/ck/ - Food & Cooking

I smoked 2 pork butts on a weber smokey mountain 14" using the following method, which is for the extremely lazy, start around 7PM

1) Get a ring of coals going with a parrafin wax cube, put rub on the butts, wait 20-30 minutes for coals to get going.

2) Add hickory/pecan/whatever flavor you're looking to impart. Put the middle section on, fill water to the brim. If doing this in winter/colder months I like to add it from a kettle, but its summer so I said screw that. Add the butts to each rack, fat cap on top, and add some more rub, because why not.

3) Put the dome on the smoker, the cold meat will take a lot of the temp out, so I just run it flat out , or maybe 3/4 top vent open at this point. Bottom vents should be closed only if there's wind in the direction of the vent.

4) Put on a movie or something else, don't bother obsessing over temp. Who gives a shit if the thing isn't rock solid at 225 and spikes to 250 for a while? Pork butts will never dry out because they are so fatty.

5) At the 3 hour mark, come out , wrap the butts with aluminum foil, some use butcher paper, though I don't have it, they will be around 110 degrees at this point. The pitmaster assholes will tell you to wait til 160 to do this since they still take smoke til then, but all your wood chunks should be dead at this point. Refill water, add coals to brim of the ring. Put top vent to 5/8s.

6) Go to bed and wake up in the morning. Your butts are done. Who cares what the temp spiked to, they are wrapped and won't dry out. I throw them in a cooler for a few hours to rest and then eat for lunch. Remove fat cap, add salt and shred.

You'll have to adjust the vents slightly for wind and outside temp, and worst case you can finish your abomination in the oven.