that are very symmetric.   I am really leaning towards two butts.   The label says "Fresh Pork Butt"

Also, I was wrong.. it is 18 lbs.  The other package at the store was 20 lbs.

Also, is $1.40/lb a good deal?  The IGA down the street has wicked packages of meat...  like 3 racks of ribs all vacuum packed together, things like that.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 15, 2007)

Swinchen...

Maybe you open it up tonight...see what you got. Then while you have it out, put a good 'rub' on it. Put it back in the frig overnite. Take it out in the morning and let it come to room temp. before going to the fire.

Enjoy!


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## turtledove (Jun 15, 2007)

I bet you do have 2 butts in that package!! I buy them here like that. You could wrap and freeze one of them without smoking it; unless you want to do that. $1.40 a lb. is a very good price!


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## skilletlicker (Jun 16, 2007)

I expect Uncle Bob and others are right about two butts in a bag, but thought a comment on the freezing and price per pound questions worth comment, while we are on the subject.

I make these things exclusively for pulled pork and use it in sandwiches, tacos, tamales etc.  I don't like to freeze the pulled (shredded) meat.  I freeze whole hunks of pork, in single use quantities, wrapped tightly in plastic, frozen separately. and then stored in freezer bags.  It thaws, heats in the microwave and then easily shreds with no noticeable damage to my coarse palate.

There may be many reasons why $1.40/lb is a good price for the cryovac pork butts, but they are just a few of many mysteries to me.  I try to buy them when they go on sale for 99 cents a pound.  I'm guessing that happens four or five times a year in each of the big chain groceries around here.  If there is a reason that justifies the price difference, I hope someone shares it.

Thanks for starting the thread swinchen.


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## Barb L. (Jun 16, 2007)

I can usually get my  butts for 1.19 or .99.  When I make pulled pork, I don't shred it all up.  Leaving hunks if not eaten, I freeze .  Works out well.


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## beerco (Jun 16, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> Swinchen....
> Bone it out if possible!
> 
> Good Luck and have fun!


 
Why do you prefer bone out?  Just curious as the place near me with big butts sells them bone out and I've wondered if it makes any difference - I couldn't tast any.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

Beerco...

I do not necessarily _prefer_ bonless. This was merely suggested as a means to render a rather large butt to more manageable size for cooking. Retailers sell bonless pork butts as just another option for the consumer. They can be oven roasted as pork roast to the 170*+ range and sliced! In affect they just become a bonless "blade roast" or several other names depending on the retailer.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

It was two butts (thank god)

They are on BBQin' as I type this.

I have a pan of apple juice near the SFB side, and the butts are on the opposite side (I also have my cast iron pans in there seasoning... why not be coal frugal right?)  

I am having a bugger of a time getting the temp up past 210 in the cooking chamber.   I am leaving the chimney and vent wide open and it just wont do it...  crazy I tell you.   Probably all that cast iron in there is acting like a big heat sink :/

I have taken a picture, but I can't find my card reader right now =P   I will post more later.

Sam


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

Swinchen...

You may want to consider removing everything from your cooker except the two butts. Including the pan of apple juice. You are using up alot of btu's just to heat the juice. Those but's would be better used to cook the meat. If ya wanna use the juice, baste with it every couple of hours or so.


Have fun!


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Ok, I took out my cast iron pans, the apple juice.   I used a spray mop, added more coals...   I can still only get it up to around 215.   That is with the vent wide open.    Not sure what I am doing wrong :/

Sam


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

Swinchin..

215* Where? Grill surface? Test you thermometer in a pot of boiling water. Obviously it should read close to 212* Give or take a few degrees.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

211.8  I would say that is pretty decent  

Well they have been in about 6 hours and the internal temp is about 150 degrees on one of them.  Getting up to 200 will take a while I imagine.  It is time to bust out the beer I think   I have switched over to lump and I can coax that to raise the temp to around 230.  So that is pretty good, still I thought I would have a problem keeping the grill cool enough!

Sam.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

ooops, and yes...  I am using a meat thermometer stuck into the side of the main cooking chamber.  It is just under the grate that holds the meat.  Very close to the cooking surface.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Ok, I think I need some tips on how to finish a pork butt in the oven.  I am very quickly running out of fuel.   I may know what the problem is...  the chargriller SFB comes with a metal grate that is up turned on both ends (like a basket with only two sides) and right now I have the sides pointing up, so there is not much room between the ash catch pan and the charcoal grate.  I think that this is cutting off airflow to the coals.   Maybe next time I will try turning it over to life the coals up a little higher.   *sigh*  this is not a great first experience.

Ok, to finish in the oven...  place in a pan, cover with foil and bake at 250ish until done?  (around 200 degrees for pulled pork)

thanks,
Sam


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## love2"Q" (Jun 16, 2007)

swinchen .. you can finish it in the oven if you need to ...
what temp is the butt at now .. if you wrap it in foil on the 
smoker it will help the internal temp rise ...


