First pork butt *live updates*

Well it's Labour Day on Monday here in New Zealand, so what better way to spend a Sunday than to have a BBQ! Friends are coming round from 4pm with potluck. Once the butt is off the rest of the BBQ will be grilling steaks and sausages.

I will keep this thread updated as the day goes on.. Though most of you will be sleeping!

Yes this is my first time doing a pork butt... it can be hard to come by down here. Most of the time when I see pork shoulder in the shop it will be a picnic or a boned and rolled roast. Finally found a whole fridge full of nice bone-in butts at our local chain supermarket.

Trimmed the fat, oiled it down a bit and gave it a generous rub of Meathead's Memphis Dust.

I got it on at 6:45am at 250*. I would prefer 225 but I'm finding this hardwood lump hard to keep low with no Guru :icon_sleepy. Hopefully 2 water pans will keep things steady.

Oh and I'm using 50/50 Hickory and Cherry wood chips for smoke. Will smoke for the first 2 hours. 16 ounces total, 4 ounces at a time every 30 mins.

Enjoy!!! (I sure hope I do in 10 hours time)

I set up the charcoal minion method which created a nice steady climb to 225*. Then once I added my wood chips it sparked the fire a bit and got some of the unlit lump firing a bit early. This created a quick climb to 270* but it came back a bit and has been humming at 250* which I'm happy with.

4 HOURS DOWN!

Got a nice looking bark happening. I've had a few rain showers so temp been a little up and down with the wind. but I have managed to pull the kettle under shelter to miss the rain.

Sitting around 230*. I am using the dregs of my only box of charcoal at hand. Lots of little pieces burning out quickly so I've had to throw on a few hand fulls unlit lump (more like crumb) at 2 hours and now at 4 hours. along with topping up the top water pan.

I have also decided I'd try make some pork crackling. I kept the skin from the butt and nailed it in rock salt and a touch of the memphis dust. Dunno what it will turn out like. Hopefully crunchy and delicious!

Also under that top water pan I have laid out all the trimmings from the butt straight over the hot fire... present a burnt offering as a pleasing aroma to the LORD!

good point about the oven. I do plan to rest it in there. However I have no run out of charcoal which means I need to go to the shop and buy more for the grilling action later. I've been looking forward to getting rid of this lump/crumb. I will be moving to briquettes simply because the quality of lump here sucks.... its all dust

7 hours down - the wind has really picked up and slamming directly at the kettle.. Might have to watch this to the 11-12 hour cook time

So, after 3 hours of sitting anywhere around 205* to 220* I've finally got some more efficient fuel on with some good lookin briqs. Because its been running too cool I'll try push it to 250*-270* for the rest of the cook. The butt is still lookin juicy and the bark is really starting to sing.

As for my burnt offering.... it worked really well. Maybe a little too well as one tiny piece was black as tar and oozy like lava, and with it.... a horrible stink of carbon charburnt! It was one of those things, 2 minutes earlier and i would have removed it. I tasted a bit of the bark on the butt and some pieces might have been tained with the char rather than porky goodness... in saying that I nibbled on another corner and it it tasting great! I hope it doesn't completely taint my bark!

Well, after 12 hours of battling with the wind, rain, lump/dust charcoal I finally pulled my pork barely making temp. It all tasted great with a great bark and about an inch thick smoke ring. But, it was a bit dry and didn't fall apart when 'pulling' - it was a bit more like chunk and shred.
Served with a vinegar based dipping sauce.

As for the cracklings... well it was all looking good until I got held up greeting guests and boom I had a full on grease fire going down.

I didn't manage to catch a finished photo before pulling, but here is a pic of the left overs I get to enjoy for lunch tomorrow!


All in all I really enjoyed my day. But things I would change/improve would be creating a better shelter from the weather and not relying on crappy crumbs and dust that filled my box of 'lump'.