# Eric's first overnighter - Butt



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

My overnight beef brisket project is on hold due to no meat. Sam's Club only had 6 lbs flats (with fat) and Wegmans had 3 lbs flats trimmed of fat. I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures. Since I didn't look for the meat until today, I decided to get two Boston buts (7lbs and 6lbs) and three racks of baby back ribs?  Not sure if that's what they are called. You can tell me when I post those pictures.

I apologize for putting this under grilling instead of bbq. I just realized that. Also, can anyone tell me how to post pictures?


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

My goal is to cook two butts overnight (in my WSM with 2 gallons of water)and have them ready around 9 or 10 am so they can rest a few hours for lunch. I'll put the ribs on in a few hours (I'm trying to do it without foil for either meat). Lastly, I'll put some chicken on around 10 for a 1 hour smoke and then grilling since Amy likes very little smoke on her chicken. That said, here's my cooking log so far:

Saturday 6/30
11:30PM Hot coals loaded dome temp 134 no meat 100 100 100 vents open and top vent open 100 (will remain this way).

7/1
Midnight dome temp: 229 no meat 100 100 50
12:30am dome temp: 275 no meat 100 100 50
12:35am dome temp: 139 added butts 100 100 50
12:45am dome temp: 210 50 50 25
01:00am dome temp: 207 50 50 50
01:40am dome temp: 201 50 50 75
02:05am dome temp: 219 50 50 50
02:15am dome temp: 229 25 50 50
02:35am dome temp: 224 25 50 50  windy dry/no rain. peeked at meat and charcoal. Realized dome vent was open 75 so moved it 100 open
03:05am dome temp: 249 25 25 25


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

03:37 dome temp: 237 and holding for last 15 minutes 25 25 25 (one wasn't at 25 but was 100 and one was 0..corrected it). Good night


----------



## ScottyDaQ (Jul 1, 2007)

Sounds good!
Here's a link that explains how to post pics.
http://www.bbq-4-u.com/screencasts/cast ... cast_6.wmv


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Scotty, thanks for the link. I joined webshots. Now, I got some food porn to upload. Well, the beginning pictures. Not close to being done yet.

06:45am dome: 209 degrees butt: 147 degrees 25 25 25? just woke up.
07:00am dome: 227 degrees butt: 147 degrees 50 50 50
07:30am dome: 247 degrees butt: 150 degrees 25 25 25
08:00am dome: 244 degrees butt: 152 degrees 25 25 25 took pictures


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

now don't get nervous during the plateau...just let it ride


----------



## Bill The Grill Guy (Jul 1, 2007)

Sounds good Eric.  Love to see the pics.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Let's just say that I'm now aiming for a late lunch, especially since I haven't even reached the stall temp in the 160's yet. I'd be happy if I was in the 160's, but getting there. I may need to make a beer run soon since I'm projecting that I'll run out before my meat is done. Of course, that Gentleman Jack is looking good. Why should my bbq get the good stuff, right? I may have to omit it from my cider sprays later on. Will keep you posted.


----------



## Uncle Al (Jul 1, 2007)

Hi,

Those dome temps are about 10-20 degrees lower than your grate temps. So at those temps you are looking at a long cook. Might I sugggest that you double wrap those butts with foil as soon as they come out of the stall and jack up the temps to 300° or so, or you'll be having a late supper!

Al


----------



## wittdog (Jul 1, 2007)

IF the dome is between 225-250 figure 4 hours in the stall..and another 4 to get to 195* and a few hours to let the meat rest...


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Thanks for your help with explaining the temps. I'm very new to these WSMs (one only used once and this one three times).

0900 Dome: 232 Butt: 158 25 25 25
0930 Added 2 fatties (1 lb each of Jimmy Dean with real maple syrup to hold the rub on. Didn't record temps.

1015 Dome: 210 Butt: 158 Fatties: DNR temp 50 50 100
1100 Dome: 270 Butt: 167 Fatties: 155     100 100 50
Noon Dome: 260 Butt: 172 Fatties: 167       50 50 50

12:30p Fatties - being eaten ribs are done but need sauce and Butts haven't been touched.

