Church cookout

[Paswesley]

Hi guys. My beloved wife had the good sense, and confidence in my KK skills, to invite our little congregation to our place for a cookout. They love my pulled pork, so I am up at 2:10 am tending Mable. I have five butts on that I picked up at BJs yesterday am. That's about 48 pounds of tender pork. I did a dry rub and let them sit for 8 hours before I put them on. I eased Mable into a rock steady 205 degrees before I put on the meat. I figure it will eventually creep up to about 225 before its done, which should work out about perfectly for my target temp of 195. I added some really good dark brown sugar to the rub, so I am hoping for a really good bark on the pork, like some of the pics I've seen here. In the morning, after I remove the pork, I intend to run her up to 350 and pop a 15 pound meat loaf in. I know 63 pounds is a lot of meat, but my folks can really pack it in when they are feeling peckish. I will post some process pics later. Good night, all. Update: 8:15 am The temp creep that I expected did not yet occur. Mable is sitting exactly where I left her at 2:30 this morning. 205 degrees since 9:00 last night, simply using the upper and lower dampers and Dennis' engineering. Great job Dennis! Update: 10:23 am Sweating through the dreaded stall! 13 hours into the cook. Meat at 177. I have gone to plan B for the meatloaf. I have prepared it and, close your eyes here Dennis, have begun to cook it in the conventional oven. Once the pork is done, I will pop the meatloaf into Mable and KK-ize it for that wonderful smoky taste. I am not going to waste time trying to hurry Mable along. She does not like to be rushed and, besides, "Good things come to those who wait!"

[teddysurf]

Re: Church cookout

Thanks for the post. How do you arrange 5 butts on Mable? Are you using the upper grill and the sear grill on top of it, or the lower and upper grills?

When I cook pork butts I end up putting my smoke pot on top of a full basket of charcoal, which sets off a chain reaction: the heat deflector and drip pan can't fit on the charcoal basket handles because the smoke pot sits too high the lower grill has to hold the deflector and the drip pan the upper grill is the first place to put butts. Perhaps I need to either stop using the smoke pot or keep from filling the charcoal basket to the top.

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

Thanks for the post. How do you arrange 5 butts on Mable? Are you using the upper grill and the sear grill on top of it, or the lower and upper grills?

When I cook pork butts I end up putting my smoke pot on top of a full basket of charcoal, which sets off a chain reaction: the heat deflector and drip pan can't fit on the charcoal basket handles because the smoke pot sits too high the lower grill has to hold the deflector and the drip pan the upper grill is the first place to put butts.

You are welcome. Yes, I put 3 butts on the upper grill and two on the sear grill. I orient the sear grill so that the longer handles are facing down to provide clearance for the three lower butts. I put so much lump in the basket for this cook that I wound up having to put the heat deflector atop the lower grill. I used a long thin piece of hickory wood (about 3 inches thick and 10 inches long) for smoke. I laid it atop the lump, diagonally. This arrangement for smoking wood works well for me, because all of the acrid white smoke has dissipated before I put the meat on.

The cook time for the pork was fifteen hours, and people were raving over it. I cooked some home made BBQ sauce to go with the pulled pork. It was a vinegar and tomato sauce base, with honey and my BBQ spice blend. It also included one large bottle of KC Masterpiece original sauce, with plenty of fresh minced garlic and spanish onion. One member ate two large helpings and then unashamedly carried a pound home with him. People are suggesting that I open a BBQ pit and sell my Que. I give the credit for this to God and to Mable, more so than my cooking skills.

The meat loaf was a big hit, too. It was inside Mable for about an hour. The first two hours it was in the home oven. A member brought a box of frozen ribs, five slabs of baby backs. Using the residual heat from the cooks, I cooked the ribs, which were frozen when I put them on. My daughter, aged 25, pronounced these the best ribs she had ever eaten. Dennis, I can't thank you enough for engineering, building and marketing such a superior product- as well as for being the best customer service after the sale that I have ever experienced.

BTW, I had over half of the charcoal left when I finished. I was using Cowboy lump that I picked up at Lowes.EBC Cookout pic 4.JPG[/attachment:fvwq3uga]

EBC Cookout pic 5.JPG[/attachment:fvwq3uga]

Sorry, but no more pics! Guests began to arrive and I got caught up into hosting and such. BTW, best party that I was ever a part of! To God be the glory!

