Lazy Saturday BBQ Pulled Pork Butt

The all-important internal temperature gradient chart. When
you start out, the internal temperature is going to be shockingly
low for a couple of hours. If you didn't know better you'd think
nothing was going on. It takes a while. Not New York time,
but something more suited to a lazy afternoon. 

Low and slow is what it's all about, and right now, I'm er stuck on slow. Getting that internal meat temperature up to 160 then eventually, 195 looks like it's going to take half the night.

But then, I began at 12:30, so I knew I was in for about an 11-hour barbecue smoke-fest. And that's what my shirt and T-shirt and jacket smell of—smoke.

The chart (right) has proven to be more or less in line with what's taking place.

Right now the meat is at 163 F in the thickest part of the meat and 152 in the thinner end of the pork butt. My goal is 165 before I take it out and wrap it in aluminum foil for the final tenderization.

You will end up night cooking. A foil 'floor' (decorated
with cooking juices), and a two-piece vertical foil dam, help
shield the meat from direct heat, sort of ... converting the
humble Weber kettle into something akin to a smoker.

Modern technology is allowing me to stay indoors, monitor the temperatures using a Weber 6741 Dual Probe Wireless Thermometer. I'm venturing out every hour or two to baste the pork butt with a mopping sauce of: 

1/3 cup rubbing spices, 4 oz cider vinegar, 4 oz vegetable oil, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tbs worcestershire sauce, 1 tbs soy sauce, and 8 oz. or so of water. 

Another useful guide to cooking time and
temperature, from SmokingMeatForums. 

Periodically tossing on some hickory chips onto the coals. But they're not just hickory chips, they're doused in a mix of water and Buffalo Trace bourbon. Not to much of course, I don't want hyper-inflammable chips, of course. 

If I'd had more time I might have set up another (new) probe for the ambient temperature, but didn't want to get bogged down in setting up a new device, however, for now I am using an old fashioned standup dial inside the grill to get the grid temp. At one point, while I was walking the dog of course, the heat turbo'd up to 325, but for the most part I've kept it in the 200 - 250 range. 

RUBBING START

To start out, I put dry rub right on the meat (after removing most, but not all, excess fat), but ... I forgot the mustard. No problem, after it smoked for 20 minutes, I squirted on some Grey Poupon, slathered it over the meat on both sides and shook on a good dose of dry rub to cover the entire butt (a mix of PickyPig and Stubbs to give it some variety).

In a couple of places that corresponded with where I held the meat with the tongs, I lost the rub bark. What to do?  I made a thick "repair paste" of dry rub mixed with mustard, and spackled it back on. Within an hour it looked just the same as the rest of the bark.

Today was the first time I used a Lodge coal funnel to get the coals going. They were ready in no time. Too soon, in fact. I wasn't ready. I used paper towel soaked with vegetable oil as my firestarter. A bit nasty-smoky but better than lighter fluid by a million miles.

Another person's recommendation of 13 coals for the indirect heat source turned out to be inadequate...maybe because it's 36 F outside? Maybe because it's a Weber kettle. I'm not sure. My 1/4 bag of charcoal was finished sooner than I expected, so I went back to my local hardware store, picked up a bag of better quality hardwood charcoal.

This one has now had about 7 hours of smoke.
As the hours of darkness roll on, I may take this inside to the oven to finish the last 30 or so degrees to fully tenderize [although my goal was 195 - I sailed it to 197 and 203]. There were a couple of stalls in temperature, so I am not expecting a competition winning butt, this time out.]

Tomorrow the sauce. A mix of Stubb's sweet and heat added for depth, and the following with some improv variations as the base:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup dark agave syrup

1/2 cup spicy brown mustard

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons garlic salt

2 tablespoons paprika (or 1 tablespoon smoked paprika)

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons hot cayenne pepper sauce [Tar Heels Cayenne Hot Sauce]

Sauce based on: http://www.sogoodblog.com/2014/04/20/incredible-pulled-pork-bbq-sauce-recipe-authentic-fresh/#ixzz3KW22Vghw

RESOURCES
http://howtobbqright.com/pulledporkrecipe.html

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/49593/pork-butt-cooking-time

I'm not using an Egg, but for a quicker finish in case of time issues, there are a few tips here:
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1150356/pork-butt-what-is-your-grid-temp-of-choice

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/447582

How to set a probe for ambient temperature without a clip:
http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/thermometer_buying_guide.html

Some thermometer science
http://amazingribs.com/BBQ_buyers_guide/thermometer_buying_guide.html

http://killerhogs.com/thebbqrub

Pup in MTB Trail Training

Taking a pause to look up the trail, as the day
 fades back into winter, 

This day announced itself early with a soft sunny warmth that carried with it the promise that winter might be canceled, and that Spring was on its way.

Dream on, it's only late November and there's still a long way to go. But at least today, no cold-weather related excuse would be acceptable reason for not getting going, and being outside making the most of it.

With very little wind to speak of, the choice was clear, MTB trail riding, and trail dawg training.

This time, we would not have a trailing pack member guarding the rear exits in the caboose position ... just me and Z-dogg.

POLE POSITION
One thing you don't want as a rider — unless you are bikejoring (a much riskier endeavor, and more suited to an alpha lead dog like K-dogg once was) — is for the dog to get ahead of the bike.