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

love2"Q" said:
			
		

> swinchen .. you can finish it in the oven if you need to ...
> what temp is the butt at now .. if you wrap it in foil on the
> smoker it will help the internal temp rise ...



Last time I checked it was like 155 ish.    quickly approaching 9 hours.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Here is my kitchen, you can see the soaking wood chips, my spray mop bottle, and a couple types of charcoal.






MEAT ON!  Garlic oil for rubbin on, soaking hickory chips, and some coals.






3 hours into it....  not cooking as quickly as it should.  Average temp ~ 200 degrees.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

9 hours into it...  notice how they are not black like they should be  






Here I am trying to show the coal basket.   See how the ash is suffocating the coals?  If you look closely at the grate (top left) you can see how it is up turned like a basket.   I am wondering if I have the grate in upside down...   It makes sense this way though, it sort of holds the coals in, but it only leaves about 0.5 - 1.0 inche under the grate for air.   Not sure, and the manual is no help.



​


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## love2"Q" (Jun 16, 2007)

my rule of thumb for butt is a hour and a half per pound ...
after about 4 or 5 hours i wrap in foil for 3 hours or so ...
also .. i have done 10 -12 hour cooks on 20 lbs of 
charcoal .. i have a terrible problem with kingsford ...
it lights slow .. burns quick ... 
also .. i think you are missing the darkend bark on your 
butts because you didnt rub with seasoning ..
i never put oil on them ... 
but it does look good ..

oh yeah .. kingsford produces insane amounts of ash


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

Swenchin........

BBQed meat is NOT supposed to be black! The golden/amber in the picture is getting there. A little darker, but NOT black! 

I saw a cooker like yours at a Kroger store a few days ago. Next time I am by there I will look at the fire box design etc. to see if I can see anything that I might share with you. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but you might be on to something about the fire grate. I don't know. An 18/20 lb. bag of charcoal should be enough to get you through 10 hours or so of cooking. 

In a slow cook of a pork butt the meat will go through a "plateau" when it seems the temperature will not rise no matter what you do. This is normal. The fat is rendering, the conective tissue is releasing etc, etc. It is using all of the available heat to do this.  Next time be patient, and all of a sudden the temperature will start to rise again to your desired degree of doneness. 

Good Job on your first attempt! It takes practice and getting aquainted with your cooker. Also, next time consider a good rub on the meat. Now finish it off, get out the buns for pull pork sandwiches and...

Enjoy!


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Alright, well I took out and put it in the oven @250.  Wrapped in foil.   I will check the temp in a few hours.   Oh, taking it off the grill I poked a hole in the top fat and exposed some meat below it...   so I HAD to try it.  OMG.  It almost tastes like bacon.   The flavor is AMAZING, and the meat that I had was very very soft and tender.   I hope the rest of it comes out that well.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

Swinchen....

Check it in an hour. You might be pleastantly surprised! Over cook it, and it will get mushy!


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Thanks Uncle Bob, and love2"Q".  

I will take some pictures of the SFB tomorrow once I clean out the coals.  I am sure I can take pictures that will show what I am talking about.   

Right now I am just happy to be finished running outside ever 10-20 minutes to agitate the coals so it stays above 200 degrees.   

Thanks again.

For now,
Sam


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> Swinchen....
> 
> Check it in an hour. You might be pleastantly surprised! Over cook it, and it will get mushy!



Uh oh.  I would almost describe the piece of meat I tried under the fat cap as mushy....   but I took the temperature of the large muscle on the bottom and it was only 160.  160 isn't finished for pulling though is it?    Is it possible for one muscle to be done and not the other?   Also the bone did not feel "lose" in the meat.


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## Uncle Bob (Jun 16, 2007)

If your thermometer is relatively accurate then you are looking at a minimum of 185 for it to be pullable. I take meat off the heat at 190-195 and let it rest (cool down) for a while, then pull it.


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## Crash (Jun 16, 2007)

swinchen said:
			
		

> ... so there is not much room between the ash catch pan and the charcoal grate.  I think that this is cutting off airflow to the coals.   Maybe next time I will try turning it over to life the coals up a little higher.   *sigh*  this is not a great first experience....
> 
> 
> thanks,
> Sam


I posted a solution to this very problem recently. Read about it here.


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## swinchen (Jun 16, 2007)

Thanks Crash!  I thought I was going crazy


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## Jeekinz (Jun 16, 2007)

bwwaaahahaha!   

You got the same mess as ME!

bwaaaaaahahahaha.


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## Jeekinz (Jun 16, 2007)

Sam? Where are you? Get away from the oven! It won't reach 200 with you staring at it.  


.....well, I gotta hit the sack.  I expect a full report by morning! 

Hope you got to eat yours!


