My first butt

[Guest]

New guy here and new to BBQing. My father-in-law gave me a 18.5" OTS a few years back. I have grilled plenty of burgers/steaks on it; but just did my first real BBQ on it this past weekend.

I used a pseudo snake method with heat shield bricks. I dumped the lit coals (full circle lump) on the right.

Temperature cruised between 250 - 270 for the first three hours with no babysitting. Opened the lid for the first time at 3 hours to check fuel, water and rotate the meat.

Foiled at 165 and took to 205. Total time for the 3lb butt was 5.5 hrs. Made it on one load of charcoal (~3lbs).

The butt was good as far as texture/moisture goes but was a little too smokey. I think mesquite wasn't the right choice, but it was all I had.

Overall I would say it was a successful first venture. I didn't mess with the vents much; I let the kettle do her thing and she maintained temperatures of 250F +/-20. I also can't believe how fuel efficient the old kettle was.

I'm a rookie and I'm open to critique. I will definitely use a different wood for pork going forward. I'm thinking spare ribs for my next BBQ!

 

[IamMadMan]

Looks Great!!!!!

Congratulations on a successful cook...

Try fruit wood next time, it is a little milder, sweeter smoke.

 

[toymaster]

Looks like you got the technique right but mesquite can be overpowering. I never use it. If you do you it, use it sparingly. I use cherry, apple and hickory for pork. Food looks great.

 

[Packmanjim]

Looks like you have it figured out. I don't use mesquite because of the bitter taste. Pecan, Apple, and Cherry are my favorites.

 

[CUTigerQ]

Great looking butt for your first try! Mesquite is harsh tasting, at least to me. Get your hands on some hickory for great flavor and add in some cherry for awesome color on the bark and a great taste. Hickory and cherry goes well together. Peach and apple woods are awesome as well!

 

[SmittyJonz]

Did you keep the exhaust full open and regulate temps with intakes on the bottom?

 

[1buckie]

Yes, apple or cheery might be good, but man....that's a pretty nice cookup on an 18.5"...not everyone would venture a pork butt on the smaller size .....

Good Show !!!!

A flip up style grate may help, as it's a bit easier to add coals if needed with one of those......you can just slip them down by the handles with the one you have, but flip-upsa just easier.....

Again, congrats on a great cook !!!

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the kind words. Sounds like I'll have to pick up a bag of apple and/or cherry for my next pork smoke.

Did you keep the exhaust full open and regulate temps with intakes on the bottom?

I had the exhaust ~3/4 open and the intake ~1/4 open for most of the cook. All adjustments made to the intake.

Yes, apple or cheery might be good, but man....that's a pretty nice cookup on an 18.5"...not everyone would venture a pork butt on the smaller size .....

She's small, but she's all I got. I really want a 22.5" OTG or OTP. Maybe next year. The 18.5 doesn't have much grate area when cooking indirect.

 

[1buckie]

7-1/2 to 8# butt is do-able, but it's tight alright !!!!

 

[80 gallon smokin]

Looks great:thumb:

 

[code3rrt]

great cook, totally agree with the others on wood choice. I like Mesquite, but sparingly, and just on beef.

Oh, and................WELCOME aboard, and enjoy the forum, great folks, and expert advice.

KC

 

[thunter]

Welcome to the Brethren! Nice butt! I might try one of those boneless butts in the "string bikini" for a home cook some time. Looked really juicy too. :-D :thumb:

 

[Cajun Ty]

Looks like you nailed it to me :thumb::thumb:

 

[Lake Dogs]

Super job! Seriously! The OTS isn't designed to be a smoker and it can be cumbersome and frankly a pain in the tush to get it right, and darned if you didnt get it right on the first shot. Congrats!

What they've all said above about Mesquite is accurate; great for short cooks like burgers or steaks, but consuming on longer cooks like these.

If you want that more traditional BBQ smoke flavor, I suggest hickory or pecan next.
For the newer flavors, the apple and cherry's are very nice. I found that with certain cherries they can be fairly thick, so I'd use it a little sparingly at first and add more if desired. Apple is a mild hint-of-sweet that's very nice.

For smoking turkeys, I've even found that sugar maple smokes up nice.