This is not your pork!
08-14-2012, 09:24 AM
Featured products:
Thick beef shoulder from young Austrian bull with a weight of 13.97 lbs
Self made rub
Self made sauce
Injections with fermenting pear juice (just for fun)
Setup:
WSM 22.5" with 2nd charcoal grate for use of lump
Al Fakher Pure Natural Lemon Tree Lump Charcoal (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140984)
Charcoal ring completely filled for Minion Method without depression lit with Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
Six fist-sized apple wood chunks
Cooking scheme: L&S till done / IT 190°F
Actual cooking temp zone 212-333°F
Maverick ET-732 & SuperFast WHITE Thermapen for temperature supervision
No-Stick Grill-Mat on upper cooking grate
Foiled 18" clay saucer in foiled water pan without water
Beef shoulder before unpacking (and our new Mukizu-Santoku knife)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/01_thick_beef_shoulder_13_97_lbs_and_mukizu-santoku_knife.jpg
The new pavilion which replaced the destroyed easy-up (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140945)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/02_new_pavilion.jpg
The 2nd charcoal grate for using lump
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/03_2nd_charcoal_grate.jpg
Charcoal ring half filled with apple wood chunks
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/04_apple_wood_onm_lump.jpg
Charcoal ring completely filled (btw the capacity with tightly packed Lemon Tree Lump Charcoal is ~ 13.23 lbs)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/05_charcoal_ring_filled.jpg
Beef shoulder unpacked side A
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/06_beef_side_a.jpg
Beef side B
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/07_beef_side_b.jpg
Beef side C
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/08_beef_side_c.jpg
Beef side D
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/09_beef_side_d.jpg
Beef after a little trimming ready for some fermented pear juice injections
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/10_beef_trimmed.jpg
Firing up Minion Style with Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/11_weed_burner_minion.jpg
Charcoal lit after about 2 minutes of flaming
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/12_charcoal_ring_lit.jpg
The new no-stick grill mat trimmed for the upper cooking grate with gap for Maverick cooking temp probe
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/13_grill_mat.jpg
Beef injected & rubbed on upper cooking grate with Maverick food probe attached ready to go on Saturday evening at 10:40 p.m.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/14_beef_on_11_40_pm.jpg
Beef on Sunday at noon after 12 hours and 30 minutes ready for foiling in apple juice
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/15_beef_after12_30_hours.jpg
Time to refuel after 13 hours with another ~ 6.61 lbs of Lemon Tree Lump and some more fun with the Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/16_refueling_after_13_hours.jpg
Overview of cooking area with new pavilion
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/17_overview_cooking_area_with_new_pavilion.jpg
Beef finally ready after 19 hours
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/18_beef_ready_after_19_hours.jpg
Beef after resting foiled in cooler
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/19_beef_after_resting.jpg
Beef sliced
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/20_beef_slized.jpg
Beef closeup
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/21_beef_slized_closeup.jpg
Result:
What an AWESOME piece of beef! Although slightly overcooked (again!) and not really juicy (and again!), it was tender, had a really good bark and exactly the taste you would expect from a fine lean cut of beef. We ate it pure, just with the self-made sauce (which made it through the first 12 hours on the lower cooking grate, leading to a really good reduction with a nice smoke flavor), in wraps, on jasmine rice, and every variation was outstanding. The new favorite is reheated with scallion on jasmine rice, which I just had for dinner yesterday and lunch today. Beef, beef and some more beef! Beef all the way! :smile:
Remarks:
After a total of 12 cooks I still don't know how to make the product juicy as well, and it is still a mystery when and how to foil (with or without added juice). This time I just waited to long, although at the given weight a cooking time between 14 and 21 hours was to be expected, 19 hours were too much. First I waited for the IT to reach 190°F in the first spot the Maverick food probe was stuck in since the beginning of the cook. When I then probed with my new Thermapen it reported a wide range of IT throughout the meat from 150 to 190°F, so I placed the Maverick food probe into another spot and foiled the beef in apple juice, because the bark already looked very good after more than 12 hours and 30 minutes. The second spot the Maverick food probe was stuck in reached 190°F quite fast then, but the temperature throughout the meat was still very uneven. I probed for the coldest spot, placed the Maverick food probe there and removed the foil again in an attempt to re-crisp the bark. It then took way longer than expected to reach IT 190°F again at the last probing spot, and I pulled the meat once finally done after 19 hours. I should have pulled earlier, although the probe did not went in like butter, some parts of the meat showed quite some resistance at all times. I guess foiling was also done wrong, I still don't have the hang of it. So any hints for getting a juicier product are thankfully welcome.
The cooking temp went a little crazy for that cook. The meat was put on at 10:40 p.m. and temp went slowly from 250°F up to about 275°F till I went to bed at 2 a.m., when I woke up during the night the Maverick receiver was reporting 333°F, and when I got out of bed at 8 a.m. it was at 212°F, rising to a stable 225°F during the morning till I had to refuel at noon. It was pretty cold during the night with only about 50-59°F, but otherwise the weather played nicely along.
When I fired up Minion Style with my new fancy one-hand-operational weed burner, I completely forgot that I had buried a piece of apple wood in the center of the charcoal ring, which lead to an unclean combustion of that piece of wood. Note to myself for next cook: Don't place smoking wood in the middle if firing up Minion Style with the weed burner!
The no-stick grill mat, both cooking grates and the foiled clay saucer in the water pan were swamped by gunk from this enormous piece of beef, making cleanup not any easier at all. I can see the benefit for smaller pieces not sticking to the grill mat, but for such large cuts it does not really matter.
BTW I had a live report going on in this (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141182) thread, but unfortunately I did not get any feedback during the cook.
Any comments / thoughts are highly appreciated. Thanks for looking.
