Pork butt - overnight cook

[ronnie_suburban]

Hi all,

I'm really thrilled with my KK cooker. The thing I love the most is how easy the longer cooks have become. It used to be that when I smoked pork butt or brisket, the amount of maintenance during the cook made it a ton of work.

With the KK, I simply load up the basket with lump charcoal and a few wood chunks (usually apple) and drop a few live coals on top of the pile. Once the contents of the basket begin to smolder, I used the damper and the top vent to keep the temperature at around 250F. FWIW, I use the heat deflector and fill the drip pan about halfway full with water. Unlike with my Weber Smokey Mountain or my Chargriller Smokin' Pro, I do not have to tend the fire every hour or mop the meat. I simply close the lid and go to bed.

I've done this a few times now and the cook times vary, depending on the size of the piece of meat, etc. But usually, when I wake up in the morning the meat is either done or nearly done. Cook times have varied from 10 - 16 hours, depending on how much meat I'm cooking but when the internal temperature of the butt gets to 190 F, the cook is over. It's just that easy.

During none of my cooks have I had to add fuel or augment the fire in any way. On my first cook, in which I used briquettes instead of lump, the cooker actually maintained temperature for over 26 hours. The final results have been consistently impressive. Using this method, pork butt develops a tasty, pronounced bark yet maintains its internal moisture. It also picks up that lovely smoke ring that only comes with slow-cooking over natural fuel.

Here are a few images from this weekend's cook . . .

My baby; still without a name

Maintaining temperature is key but it's so easy to do with the KK, it almost feels like cheating

Brined and rubbed, bone-in pork butt nestled in the KK, after about 10 hours of cooking

Once the pork butt reaches an internal temperature of 190 F it's ready for resting, then pulling

Not only is the meat "smokeylicious" and tender but it looks beautiful, too

When it comes off the bone this easily, you know you've nailed it

=R=

[ThreeDJ16]

Hey nice pics dude! Don't let our secret out though; you gotta maintain the illusion of hard work making all that delicious food. Jeez, the next thing you know, everyone will want a KK and make great que.

-=Jasen=-

[PaulR]

That looks great.. (both the butt and the KK; must be a cousin of aussie blue)...

[DavidS]

Nice job they do a great job of cooking. My only question is why add water to the drip pan? I have never seen the need to brine a butt they stay moist as they cook. Just my 1 cent worth.

[Curly]

... My only question is why add water to the drip pan? I have never seen the need to brine a butt they stay moist as they cook.

I agree, there is no need...maybe a leftover habit from his pre-KK days

[Sanny]

Re: Pork butt - overnight cook

My baby; still without a name ...

Ronnie, maybe your KK's name is John (or Jane) Doe? One of those "don't know it's name" names.

Or, provided you don't put it in the corner, you could call it Frances.... 'Cause "nobody puts Baby in the corner..."

(ok, who gets the cheezy movie reference?)

Or, since a baby Suburban is a Blazer, you could call it Blazer (or Jimmy, if you're willing to cross mfg's product lines).

Pretty cooker! And not imaginary! Well done.

[ronnie_suburban]

... My only question is why add water to the drip pan? I have never seen the need to brine a butt they stay moist as they cook.

I agree, there is no need...maybe a leftover habit from his pre-KK days

As for brining, it's not about the moisture of the meat, it's about flavor. I almost never cook (large pieces of) pork without brining. I guess I've just come to prefer it that way. I used a gallon of water and 2/3 C of kosher salt and brined it for about 20 hours.

The water in the drip pan is definitely a remnant from my pre-KK days. That said, I do think that keeping water in the pan helps further regulate the temperature inside the cooker (which may not be necessary with the KK). It also prevents what drips in the pan from scorching and imparting "off" flavors onto the meat.

=R=

[Curly]

... My only question is why add water to the drip pan? I have never seen the need to brine a butt they stay moist as they cook.

I agree, there is no need...maybe a leftover habit from his pre-KK days

As for brining, it's not about the moisture of the meat, it's about flavor. I almost never cook (large pieces of) pork without brining. I guess I've just come to prefer it that way. I used a gallon of water and 2/3 C of kosher salt and brined it for about 20 hours.

The water in the drip pan is definitely a remnant from my pre-KK days. That said, I do think that keeping water in the pan helps further regulate the temperature inside the cooker (which may not be necessary with the KK). It also prevents what drips in the pan from scorching and imparting "off" flavors onto the meat.

=R=

I've never brined anything...not even chicken when using ceramics, but that's prolly cause I'm lazy. That taste thing is definately an individual thing and you gotta do it the way you like it. I'd tray it but I may like it and then have to add another step

[ronnie_suburban]

... My only question is why add water to the drip pan? I have never seen the need to brine a butt they stay moist as they cook.

