Pork butt....and a chuck roast on an RF....

[Doug Crann]

Reverse Flow users...have some concerns....
Will be time to make Tamales shortly. I know I cook by temp and not time....but I am wondering if cooking a butt and a chuckie will be quicker than cooking them on the Eggs. After my recently overcooked ribs just wondering....

 

[IamMadMan]

There is no real answer to your question.. Not all smokers are created equal. Reverse flow just helps to keep an even stable temperature during the cook, but your firebox and fire management skills are the real key. On the eggs you have a highly efficient insulated cooker, where as your reverse flow may not be efficient.

Meat is cooked by temperature over time. However due to many variables meat cannot be perfectly done by judging time or the finished temperature. Only human interaction by wiggling the bone, probing, or pulling a piece of meat will give you the final answer.

If it were that easy we wouldn't have so many bad BBQ restaurants and we wouldn't need these forums.. LOL

Use time/temperature as a mile marker so you know when to start checking for being done.

 

[tortaboy]

Either you're really hungry today, or planning for leftovers? :wink:

 

[Doug Crann]

Either you're really hungry today, or planning for leftovers? :wink:

Tamale making time is rapidly approaching. I understand that there is no real answer, just looking for a general guideline. I know temp. Has everything to do with this. Pit will be in the the 225-250* area. Don't want to get up at 3 a.m. to get started if the RF doesn't take the standard, for me, 75-90 minutes a pound. Guess I will just have to fire it up and see what happens....

And not to argue with anybody but I seriously doubt any RF out there is going to compete with a Big Green Egg with a FlameBoss 200 when it comes to stable temps. Last ribs we did on the Egg the pit temp was set at 225*. Never went under 223*, never over 228*.

 

[Doog]

Almost sounds like you want the RF to fail.
The RF might not compete with the egg for being the most stabil. But stick burners have great flavor. And to get that flavor it takes work.
You only have done a few cooks on your RF give it some time.

 

[Doug Crann]

Almost sounds like you want the RF to fail.
The RF might not compete with the egg for being the most stabil. But stick burners have great flavor. And to get that flavor it takes work.
You only have done a few cooks on your RF give it some time.

I definitely want it to work out. I am lifting the nose of it up a quarter inch at a time trying to get the temperatures a bit more even. I screwed up the ribs I made a few days ago. Way overdone. But they had a killer smoke ring, not that it matters. I don't add any flavor chunks in the Eggs, just use Mesquite chunk charcoal so I never get a smoke ring. I have been meaning to saw some splits into chunks for the Eggs, just haven't yet.

I really want to figure the RF out. I love the smell around it when I am using it. I smoked a small chuck roast on it a week or so ago...the color was incredible....