Pork Butt and Fattie on the Trail Embers.

[farmer-fred]

I got up early and started my smoked pork butt and a stuffed fattie using my Trail Embers Smoker. I have equipped the smoker with a Q Master Temp controller and modified the fire pan by adding extra holes to allow the ashes to fall through also raised the grate 1-1/2 inches and it seems to maintain temp much better, we will see how it does on a long smoke. I set the temp controller for 285 and it is maintaining well. I just pulled the fattie and wrapped it while the wife starts breakfast. Of course Pitmaster Privilege dictates that I have to test it before sharing with family. I must say that it was fantastic. I flattened the sausage using a gallon zip loc bag and laid it on a lattice work of thick cut smoked bacon, stuffed it with sweet onion, red bell pepper and colby cheese. On the butt I removed the thick fat cap, rubbed with mustard, sea salt, and some rub mix I made up that works well with ribs and pork. Some pics for your enjoyment.

Bacon wrapped stuffed fattie.

Pork Butt rubbed and waiting to be smoked.

Getting happy in smoker.

Q master Temp Controller.
Trail Embers Smoker.

Fattie after smoking to 200 deg internal took about 2-1/2 hours.

Good smoke ring and bacon was just right.

At three hour mark. Looking good!


We had breakfast after I started this post and the family just loved the Bacon wrapped fattie. The wife said I could cook one any time. Had enough left over to have with some pancakes tomorrow. At the three hour mark the pork is at 140 internal.

 

[Stingerhook]

Looking like a fine day.

 

[pjtexas1]

That butt is taking on a real nice color. :thumb: must be the rub.

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[farmer-fred]

The rub is a recipe that is in Steve Raichien's Ribs Ribs Ribs book that we really like. I Just checked the Butt and spritzed it and the fat cap is starting to split, the internal temp is at 175 deg. The cook is going faster than I anticipated. At four hours the pit temp is still maintaining well and It looks like I will not need to add more charcoal. I filled the basket with lump and added 1/2 a chimney of lit KBB to get started. I decided to use apple wood to smoke this butt. With the the Q Master controller it got up to 275 in about 15 minutes. When the internal temp gets to 199 deg the meat probe will then take over the temp controller fan operation and maintain the meat so it does not over cook. The butt is looking guuuud as the BBQ Pit Boys would say. We should be eating good tonight.

 

[Smokinhole]

Man that fattie looks really good. Did having the pork butt over the top of the fattie help keep the bacon moist? Kind of reminds of how I grill pork tenderloin and brats. I put brats on shelf above tenderloin. I poke brats so they release juice that drips down on rubbed tenderloin. Turns out really good. Your cook looks excellent, waiting to see how butt turns out. Thanks for sharing.

 

[farmer-fred]

Man that fattie looks really good. Did having the pork butt over the top of the fattie help keep the bacon moist? Kind of reminds of how I grill pork tenderloin and brats. I put brats on shelf above tenderloin. I poke brats so they release juice that drips down on rubbed tenderloin. Turns out really good. Your cook looks excellent, waiting to see how butt turns out. Thanks for sharing.

The fattie with the pork drippings was just fantastic. The bacon was just crisp
enough but still moist. I done this before but in reverse I put brats and hot dogs below the pork and smoked them. Today after I pulled the fattie I decided to make some baked beans in a cast iron skillet on the smoker. I poured three cans of different Bushes Baked Beans, added some spices, brown sugar and maple syrup and let the pork drip onto them. At the same time I put them on I used the rest of the bacon left over from the fattie on the grill above the beans and when it was smoked I broke it up and put it in the beans. The beans have cooked about three hours now with the pork dripping into them and they look great. I am going out now to take the pork off and shred it for sammys The wife made some fresh coleslaw to put on them so with the pork and the baked beans we should be good to go. Also she baked a fresh peach pie to top with some ice cream for desert. I will post some more pictures after supper. I did sneak a taste of the pork before I wrapped it and!!!!! Well you are just going to have to wait till later to know how it turned.

 

[lunchman]

Lookin' REAL good!! Nice cook!

 

[farmer-fred]

The verdict is in, The family decided that the cook was a success. I think that the pulled pork was some of the best I have ever had. The bark was very tasty with just the right amount of crunch. The smoke ring went in over 1/2 an inch and the meat was very moist. The rub was just the right amount of heat for us and really accented the meat. My baked beans came out very good with a good amount of smoke taste without it overpowering them. I think the pork drippings really added to the taste also. All and all I am very happy with how this cheap smoker cooks with just some slight mods. The only other change I want to make to it is build an expanded metal fire box so I can get longer cooks. Since I raised the charcoal grate to allow better air flow under it and to keep the ashes from smothering the fire I lost some charcoal capacity. It ran @ 275 for about five hours before I lowered it to 225 to finish the cook and I still had about 1/2 a chimney left when I shut it down so I think it would probably run @ 250 for ten hours. The Q Master temp controller does a good job of maintaining temp but I need to look into setting it up so the fan will not run at full speed all of the time. I think it can be set up so as it gets closer to set point it slows down so it does not overshoot. some final pics.
Before wrapping to rest

Baked beans smoking

After removing foil before pulling

Pulled and plated

Baked beans ready to serve

View plated up, Dayumm It was GUUUUUD.

We ate so much we decided to eat the Peach Pie and Ice Cream later.
Have a good one all.

 

[ronbrad62]

I ordered this for my new Trail Embers before I even finished my inaugural cook yesterday because I saw the need for some charcoal help. I don't want to violate any rules, so pm me if you want more info on where I ordered it.

 

[farmer-fred]

I ordered this for my new Trail Embers before I even finished my inaugural cook yesterday because I saw the need for some charcoal help. I don't want to violate any rules, so pm me if you want more info on where I ordered it.

Thanks I will send you a PM. If you have not do so yet drill a series of one inch holes in the bottom of the charcoal pan. If made a huge difference in how well mine holds temp. Before I drilled the holes it would not get over 275 even with the Q Master temp controller after the ash started building up in the bottom of the pan. The ring looks like it would really help. Thanks.

 

[16Adams]

Cast iron Qbeans???? Take a bow- freakn home run

 

[farmer-fred]

Cast iron Qbeans???? Take a bow- freakn home run

Thanks, that is the first time I have used a skillet to cook them. I have used a Lodge cast iron pot before but since I was making a smaller batch I tried the skillet. The beans were just great, I used three different kinds of Bushes beans and added some spices, brown sugar and maple syrup along with the smoked bacon. The family really liked them. They had just the right amount of smoke flavor. I have a recipe for Cowboy beans that I usually make in a crock pot and I think next time I make them I will do them in the cast iron pot on either the Weber Kettle indirect or the smoker. Can you tell we like baked beans? I am always trying new ways to cook them.

 

[ericandcandi]

I've had my TE for over a year abx and now I have three. Yes your right, with slight mods this is one fine smoker. Frankly the only mods I did was to seal the base and doors, add the Party Q, and also added another grate to sit on the grate that's in the fire pan. It raises everything up 1 inch. I'm able to get an 18lb bag of KBB to burn at 225 for over 24 hours. As a matter of fact I did less mods with this than I had to do with my 400.00 Weber Smokey Mountain. PS, thanks for all the pics.

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