Thick beef shoulder from young Austrian bull with a weight of 13.97 lbs
Self made rub
Self made sauce
Injections with fermenting pear juice (just for fun)
Setup:
WSM 22.5" with 2nd charcoal grate for use of lump
Al Fakher Pure Natural Lemon Tree Lump Charcoal (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140984)
Charcoal ring completely filled for Minion Method without depression lit with Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
Six fist-sized apple wood chunks
Cooking scheme: L&S till done / IT 190°F
Actual cooking temp zone 212-333°F
Maverick ET-732 & SuperFast WHITE Thermapen for temperature supervision
No-Stick Grill-Mat on upper cooking grate
Foiled 18" clay saucer in foiled water pan without water
Beef shoulder before unpacking (and our new Mukizu-Santoku knife)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/01_thick_beef_shoulder_13_97_lbs_and_mukizu-santoku_knife.jpg
The new pavilion which replaced the destroyed easy-up (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140945)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/02_new_pavilion.jpg
The 2nd charcoal grate for using lump
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/03_2nd_charcoal_grate.jpg
Charcoal ring half filled with apple wood chunks
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/04_apple_wood_onm_lump.jpg
Charcoal ring completely filled (btw the capacity with tightly packed Lemon Tree Lump Charcoal is ~ 13.23 lbs)
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/05_charcoal_ring_filled.jpg
Beef shoulder unpacked side A
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/06_beef_side_a.jpg
Beef side B
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/07_beef_side_b.jpg
Beef side C
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/08_beef_side_c.jpg
Beef side D
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/09_beef_side_d.jpg
Beef after a little trimming ready for some fermented pear juice injections
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/10_beef_trimmed.jpg
Firing up Minion Style with Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/11_weed_burner_minion.jpg
Charcoal lit after about 2 minutes of flaming
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/12_charcoal_ring_lit.jpg
The new no-stick grill mat trimmed for the upper cooking grate with gap for Maverick cooking temp probe
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/13_grill_mat.jpg
Beef injected & rubbed on upper cooking grate with Maverick food probe attached ready to go on Saturday evening at 10:40 p.m.
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/14_beef_on_11_40_pm.jpg
Beef on Sunday at noon after 12 hours and 30 minutes ready for foiling in apple juice
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/15_beef_after12_30_hours.jpg
Time to refuel after 13 hours with another ~ 6.61 lbs of Lemon Tree Lump and some more fun with the Gloria One-Hand Flame Stick
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/16_refueling_after_13_hours.jpg
Overview of cooking area with new pavilion
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/17_overview_cooking_area_with_new_pavilion.jpg
Beef finally ready after 19 hours
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/18_beef_ready_after_19_hours.jpg
Beef after resting foiled in cooler
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/19_beef_after_resting.jpg
Beef sliced
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/20_beef_slized.jpg
Beef closeup
http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t510/This_is_not_your_pork/2012-08-12/21_beef_slized_closeup.jpg
Result:
What an AWESOME piece of beef! Although slightly overcooked (again!) and not really juicy (and again!), it was tender, had a really good bark and exactly the taste you would expect from a fine lean cut of beef. We ate it pure, just with the self-made sauce (which made it through the first 12 hours on the lower cooking grate, leading to a really good reduction with a nice smoke flavor), in wraps, on jasmine rice, and every variation was outstanding. The new favorite is reheated with scallion on jasmine rice, which I just had for dinner yesterday and lunch today. Beef, beef and some more beef! Beef all the way! :smile:
Remarks:
After a total of 12 cooks I still don't know how to make the product juicy as well, and it is still a mystery when and how to foil (with or without added juice). This time I just waited to long, although at the given weight a cooking time between 14 and 21 hours was to be expected, 19 hours were too much. First I waited for the IT to reach 190°F in the first spot the Maverick food probe was stuck in since the beginning of the cook. When I then probed with my new Thermapen it reported a wide range of IT throughout the meat from 150 to 190°F, so I placed the Maverick food probe into another spot and foiled the beef in apple juice, because the bark already looked very good after more than 12 hours and 30 minutes. The second spot the Maverick food probe was stuck in reached 190°F quite fast then, but the temperature throughout the meat was still very uneven. I probed for the coldest spot, placed the Maverick food probe there and removed the foil again in an attempt to re-crisp the bark. It then took way longer than expected to reach IT 190°F again at the last probing spot, and I pulled the meat once finally done after 19 hours. I should have pulled earlier, although the probe did not went in like butter, some parts of the meat showed quite some resistance at all times. I guess foiling was also done wrong, I still don't have the hang of it. So any hints for getting a juicier product are thankfully welcome.
The cooking temp went a little crazy for that cook. The meat was put on at 10:40 p.m. and temp went slowly from 250°F up to about 275°F till I went to bed at 2 a.m., when I woke up during the night the Maverick receiver was reporting 333°F, and when I got out of bed at 8 a.m. it was at 212°F, rising to a stable 225°F during the morning till I had to refuel at noon. It was pretty cold during the night with only about 50-59°F, but otherwise the weather played nicely along.
When I fired up Minion Style with my new fancy one-hand-operational weed burner, I completely forgot that I had buried a piece of apple wood in the center of the charcoal ring, which lead to an unclean combustion of that piece of wood. Note to myself for next cook: Don't place smoking wood in the middle if firing up Minion Style with the weed burner!
The no-stick grill mat, both cooking grates and the foiled clay saucer in the water pan were swamped by gunk from this enormous piece of beef, making cleanup not any easier at all. I can see the benefit for smaller pieces not sticking to the grill mat, but for such large cuts it does not really matter.
BTW I had a live report going on in this (http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141182) thread, but unfortunately I did not get any feedback during the cook.
Any comments / thoughts are highly appreciated. Thanks for looking.