How do you guys do it?

[PoPs54]

Hello all,
Just wondering about a few techniques for cooking, ribs-bone up or down? Pork butt-fat up or down, and about how long and what temp for the butt (8lb)?
Thanks!

[Frank_Cox]

I do ribs with bone up and I don't really do anything special just maintain 225*F on the smoker. I usually do mop them about 80% of the way through. I try to not go over 180*F on the internal temp. I do pull the membranes off during the prep. My spare ribs usually take about 7 hours or so.
As far as pork butts go I always smoke them fat cap up. The same drill on the smoker temp, I always use 225*F. I shoot for a 195*F internal temp but more importantly I do the redneck thermapen test. Ya stick the temp probe in and when the probe penetrates easily almost like butter, they are done. My pork butts usually take about 14 hours.

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[PoPs54]

On the butts, do you mop or spray once they go on the smoker?

[Frank_Cox]

Not usually. I just let them smoke. I have been thinking about waiting to put the brown sugar on till later to get a little different color bark. Tom was telling me he does that. Hopefully he will clue us in

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[PoPs54]

Thanks for the info Frank, trying to smoke and do yard work at the same time. My butt is an 8lb'er and put it on at 9am, what do you think the fastest i could cook that would be taking in a little higher heat?

[Frank_Cox]

I would think if you smoked at 300 you could prolly get her done in bout 10 hours depending how long the stall takes. You will hit a stall around 160 internal temp and it could last a couple 3 hours or so. I have not cooked that high very many times so I don't know what to expect really. I'm one of those guys that starts a butt around 11 pm and let's it cook all night and then let it rest for a couple hours then it's ready for supper.

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[PoPs54]

Well, I guess we live and learn don't we. Maybe it will turn out ok.

[Tom_Heath]

Ribs, bone up and membrane pulled unless its a fundraiser.
Sometimes I wrap um sometimes not. Just what I feel like. If there to spicy I will brown sugar them in the last half hour.

The pork butt, fat up, with as much liquid I can inject into it.

Most of the time I wrap it about 160 or 170. Sometimes it helps speed the process.
Like Frank said, the stall is what gets ya.
I like to plan at least an hour a pound for the butts, but it varies.
If you wanna slice it, you should be ready for dinner. Pulling it may be a different story.

If I am pulling mine, I like to take it to at least 190 to 200 and then wrap and rest. If I have time I pull it from the foil and sugar it then back on the rack nekkid for about 30 minutes

Every time I try and smoke along with doing other things, I get everything messed up. LOL

Good luck and pls let us know how it all turns out.

[MattS]

for butts, I keep the temp around the 235 range and cap up. smoke open on the grate till it hits 160-170ish and then foil. take meat up to 200ish and let rest. That process usually goes for about 11 hours or so. Sometime less, sometimes more. Seems like it takes longer if I cook open on the rack the whole time.

One thing I have done in the past for quick smoked butt is to smoke open on grate up to 150 and then foil and put in oven at 300 till done. I have gotten a butt done in less then 8 hours and tasted great plus that last half of the cook didn't take any watching.

[Tom_Heath]

Matts right on the money with the last half in the oven. That works for speed, rain, snow, and also the cook where you have more meat to cook then you know what to do with it all.

I didn't mention my temps, but I run where the drum likes it, sometimes a little higher then others, sometimes a little lower. But for the most part I stay between 210 and 255. I quit stressing over 20 or 30 degrees a long time ago. Its just not worth it.

[rlmax02]

im with you on the stressin part tom. as long as I dont go over 250 I dont sweat it. I do fat caps up..membrane off and sometimes foil the butts if I dont want crunchies. If I do I leave it naked. Ribs I have never foiled but I think im gonna try the 3-2-1 deal here soon and see what happens.

[Frank_Cox]

3-2-1 works great for spares if you want a fall off the bone kind of rib. 2-2-1 for the same result with baby backs. I like to do that from time to time but the last few times I have wanted good bark.

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[PoPs54]

Thanks to all for the input, it was most helpful. I was quite pleased with the outcome. I only bought my smoker late last summer and feel like I have had really good success. The butt smoked for about 4 hours, then transferred to the oven at 250 degrees. I took it out after about 10 hours (190 internal temp) and the bone just slipped right out and I used 2 large forks and it pulled great. The ribs went for about 6 hours total with about 4 hours smoke time 1.5 wrapped in foil and last 30 minutes with sauce. It had pulled away from the end of the bone very nicely and very tender with great taste. My only concern was the color, parts were dark blackish color. They tasted great but still concerned about the color. If I use a shorter smoke time before wrapping in foil, would that help the color? Thanks again for all the help.

[Tom_Heath]

Is there any chance that you are using Apple wood for smoke???

If so, I bet thats where the darkness is coming from. I have done chicken with apple and the poor bird came out black black.
I also used a butter rich bast which turned my thighs black when outdoors and when we took um inside the wedding reception they looked green under the kitchen lights.

Let me tell ya, that was one terriable moment right there. But everyone that ate them said OMG how in the world did you cook those, we loved them.



The only other time I got blackened meat was my very first smoke in a electric brinkman and I had no clue what I was doing......had to throw that chunk away!!!!!

Here is a couple shots of some fund-raiser ribs we did. The first pic looks rather dark but its cause we are in the shadows, the third is in the daylight. These ran about 6 to 7 hours, never wrapped, spritzed every hour or so.

[PoPs54]

No apple, it was hickory. Those ribs in your pictures have a beautiful golden color to them. Rub I used was,well, not sure exactly what was in it, but pretty sure there was no brown sugar or anything that might turn the color black.

[rlmax02]

Frank how do you trim your spares?. I usually cut them down to St Louis style but would like to do the whole cut. anything different I should know?

[Tom_Heath]

Well, now I am at a loss for what could have made them dark.

[PoPs54]

My smoke is always pretty heavy or dense. Could that have anything to do with it?

[Frank_Cox]

Frank how do you trim your spares?. I usually cut them down to St Louis style but would like to do the whole cut. anything different I should know?

I usually just do the stlouis style then trim off the rib head then slice the tips. i do all that after they are cooked tho.

[Frank_Cox]

My smoke is always pretty heavy or dense. Could that have anything to do with it?

I think so...
the goal is to have complete combustion of the wood or charcoal which will result in thin blue smoke. the sweet spot is the smoke will be so thin you wont be able to see it hardly except for the occasional wisp.

[PoPs54]

So, what is the trick to accomplishing that?

[PoPs54]

Is it in the design of the smoker, or the art of the one doing the smoking?

[PoPs54]

My smoke is always pretty heavy or dense. Could that have anything to do with it?

I think so...
the goal is to have complete combustion of the wood or charcoal which will result in thin blue smoke. the sweet spot is the smoke will be so thin you wont be able to see it hardly except for the occasional wisp.

Frank, somehow that just sounds so poetic.

[Frank_Cox]

LOL... i bet i say that phrase at least once a day

[Tom_Heath]

Even when you can't see the smoke its still gonna be good so long as you can smell it.

Kinda hard to get used to. I used to always go for the more smoke the better.
With my drums, I seldom see smoke unless something bad happens.