I'm looking at taking ribs off very soon and foil wrapping the Butts.

Note: Fatties are Yum-mo on egg McMuffins (and even eating as is). Slight maple taste. Mostly lots of flavor that's hard to describe other than a slight smoke. Slight rub flavor. Overall, two thumbs up.

Note 2: I'm still trying to figure out the posting of pictures. I'm concerned that if my original pics are 1mb each, am I to resize them or not on the upload? I'm trying to use Allyoucanupload and even in the previous post that described it, he didn't click on 'resize', so will my picture show up as the original size or not? any advice is appreciated.

I'm challenged on multi subjects today: posting my pics, figuring out this smoker and getting to eat my food AND figure out the above... I'll take care of the fun and easy one first and see if I can pull them ribs off and get the foil going on the butts.

Thanks for your help. I'll definately post the pics when I figure it out...hopefully before 'dinner'.


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

go to www.pictiger.com

very simple


----------



## Greg Rempe (Jul 1, 2007)

Erick, when the pics upload to all you can upload they are turned in to thumbs...leave it as "Do not resize"...then choose the second option as described in the screencast and then post in the thread.  You'll be fine!


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

I'm in the process of uploading some pictures:

1. Doing butts because Wegman's and Sam's Club weren't good. Will hit up a butcher this week.




2. Note: No fat on brisket flat




3. I went with these two butts from Sam's Club 13 lbs between the two of them.




4. Washed them




5. Applied mustard prior to rub




6. I love rubbing my butt! 




7. WSM charcoal ring using MM. Note: Not sand in the middle. I need a better camera that can distinguish between hot coals (white ash) and sand. Thanks guys for asking about the sand 




8. Fire safety - wet the wooden deck and using foil to catch any 'user errors' problems. Around Midnight Sunday morning.




9. I put each butt on their own rack at 12:30am today. I would need to move them to the lower rack later so I could do my ribs.




10. Top butt moved to lower rack after 5 hours. Approx. 4:45am today.




11. Just put the ribs on the top rack (4:45am)




12. Getting ready for brunch - rubbed a 2 pound Jimmy Dean sausage cut in half so we can have "Fatties".




13. Ribs and Fatties CAN coexist in perfect harmony on the same rack.




14. Almost done Fatties


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

is that sand in the middle of your charcoal ring?


----------



## The Missing Link (Jul 1, 2007)

I gald you ask captain. I was thinking what heck is that. Looking good so far wild fire.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Sorry, having issues with the pics. Captions should be near them. No, not sand in the fire. That was around 11:30pm last night. My camera doesn't distinguish very well between sand and the white hot coals in the middle. No sand. Just white coals.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Hadn't messed up much by then (no meat in there yet


----------



## Puff1 (Jul 1, 2007)

Kinda' looks like ice cream


----------



## Bill The Grill Guy (Jul 1, 2007)

Looking good Eric.  Thanks for the pics.  Will you be ready for a re-match next year at the campground?


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

More food pictures. Basically, by looking at this, you should be able to count your blessings.
1. Ribs - 6 or 7 hours no foil. Done. No deaths. No word yet from my neighbors on what they think.

2. Fatties - mighty tasty. Took 2 hours.

3. Butt 14.5 hours and counting...hopefully, close to being done 

15. Ribs are done (on rack) but forgot to put on some sauce.




16. Ribs with sauce




17. What do you think? Be honest. Would you eat these???




18. Another shot of ribs




19. Fatties are done 




20. Egg McFatties - Amy says these are yummy. Flavors include a little smoke, a little maple, and a little rub.




21. One of my butts getting foiled around 180 degrees





Gotta go check the butts


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Rematch next year, Bill? Amy's ready for one right now. Of course, she hasn't been up all night. 

She wants one every quarter. Quarterly cook-off with a grand champion. <not likely to be us, unless i bring a beer buddy that does something unthinkable to someones' wood supply>


----------



## Cliff H. (Jul 1, 2007)

Mail me one of them ribs and I will let you know if I ate it or not  

Looks like you have things well under control.


