# OBQ



## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

I'm stuck away from home again this weekend ... had a bad cold, been off a couple of days ... now the weekend is upon me and I'm already bored to tears.

So I got this idea, I'll try a pork butt in the oven at 240F ish in a roaster, on a rack elevated from the drippings. I'll leave the cover off and cook 'till it seems pullable (no therm here).

Other than that I'll rub it down with something, maybe baste. I got some hickory smoked salt ... that'll work.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?


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## Captain Morgan (Apr 29, 2005)

i never travel without my Taylor probe thermometer.  Ya never know when you need to whip up an emergency batch of q!


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## YardBurner (Apr 29, 2005)

Any pork is better than no pork!


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## Rob D. (Apr 29, 2005)

No therm?  If you're gonna experiment, might as well work on the fork technique for doneness....figure if you can stick a big fork in it and give it a twist easily, it's probably good for pullin', or something like that....

Rob


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2005)

While you're at it, par-boil some ribs...  :ack:


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## Woodman1 (Apr 29, 2005)

Do what I do when away from home. Get incredibly drunk and find a cheap hooker! =P~  =P~


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## Nick Prochilo (Apr 29, 2005)

Good Luck Shawn! You'll apprecicate your cooker when you get home!


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## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

Rob D. said:
			
		

> No therm?  If you're gonna experiment, might as well work on the fork technique for doneness....figure if you can stick a big fork in it and give it a twist easily, it's probably good for pullin', or something like that....
> 
> Rob


 great idea, thanks Rob

... still trying to learn what 'done' looks and feels like and not rely on the therm so much, and I really think things start to go wonky after 160F ... 

Well, I'm set. Got my new 'pit' ($1 roaster + $1 for foil from the dollar store). I'm gonna crumple up some foil wads to elevate the meat.

Scored an 8lb picnic chunk with skin on. I'm gonna rub it up tonight with Mr.Brown, then 'fire up' the pit in the morning ... I'm figuring about 9 hours, then rest an hour. 

WoodDeviant: now I like a fine piece of butt as much as the next man but that's not what I had in mind (and I don't need ideas like that after being gone for two weeks <married, long time, with kids>) :grin:


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## LarryWolfe (Apr 29, 2005)

Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke.  I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven.  If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference.  Sad, but true.


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## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

TexLaw said:
			
		

> Heck, give it a shot.  I bet it comes out just fine, especially with that hickory salt.


 Well I'm hopefull it comes out 'not too bad'. I noticed some of the boys use propane as an alternate heat source ... and one of the Q restaurants I was at used either Natural Gas or electric. So mine can be at least as good as that right?

The thing sure to be missing is the real smoke. I wonder too how much the effects of the airflow and maybe even, ahem, a bit of the lump exhaust contributes to the finished product in my WSM.


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## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

> Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke.  I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven.  If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference.  Sad, but true.



Thanks Larry, just saw your post. Ya got me all optomistic now ... 

The picnic is trimmed and rubbed. I left the salt out of the rub and gave the thing a good spinkle of hickory smoked salt. 

I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.  

Larry, about how long at what temp do you think this thing might take?


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## LarryWolfe (Apr 29, 2005)

Shawn White said:
			
		

> [quote="Larry Wolfe":2dosu5yw]Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke.  I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven.  If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference.  Sad, but true.



Thanks Larry, just saw your post. Ya got me all optomistic now ... 

The picnic is trimmed and rubbed. I left the salt out of the rub and gave the thing a good spinkle of hickory smoked salt. 

I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.  

Larry, about how long at what temp do you think this thing might take?[/quote:2dosu5yw]

Shawn, cook it at 240-250 oven temp.  I don't even measure the meat temp when I do them in the oven.  I usually stick a fork into the butt/picnic and give it a twist.  If it twists easily it's done.  I think your 9 hour estimate in the oven is about right.  Good luck Shawn!  I look forward to seeing your pics and hearing how it turned out!


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2005)

That's just over an hour per pound..I would have thought longer...


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## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

the picnic portion was 8.8 lbs .... I figure I took at least 1.5 lbs off ... let's call it 6 lbs

I know I've done 3lb chuck rolls around the same temp for 6 hours and they were pullable (burritos recipe)...

maybe you are right Bill, I will give it twelve hours <Shawn set's alarm clock for 4 AM to start the picnic> for a target dinner time of 5 pm

if it's done early, I'll foil and rest in a slow oven


thanks man


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## Greg Rempe (Apr 29, 2005)

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Shawn, I am looking forward to your results!! [-o<


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2005)

Shawn,

I've never done a picnic ~ Larry has done many....I was just thinking out loud.  :!:


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## Shawn White (Apr 29, 2005)

nshaw65 said:
			
		

> I used to do butts in the microwave on the defrost setting for about 2 - 3 hours. Comes out great.


 hey, don't steal my thunder man ... this is a big adventure for me ....  :grin:


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## Guest (Apr 29, 2005)

Shawn White said:
			
		

> I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.


