Smoker Operations

S

SJB358

Ballistician
Dec 24, 2006
32,435
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Well, I got a smoker from a buddy that was moving. Pretty nice horizontal smoker, and I did some pulled pork last week, turned out really nice. I don't have a whole lotta pictures of the finished meat, as everyone was starving! :lol:

Anyhow, this thing is pretty sweet though. Been using some hardwood lump charcoal and some apple wood as well for smoking, and oh man, that pulled pork is really good.

I will let 280 Remington (Mike) pass on the recipe for the pulled pork, but let me tell ya, it is a HIT! Do the same thing for tomorrow, with a 10lb Boston Butt.

Here is a picture of the meat from last weekend..



Here is the smoker on it's maiden voyage.





I went to Lowes this weekend and got some brick to lay in the smoker, in order to regulate the temperature a little more. Mike gave me the idea, as the smoker gets up to temp, it'll hold onto the temp longer and should be easier and might cook more efficiently.

I also got some aluminum pans and filled it with sand, then covered with aluminum foil.



 
Yeah, that looks pretty sweet. I can imagine that the pulled pork is a hit with about anyone. Even fussy eaters enjoy good pulled pork.
 
You aren't kidding. It's alot of fun, but man, you better have some dedicated time to feed the fire!
 
That's some kind of score on a great side-belly smoker, Scotty! That's on my 'to-do' list sometime. I'm making do with an upright for now. I had to buy a new one last year, after my old one bit the dust. I was a little disappointed, having only gotten 15yrs of use out of the old one!

That pork looks great, too. Do you mind sharing your rub recipe? I have one I use but I'm always looking at other options to try. One of these days I'm going to really get serious about creating my own "ultimate butt rub" but for now I use a modified version of something I saw in a BBQ book. Also, do you use a mop sauce or brine? I've settled on a vinegar mop sauce, as I like the tangy taste.

You've got me hungry now. Just finished rubbing a batch of ribs for the grill later. I'll use a foil pack and some pear or hickory (depending on what I'm in the mood to break up) on my gas grill. Not as good as slow cooking, but too busy today to tend the smoker.
 
Scotty that smoker is just what the Dr ordered, keep a small bucket of wet hickory chunks setting next to the fire door and once an hour fill it with wet hickory but do not let it stay wet but around 2 or 3 hours before ya throw it on your coals! The more smoke the better the meat will turn out and keep it around 220 in the main part where your meat is and you will be a pitmaster before ya know it! i wanta hear about all the bull frogs you should be frying up to go with the Pork :)
 
Well, I have had the 10lb Boston Butt on the smoker since about 0600. I am up to 147* right now, internal temp..



Has to get up to 195*. Been using some Apple along with the Hardwood Lump Charcoal.
 
HOGWILD338-378":1ye66ox2 said:
Scotty that smoker is just what the Dr ordered, keep a small bucket of wet hickory chunks setting next to the fire door and once an hour fill it with wet hickory but do not let it stay wet but around 2 or 3 hours before ya throw it on your coals! The more smoke the better the meat will turn out and keep it around 220 in the main part where your meat is and you will be a pitmaster before ya know it! i wanta hear about all the bull frogs you should be frying up to go with the Pork :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I try to maintain somewhere between 225-240 on the smoker, and since I added the bricks in the smoke chamber, it is MUCH easier. I do keep my chunks of wood soaked and man, once they start smoking, it is pretty good smelling stuff.
 
dubyam":3dasat9u said:
Do you mind sharing your rub recipe? I have one I use but I'm always looking at other options to try.
Click to expand...

Dub, Mike passed me the rub recipe, the finishing sauce and the actual BBQ sauce and oh my Lord, it is all excellent. It is spicy, but if you like spice, I bet you'll dig it.

Basic Rub

2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne
2 teaspoons dry mustard



Memphis BBQ style sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
Preparation:

Melt butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients (vinegar last), reduce heat and simmer over low for 20 minutes. Allow to cool. Optionally you can puree this sauce to make a smoother barbecue sauce.



The Finishing Sauce I use is as follows:(Optional)


1 Cup Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Course Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

Warm the Vinegar up enough so that it dissolves the Sugar well. Then add the remaining ingredients.

I use it in one of those clear Ketchup bottles you can get from Wally World for about $0.99. Snip a little bit larger hole out of the spout with a pair of scissors. Once all your ingredients are mixed together, put your finger over the top, and shake vigorously.

Randomly squirt this over warm freshly pulled Pork, then kind of mix it up with gloved hands. This adds very little heat (despite the Red Pepper) and mellows out the stronger, gamier parts of the Shoulder. The Vinegar also helps break it down even more for some REAL juiicy pork.


And here is another Carolina style sauce Mike passed me..


Carolina BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (hickory flavoring)
Preparation:

Mix all except soy, butter and smoke. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 more minutes
 
Thanks for the recipe's Scotty they all sound yummy but ya need to have some frog legs frying next to your smoker in a deep fryer :) with some catfish keeping the company hehe!! Looking really good Scotty I use a bullet water smoker with beer in the water pan and regular Kingsford and lump hickory and lots of it and it works great for me :) my rub is based on the size of meat I use and I never measure anything, only by the eye :) but I use paprika, cumin,cayenne,brown sugar, salt and pepper as my rub ! If ya use enough hickory, sauce is not a must!! But I do the same for sauce using my eyeball !! Ketchup, BBQ sauce, 7UP, mustard, salt and pepper and Worcestershire Sauce!! And as much cayenne as you can stand! Red Neck Arkansas BBQ at it's finest!!
 
That does look good. I believe Mike steered you in the right direction with that rub and sauce.
 
Here is the results from yesterday, gotta say, it was the best I've done yet.. Mike's recipe for the BBQ sauce, finishing sauce, and the rub is all just AWESOME!

Here it is about 3/4's done.



Here is a shot of the firebox, I lined it with some rocks in order to hold the charcoal in a centralized location.



This is what it looked like when the internal temp hit 195*



It just pulled apart so easily after sitting in the blankets for 1.5 hours.



And, the bowl full of goodness after I pulled it apart. It was great as the meat just pulled right off the bone with no drama. I thank Mike again for awesome instructions and assistance in getting the smoker working as well as it does.

 
0600 Hours and I'm starving! :)

Great looking tucker there. I'll best it tasted even better than it looks and it looks great. Thanks for posting the recipes. I'll have to give them a go.
 
It's a great recipe. If you like spicy, you should enjoy it.
 
Scotty,
Try this:

Dry Rub

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup paprika
2 tablespoons dried onion, minced or crushed
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Rub generous handful on both sides of meat. Best on ribs or pork butt; will work fine on any barbecue. Makes enough rub for several applications.
 
Anybody got a less spicy rub? One of my kids is having issues with the spice level of my current rub, and I'm going to try several combos on some pork later this month. Figure I'll do some country-style ribs cut individually, and do three or four in each rub. Let everyone have a taste and see what is the winner. It'll be a fun project for sure! Looking for ideas on non-spicy...
 
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