----------



## Puff1 (Jul 1, 2007)

Eric, honestly.......everything looks great!!!!
Those Egg Mc Fatties look real tasty!!
Great job dude


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

ribs...were they a little dry and a little chewy?

fattie looked great!

Butt looking good!


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Thank you. I think the McFatties were a little on the salty side because they started that way and I had salt in my rub. Next time, I'll omit the salt in the rub for these things.

Ribs seemed a little hard on the outside and a little chewy, like they may have been overdone. What I was trying to experiment with is to avoid foil to see what happens. Bill was so kind to show me what it can do (make really tender fall of the bone ribs). I thought I could improve on that and I did. They are now dry, overcooked, a little tough. Just like what I'm used to  

I definately did not oversmoke them. I tasted the left over brisket that we cut off the ribs from a few weeks ago. I foiled the ribs but not the brisket and the 5 apple chunks gave it a pretty intense smoke (for what apple can do), strong, but not offensive like the time I over did the hickory the week before. I didn't really have a chance to taste the ribs I cooked a few weeks ago, so I have no reference for how much smoke they absorbed in the 4 hours they weren't in foil (compared to the brisket that I left on..and on..and on all unprotected). This time I used 3 large chunks of cherry and a few medium chunks of apple.

That said, these ribs could have used a little help, like be taken off sooner, get some sauce on sooner, apple cider spray a lot sooner, foiled (even for a little bit).

Now, the bark (can I say that about the ribs?) did seem to be more tough than when we used foil, but this may be a bad thing.

Amy ate a rib and thought it wasn't bad, and she doesn't like pork a whole lot, so I took that as a compliment.


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

ribs: 3-2-1  3 in the smoke, 2 in the foil, 1 in the smoke...they won't fall off the bone, but they'll be tender.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Well, I got to see what happens when you do the 7-0-0 no foil what-so ever and forget they are there until you need to take something else out. My badd!!!!! I just assumed they'd be fine. I had temp swings at the dome from 200 on the low end to 287 and spent most of the time around 250 or higher when the ribs were in. The butt had 6 hours of 237 at the dome plus the rib problem, so no telling what it will turn out like.

I took the butts off. Smaller one was 219 and the bigger one was 192. I guess I should have watched that a little closer too. They are both relaxing in foil in an ice chest for about another hour until i have some sauce to whip up.

One thing that did turn out ok, is that I got a new knife (Wustoff Classic 6" cleaver). So we'll see if that can chop the butt better than her santuko knife. Now I just need to buy a plastic tray so I can chop it up.

I'll take pics of it and the boneless/skinless chicken I'm doing for Amy.


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 1, 2007)

some folks do ribs without foil...I learned the foil method
and have found no reason to change!!


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 1, 2007)

Cliff,
Surely, you're not asking me to illegally send hazmat through the mail are you? I don't know if they have a 'bad bbq' detector yet.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 2, 2007)

Were they good? Ribs are/were. Gave one rack to a neighbor who liked them and ate 1/2 rack (waiting for the other part to warm up in this tiny toaster oven). So I'll post the other pictures tonight. The ones from yesterday when I was taking the ribs and butt out and chopping up the butt. Notice that I have *NO Presentation skills* I wouldn't know one if it lept up and bit me. Now, at least I could have busted out some of Amy's finest All-Clad. Then it would have been more pretty. The main thing is what about the meat.

The butt was decent. The one I pulled out at 192 was more tender and moist than its smaller brother that suffered me pulling him out at 219. I unwrapped the smaller one for a few minutes to get his temp down to 208 before letting them both rest for 2 hours when I chopped them up at 150 degrees. Not much juices in the alumin foil. I had them in the smoker in foil for probably their last 2 hours.