Is a tourchlamp what we southerners call a flashlight? :razz:   Lookin' forward to the pics.


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## Shawn White (Apr 30, 2005)

not sure what you southerners call it ....

what I meant by torchlamp was the 500W halogen bulb mounted at the the end of a 6' pole

the webcam has no flash ... so, working the laptop, webcam and torchlamp all in to position for cook pics ought to be some fun!


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## LarryWolfe (Apr 30, 2005)

Niagara River Smoker said:
			
		

> That's just over an hour per pound..I would have thought longer...



Well, from my experience cooking BBQ in the oven with temps between 240-250 that's about the timeframe.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2005)

Shawn White said:
			
		

> not sure what you southerners call it ....
> 
> what I meant by torchlamp was the 500W halogen bulb mounted at the the end of a 6' pole
> 
> the webcam has no flash ... so, working the laptop, webcam and torchlamp all in to position for cook pics ought to be some fun!


Ooohh..One of these...
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Lookin' forward  to the results.


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## Bruce B (Apr 30, 2005)

I think it is called....torchiere.


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## Shawn White (Apr 30, 2005)

yep, that's it, torchiere ... I find torchlamp easier... 

update: been on 10 hours now ... I stuck a fork in and gave it a twist and it doesn't seem soft enough yet ...... either it's going over done or it's not done yet ... I'm not sure

meat wil not pull away from the bone so I put the last of the souther sop on and I'm gonna leave it in a little longer to see if it softens further


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## YardBurner (Apr 30, 2005)

If the bone won't twist it's not over done.

Never seen a butt tighten back up on the bone.

Might be time to foil and rest for a while though.

You might need some time with moist heat (foil) to finish it.

Ovens are dry enviroments. A pit will produce and/or 
hold some moisture as a byproduct of the  burning
process.

Foiling (Yes I know it's conidered a cheat)
will tenderize by braising the meat a short time.

You have already been working with a handicap, an additional
one won't hurt.

If it pulls it's a success!!!

Good Luck!!!

Rob


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## Shawn White (Apr 30, 2005)

I decided it was underdone as well because MrBrown was still red.

Cooked 12.5 hours. MrBrown was now brown, meat wanted to pull away from the bone and it gave easily to the fork test. Really don't know for sure what temp the oven ran at or a what temp the meat was when I stopped cooking it.

rested 90 minutes in foil before pulling

Pics Are Here

How was it? It was moist and tender and it pulled easily. Now I'm not saying everyone should just throw away their pits ... ya can't compare this to smoked.

Smoked would wins hands down. Hickory salt helped some but maybe Larry's liquid smoke suggestion would make it seem closer?

Tasted fine in a bun with my favourite BBQ sauce. Some of it, particularly the bottom that ended up sitting in drippings reminded me very strongly of Shake N' Bake pork chops though. 

It was ok, but I'd rather smoke it. I have meals for the week.


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## Griff (Apr 30, 2005)

Shawn

I've noticed that you've been away from home with work. And thus forced to cook in an oven. Where are you at and when can you expect to get back to Calgary? It's a bummer to miss spring coming to the north.

Griff


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## Shawn White (Apr 30, 2005)

Griff said:
			
		

> Shawn
> 
> I've noticed that you've been away from home with work. And thus forced to cook in an oven. Where are you at and when can you expect to get back to Calgary? It's a bummer to miss spring coming to the north.
> 
> Griff


 I'm in Montreal for another month, but making a trip home next weekend.

 [-o< Next job in Calgary please .....


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## Shawn White (May 1, 2005)

Yardburner, just wanted to thank you for the great advice, Unfortunately I didn't see your post 'till all was done, but it will be helpfull in the future regardless.

I did two picnics in my WSM a while back and they seemed a bit tough. With this experience and your advice I now think they were undercooked instead of overcooked.

This is probably a whole new thread in itself ... but I guess it boils down to the physical check methods you mention in your post and a couple of things Jim keeps saying 'it's done when it's done' and 'use the therms as a guideline'.

I hate lifting the lid on my WSM, especially when the weather is bad. So I've come to rely heavily on the Maverick ET-73. 

But it seems internal temps get wonky after 160F or so (at least with my ET-73, or how I position the meat probe). They will go up or down and I overcooked some chuck roll pieces trying to reach 200F. I'm now trying to learn what done looks and feels like.

So, when I have steady pit temps, maybe I'll try to use time more as a guideline than internal meat temp. Then, not be so reluctant to lift the WSM lid and twist that thang or just fork it!


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