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## swinchen (Jun 17, 2007)

So, I finished last night around midnight.  It was still only up to 190 when I pulled it, and the meat was a bit on the tough side.   While I was waiting for it to cool I made up three sauces...    a sweet, thick, smoky sauce.   A mustard sauce and a vinegar sauce.  To be honest I have never ever had pulled pork before, so I have no idea how to compare it.   It tastes very much like a ham...  like a boiled, shredded ham.   Anyways, I only shredded one butt...  but I took it with me to my girlfriends camp today.   Her mother took the rest home with her, so I guess it was alright!    I am so critical of my cooking though, and I hardly ever enjoy eating it as much as I enjoy cooking it :/   such is the way of life.

Ok, here is one of two my butts after being pulled.   I put a few common items around it for size comparison.  The Visine is for my eyes.  All red from the smoke.  Plus it brought a tear to my eye when I tried it.   It is so good.   Next time I will do a rub though, and cook it a little longer.  Pulling it was a little tough.







From a different angle...





Well next time I will:
#1) Avoid Kingsford like the plague, or modify my grill.   It was a nightmare throughout the grilling process.  Lump seemed a lot more manageable, plus there is no need to start each load in the chimney!  I am still a little confused about different types of fuel, but that is a question for another post.

#2) Apply a rub the night before.   It was very tasty and I am glad I did it this way first just to see what the base flavor was.  But it tastes like ham...  I want it to taste more southern.   Maybe this also means using a wood other than hickory...  oak?  mesquite?

#3) More smoke...   the smoke flavor wasn't terribly pronounced.  I think I could have gone quite a bit further without making it bitter.

#4) Cook it to a higher temperature to make the pulling process slightly easier.


Well it was far from a disaster and I just had a pulled pork burrito for dinner.  It was GOOD.   I can't wait for my next adventure!


Thank you all so much for the help, I would have freaked out without your support.

Sam.


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## Katie H (Jun 17, 2007)

Well, Sam, my hat's off to you.  For a first try, you did a good job.  Yes, I recommend a rub for your next excursion.  As for the wood, in my experience with stovetop smoking, I usually use a bit (not a whole lot) of hickory.  It imparts a wonderful flavor, but it can be very strong.

You'll be an expert in no time at all.  Your best qualities are patience and perseverance.

Long live slow-cooked meats!!!!


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## swinchen (Jun 17, 2007)

I am not sure who Frank is, but if you are talking to me... Thanks 

Sam


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## Katie H (Jun 17, 2007)

My bad...I had a brain hiccup.  Yes, you, Sam.  Good job.


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## Jeekinz (Jun 18, 2007)

Sam,

As far as color, mine looked the same as your's.  The texture of mine was pretty stringy, (my technical term).  I mixed some of it with my BBQ sauce and threw it on a Kaiser bun.

Like Katie said, try mesquite for some more smoke flavor.  I only used a couple handfulls and had a nice smokey flavor on the bark.

When I cut into mine, the bone fell right out and I used two forks to pull the meat.

Next time...I'll start it on the smoker for flavor, then finish it up in the oven.


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## AllenOK (Jun 18, 2007)

Swinchen, Jeekinz, you are now initiated into the wonderful addiction that is smoking.

Swinchen, I see pink on that meat.  That's a good sign!  The "pink ring" as it's called is a natural reaction between the nitrates/nitrites in smoke, and the protein in meat.

Yes, do a dry rub the night before, and let the meat sit in your refrigerator uncovered so the rub gets kind of "tacky".  This helps the smoke adhere to the meat.

Here's a trick I used to do back when I was a kid in the Boy Scouts.  Go get a cheap pair of swim goggles or face mask.  Wear those when you're working with the fire, or going to be in the smoke for awhile.  It'll save your eyes a lot of suffering.  Of course, you're neighbors, and probably family, will think you've lost it.

As I've stated before, I'm a "log burner".  I only use charcoal to get the fire started.  After that, wood, and wood only.  I have on hand, some pecan, oak, a little hickory, and some ash.  I usually smoke meat with a mix of oak and hickory, however, I bought a little pecan to try it, and it's working pretty good, so I may just go with oak and pecan from here out.  Both are plentiful here in OK.

I've got some turkey legs brining right now, and I'm about to pull them out, dry them off, and rub 'em down in preparation to smoke later today.  I'll post a pictoral about it.


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## swinchen (Jun 18, 2007)

swinchen said:
			
		

> I am not sure who Frank is, but if you are talking to me... Thanks
> 
> Sam





			
				Katie E said:
			
		

> My bad...I had a brain hiccup.  Yes, you, Sam.  Good job.


no problem!  We all have those now and again.  I was just a little confused and wanted to make sure you didn't accidently post in the wrong thread. After re-reading my post it  sounds like I was being a wise-guy, and I promise I did not mean it to sound rude!   I am deeply sorry if it came across that way.

Sam


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## Katie H (Jun 18, 2007)

Not to worry, swinchen.  I didn't take any offense at all.  I have no clue where the "Frank" part came from.  I don't even know anyone named Frank.  Go figure.


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