So, this brings me to my last question on this thread for anyone who wants to answer: If you are having a hard time with temps and you 'accidentaly' leave your butt in the smoker for 14 hours, when should you have foiled them? My butts were in the 150 range FOREVER and then shot to 170 and stayed there Forever. Some point in the early 180's I foiled them and had success. I'm guessing that my temp control problem was half the issue and i could have foilded them sooner and pull them between 190-205. I'm guessing one was around 6+ and the other was 7+ (so next time I should weigh them)?

Lastly, I'll be making sandwhiches of the butt probably starting on Wednesday, and i'll be eating them for a week. Any suggestions are appreciated. I did make some sauces yesterday, and that should be a good opportunity to use it up along with Amy's previous sauce.

Thanks. Hope you enjoyed reading this, answering a few newbie questions and seeing my pictures. Been much fun, and maybe next time, I'll get my neighbor involved (to supply the beer).


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 2, 2007)

Secondary plateaus are fairly common...no foil is necessary,
but if you're running short of time, you can.


----------



## Chiles (Jul 2, 2007)

I'm getting to be dependent on foiling.  I have done it every time once the meat hits 165 and foil with two complete tight layers of heavy duty foil and then set in the disposable aluminum pans that catch anything that could possibly drip out if the foil tears in handling.

I am still learning but it always takes me longer then I expect to get to 165 and usually need to really push up the temps in the last two hours.  I always plan to have them rest for 1 hour before pulling.  This at least has lead to consistant great results both in cooking time and not drying out the meat.  

Chiles


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 2, 2007)

WildFireEric said:
			
		

> Cliff,
> Surely, you're not asking me to illegally send hazmat through the mail are you? I don't know if they have a 'bad bbq' detector yet.



I take that back. Ribs were great. Heated them up at work in foil drenched in some St. Louis style sauce. Ever heard of Super Smokers? They aren't bad. If I have any more ribs, I'll finish them up at work. Otherwise, we'll dig into the butt. I have at least 5 bags in the freezer and 2 in the fridge.

Thanks for the advice on the foiling. I was concerned that if I cook for 14 hours that it would cause damage to the butt. For example, at least the foil will catch the drippings for later incorporation into the chopped meat. Right now, its going to waste in the water pan, unless you have some scientific way to recover it.

I did not trim ANY fat on these bad boys. I only scored them the way Bill showed me and it almost rendered completely away. I cooked fat side up the whole time. The little that was left went into the whole mess I chopped up. Perhaps its a little dry because not much fat left? We'll just have to compensate by adding a spray of my apple cider/gentleman jack concoction or some extra bbq sauce?

About to leave work. Will post the last pictures later tonight and forever end my '1st overnight bbq with butt'.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 3, 2007)

Here's the final photos:

21-1. Let the carnage begin. Actually, this butt broke in half just lifting out of the pan.




22. Close up of my new Wustoff Classic 6" HackMaster cleaver. Yeah baby!!!!!!!




23. Not sure if this was butt #1 or #2. Note some nice smoke ring, although I thought cherry would have made this meat a little more red or pink. Any comments?




24. Must have been the larger butt due to juices. I removed this from the smoker at 192 (less fortunate other butt was at 219 OUTCH!!! 




25. More




26. Ribs




27. Da end. If you noticed NO CHICKEN, then stay tuned for Grilling Gone Bad or WildfireEric can't multitask on the grill.


----------



## Diva Q (Jul 3, 2007)

Looks delicious. 

INcredible looking pork!


----------



## Captain Morgan (Jul 3, 2007)

Great looking pork!


----------



## Bill The Grill Guy (Jul 3, 2007)

Captain Morgan said:
			
		

> Great looking pork!



Taught him everything he knows.


----------



## WildFireEric (Jul 3, 2007)

Bill The Grill Guy said:
			
		

> [quote="Captain Morgan":2cng7k4z]Great looking pork!



Taught him everything he knows. [/quote:2cng7k4z]

Bill, you may want to consider a disclaimer when I post the burnt chicken breast pictures   However, your reputation with teaching me pork is safe for the moment


----------



## Puff1 (Jul 3, 2007)

Lookin' good!


----------