I agree, there is no need...maybe a leftover habit from his pre-KK days

As for brining, it's not about the moisture of the meat, it's about flavor. I almost never cook (large pieces of) pork without brining. I guess I've just come to prefer it that way. I used a gallon of water and 2/3 C of kosher salt and brined it for about 20 hours.

The water in the drip pan is definitely a remnant from my pre-KK days. That said, I do think that keeping water in the pan helps further regulate the temperature inside the cooker (which may not be necessary with the KK). It also prevents what drips in the pan from scorching and imparting "off" flavors onto the meat.

=R=

I've never brined anything...not even chicken when using ceramics, but that's prolly cause I'm lazy. That taste thing is definately an individual thing and you gotta do it the way you like it. I'd tray it but I may like it and then have to add another step

LOL! I completely understand. One of my local friends calls himself a "laziness determinist" and refuses to brine even though he admits that he's interested in trying it. But yeah, it comes down to personal preference. In a pinch, I'll go without brining but if I have time, I usually go for it.

=R=

[Porkchop]

all of the smithfield butts are already tumbled/brined/whatever. i have to say, i did a brined shoulder very recently, and i'll defo try it again. far as the h2o in the drippan, i dont know how good it is for keeping the drippings from scorching, but, to be honest, you really don't need to use it as a heatsink like with the ECB or other water smokers. matter of fact, bunch of those fellas with ECB's and WSM's were puttin sand in their water pans, cause of the thermal mass. h2o boils away, but sand sticks around thing is, if you are going indirect with a baking stone, that's what you got. water is a pain in the butt as a heatsink. as it evaps, that heatsink effect goes away, temps creep up, etc.

that being said, i NEVER add water to a drip pan when i do butts. some of it does burn and get hard, but not so much that it actually smokes or causes creosote deposits on the meat. i think the water soluble proteins just kinda slow-cook and coagulate in the bottom of the pan at low temps. in fact, i regularly reserve much of the fat in the pan and add some of it back to my pull. i save the rest like bacon fat in my fridge, for later addition to green beans, ranch beans, chili, etc. but at a 250 temps, a drip pan resting on a nice thick ceramic deflector doesn't need dihydrogen monoxide. the oil doesn't get hot enuf to smoke, but it does get a nice golden, amber color, and soaks up smoke flavor like mad!

my 2 cents, ymmv, fwiw, all that other stuff.

[ronnie_suburban]

all of the smithfield butts are already tumbled/brined/whatever. i have to say, i did a brined shoulder very recently, and i'll defo try it again. far as the h2o in the drippan, i dont know how good it is for keeping the drippings from scorching, but, to be honest, you really don't need to use it as a heatsink like with the ECB or other water smokers. matter of fact, bunch of those fellas with ECB's and WSM's were puttin sand in their water pans, cause of the thermal mass. h2o boils away, but sand sticks around thing is, if you are going indirect with a baking stone, that's what you got. water is a pain in the butt as a heatsink. as it evaps, that heatsink effect goes away, temps creep up, etc.

that being said, i NEVER add water to a drip pan when i do butts. some of it does burn and get hard, but not so much that it actually smokes or causes creosote deposits on the meat. i think the water soluble proteins just kinda slow-cook and coagulate in the bottom of the pan at low temps. in fact, i regularly reserve much of the fat in the pan and add some of it back to my pull. i save the rest like bacon fat in my fridge, for later addition to green beans, ranch beans, chili, etc. but at a 250 temps, a drip pan resting on a nice thick ceramic deflector doesn't need dihydrogen monoxide. the oil doesn't get hot enuf to smoke, but it does get a nice golden, amber color, and soaks up smoke flavor like mad!

my 2 cents, ymmv, fwiw, all that other stuff.

Thanks, Porkchop, for the information. What you say about the oil/drippings not getting hot enough to smoke makes perfect sense and I had wondered about that. On my next cook, I'll skip the water step and compare the results. The idea of having usable, smokey, pork drippings for adding to other items is compelling.

=R=

[Krusty K]

12 Butts in the cold

This my second 100lb shoulder cook in the last couple months. Have to do it in two shifts. Here are about 60lb worth that went over night at temps below 20* and hitting about 14* for the low. Hard to fit more than 6 or 7 at once since they are so much bigger uncooked. Charcoal consumption was about twice normal, so the biggest pain is unloading them in the middle of the night to add more lump. Now all I need is a tub big enough to brine 100 lb.

Pardon my dirty nasty old K. Love that barK.