The Easy Walk Harness is specially designed to
put gentle pressure inward at the shoulders, if the dog starts
to pull off in an unwanted direction. Crazy-strong pulling is
a thing of the past -- everything is smooth and easy with the
slightest tug.  

On a short leash the dog passing directly in front of the wheel is asking for trouble. So any time we start off, I make sure she is off to the side, and preferably behind — about 4'9" behind on the 6-foot leash.

LEASH ALERT
A little early warning of an impending problem is also a plus.

For this, I fold about the first 10 inches of leash into a three-inch, three-fold accordion bunch in my hand. If a squirrel or a another critter — four-legged, two-legged or otherwise — gets her interested enough to pull away, the leash will begin to unravel in my hand. That gives me just enough warning before the leash begins to tug. That way I can remove my hand from a gentle grip on the bar end, and coax her back into line, or be ready to take up the slack ... or worst case, release the hound if the tug is too strong to safely resist.

Outward Hound Pouch snaps open and closed for quick access to
bribes and treats.

Should sight of a taunting squirrel be just too much. It hasn't happened yet, but all it takes is one tree rat or perky eared rabbit on the trail. I know one nice savory-smelling Milo's Kitchen sausage slice treat is plenty enough bribery. The thing about Labs is they can't resist food. It comes in handy sometimes.

I keep a handful of the tasty snacks in an Outward Hound pouch slung over one shoulder and across the body. The CamelBak straps help keep it from flopping around.

So, aside from one diversion in front of the bike, when she moved toward runner who was talking loudly to his partner about running with his dog — Z-dogg naturally wanted to give her 2 cents to the discussion — the she-pup was 100% compliant with all commands, again today.

The run went smoothly. A little faster this time, although slow enough for safety in the difficult or distraction-laden spots.

What do I mean by distraction? other dogs, horses, kids by the trailside, interesting looking passers-by.

But for 95 percent of the time, she was all business. The only times she saw other dogs and started to veer off, she obeyed the leash tug (we use a special Easy Walk harness) and voice commands to "come, come, come."

Now, where's my treat? I wonder how these sausage things taste anyway?

How's the riding weather looking by you?

It got cold in the midwest this last week or so — below freezing and snow-bringing cold. And it was inevitable I suppose, that the frigid misery would make its way east. We got lucky this time. Just a dip into the 40s and 30s at night. Very little snow, if any at all.

Looks like there might be some above normal temps into early January
 for the Northeast and West — but a cold snap for Texas
 and its neighbors ... if this graphic prediction from
NOAA can be believed.

So the riding season for me is not headed indoors just yet ... at least depending on my temperature threshold on any given weekend.

How's the riding weather by you? Still cycling, surfing, windsurfing, SUPing?

Coming off a slow week for exercise — monday, tuesday good; wednesday through saturday, bad. I had to get the aerobics happening somehow. Left it too late for MTB, so headed out locally on the road and small local trail.


In this weather I tend to pull out the MTB and head for the hills or the trail for the maximum work in the minimum time in the cold or wind. Hills give shelter and a workout — even if the average speed numbers get trashed.

Inexplicably, after a relatively restful Saturday, I did not have a lot of mustard in my spin today. Maybe not enough sleep? Maybe the first taste of cold-air cycling. Either way, I muscled the 31-lb MTB up the nearest steepest hill, and pumped out an uphill sprint or two. Maybe it was just one, but I could swear there were two.

Pup's First Trail Ride

Z-Dogg rode shotgun on the way home; her reward for
being such a disciplined trail doggie. (wear-ing
her Solv-it vehicle safety harness)

Many years ago I was riding Stilly when I saw a rider go by and his dog was following happily after. I longed to do the same with my old mutt, but he never mellowed enough to quite get there except until the year before he died. But ... at least we did it.

Fast forward a few years and we have a new rescue mutely pup with us a year now,  from North Shore Animal League, and something told me she was about ready. We trained riding with the bike/leash in hand in Cape Cod this summer. And since her first reaction to most furry critters is usually to stop and point, it allows that moment to keep her attention focused. Well mostly.

The girls were great today -- M did her first trail ride in a long time and 1 yr old pup-dog did her first ever legit singletrack mountainbike-following trail ride in the woods — about 3 miles.

And she followed the bike faithfully all the way round the green trail. Excellent work for a novice trail dog in my book.


The downhill sections are the trickiest. Those were where I let the leash go, and she followed at the perfect distance — almost like she'd been doing it since birth. Hey if our walks were only this disciplined... . But dogs know walks are "their" time, and this is different. This is the fun work. 

There is nothing like seeing a labrador mutt's front paws trotting the way they do – they flop and flip in an inimitable way that almost defines happy-go-lucky.  

Naturally this would be the day I forgot the phone and the fleece so no on-trail pics or video.

Z scored a perfect 10 out of 10 — no side dashes or sprints into the woods. (Fortunately her first natural instinct is to point and she usually awaits a command if she points at a critter. But no chipmunks, squirrels or rabbits today seen in the woods, only horses and people.)

She stayed right with the bikes behind the lead bike and in front of my wife, on the single track trail. She made sure the pack did not get separated. Good stuff. The training we on the quieter dirt back roads of Cape Cod in the summer paid off. As a reward M let her ride in the front on the way back.


K-Dogg's (RIP) Last Trail Run

Don't try this at home ;) Bad hand held video, but

you get the idea. It was a good ride.

K-Dogg -- back in a happy place.

Z-Dogg's first trail run