[mguerra]

Re: Church cookout

Yep, you can put frozen meat on the KK and get a great result. Done it.

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

Hey, guys. Drop back in and check out the food porn. Sorry I took so long to post pics. I was so tired that I crashed for 9 hours. I NEVER sleep that long. I am a six hours of sleep guy.

[tony b]

Re: Church cookout

Nice porn!

Do you always use Cowboy? I know that it's widely available, cheap, and works in a pinch, but it burns up fast (not really hardwood, but lumber scraps). Have your ever used Wicked Good Charcoal? I often reference Naked Whiz reviews when I run across a new brand. He's usually spot on about the quality of charcoal!

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

I usually use Royal Oak or Dennis' coco char. I was not very impressed when I used Cowboy a couple years back. Yet some folks that I respect in the KK family swear by it. So, I bought some at Lowes back in May, and was impressed by the huge chunks. Each of the three bags that I have recently used has been consistently good quality with very large, long burning chunks. Cowboy is okay to use, and although it is scrap pieces, the scrap pieces are hardwood: oak, hickory and other aromatic hardwoods. I have not used Wicked Good. When selecting charcoal, as with everything else, we have to be subjective and do what works for us as individuals, you know?

[teddysurf]

Re: Church cookout

Thanks Paswesley. It appears we take the same approach to multiple butt smokes. I managed to get 4 butts onto the upper grill for my secretary's son's HS graduation but it was very tight. I suspect I'll just use the sear grill as you describe next time. My lower grill is also tied up with the deflector and drip pan.

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

You know, I am thinking that two butts could be placed on the lower grill, for a total of seven butts- eight if four smaller butts are placed on the upper grill and nine if three are placed on the sear grill. For the lower grill,I am imagining using a short wire rack, such as a standard cake cooling rack. The wire rack could be placed into the drip pan and the butts placed on it. So, you'd have two butts on the lower grill, three to four on the upper grill, and two to three on the sear grill up in the dome. That would be 60 to 75 pounds of butts for one cook! I am spazzing out just imagining the possibilities. What do you think?

[mguerra]

Re: Church cookout

Do it.

Post photo.

Most of my church cooks wind up being for funerals, it is a "higher purpose" for the KK.

I get the most satisfaction cooking for these folks who are so overwhelmed with grief and so busy with things that cooking is just one little chore we can unburden them of.

Most of the time I barely know the folks involved, but it's a small town. As I have said before in these forums, in these smaller communities people tend to help out other folks they may just peripherally know. So if you hear of funeral in your area and you feel like it, cook them up a brisket. You can drop it off without a word, nobody even has to know who you are, and know your effort will be appreciated. I slice the whole thing up, wrap it in foil, and take it over. Or give it to someone who is going to the house, or memorial venue or whatever.

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

That is a great suggestion, Doc. I will act on it, as such times occur. You are so right. Acts of kindness at times such as you describe go far toward sustaining the bereaved through those trying days.

[slu]

Re: Church cookout

Doc, Are you reading the obits for an excuse to use the KK?

[mguerra]

Re: Church cookout

Nah, just live in a small retirement town. But my staff check the obits daily!

[teddysurf]

Re: Church cookout

You know' date=' I am thinking that two butts could be placed on the lower grill, for a total of seven butts- eight if four smaller butts are placed on the upper grill and nine if three are placed on the sear grill. For the lower grill,I am imagining using a short wire rack, such as a standard cake cooling rack. The wire rack could be placed into the drip pan and the butts placed on it. So, you'd have two butts on the lower grill, three to four on the upper grill, and two to three on the sear grill up in the dome. That would be 60 to 75 pounds of butts for one cook! I am spazzing out just imagining the possibilities. What do you think?[/quote']

Excellent idea ... never even thought of it!

How many folks, on average, do you think 75 pounds of butts would feed?

[Paswesley]

Re: Church cookout

Well, by the time you process the meat and present it as pulled pork ready to serve, you should get about 60 to 65 pounds of product. That should serve 120 to 130 people, allowing for a good initial portion and for seconds. We almost never offer a single meat, so it would stretch even further at our parties. Of course, I am no professional cook. This estimate is based on my little experience sweating over the coals, learning how to bless people with a good meal. I am one of those people who derive a great deal of satisfaction from watching someone really enjoy eating something that I have cooked. I would really love to open a BBQ restaurant! I don't have the start up capital, though.