Reef's No Thermometer Asian Butt

[ckreef]

John over on Guru suggested a no thermometer challenge. See if you can cook a butt without thermometers of any kind. I got a KK who needs a thermometer.

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Here's my no thermometer challenge. 6 lb Asian butt. Going to try for 250* but 300* wouldn't hurt my feelings (more on that later).

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Last night before going to bed I figured I would start getting things ready.

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Lump leftover from last cook and a new bag of Orange wood chunks.

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Stirred the leftover lump and added some Orange chunks. Looks like a lot of chunks but not really, I used small chunks. I like small chunks gives me a more consistent burn.

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Dumped some lump straight from the bag to fill her up. Had to remove some larger pieces because I find md sized pieces gives me a more consistent burn (recognize a theme going on).

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KK is ready for tomorrow, inside I go. Trimmed up the butt and bagged it with some Ponzu sauce. Put that in the fridge until morning.

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Made a simple 4 ingredient Asian rub. Ground everything up a little bit before I measured it.

1/4 cup honey crystals

1/8 cup dried orange peel (another theme)

1 Tbsp ginger powder

1 Tbsp Asian seasoning

I think that will do.

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I woke up this morning and crap somebody stole my thermometer - dang it - LOL

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Opened the bottom vent all the way and the top vent 3 turns. Lit in one spot. Added a drip pan diffuser and the main grate. Closed the dome and set a timer for 10 minutes.

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Meanwhile back inside got the butt out of the bag and patted it dry. Then rubbed my butt. In the freezer it goes for 1 hour.

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My 10 minute timer goes off so I go outside and reset the vents. Top vent at 1/3 of a turn and the bottom just a little bit open.

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When the hour freezer time is up the butt goes on at 8:00 am. I really wanted this to go on earlier but I guess that's what happens when you stay up until 2:00 am drinking. I hope it gets done in less than 12 hours because I would like to eat sometime tonight. And that's why I said if gets to 300* it wouldn't hurt my feelings.

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Stay tuned will post some more pictures later today.

Reef's Bistro

[MacKenzie]

Sounds great, ck. I'll be watching for more pics.

[_Ed_]

Really interesting to see a no-thermometer challenge. Maybe sometimes we do rely too much on our tools & toys and not enough on our own expertise. Looking forward to seeing more pictures and hearing how it went...

[CeramicChef]

Charles - you've got this whipped!  Congrats and kudos to you!  I'll join you in this "challenge" next weekend and we'll compare notes over a couple of tall frosty ones.  Looking forward to the money shots.

[ckreef]

Well nothing to do around here so me and Mrs skreef went out to lunch leaving it unattended. Oh wait it was unattended at home so no difference home or at lunch.

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Back from lunch took a quick peak at 5 hours 30 minutes. Coming along nicely. Not a lot in the drip pan yet. Looks like it should for that time frame. We'll check it again around 8 hours.

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Reef's Bistro

[tony b]

Interesting challenge. I am assuming that it's suppose to test everyone's BBQ skills, by cooking "blind." But how will it be judged? It will be hard to tell how well (or not) food comes out by just looking at pictures. It's all about texture and  moisture. Example, you could do a brisket and show the plated sandwich, which could be made to look good, but the brisket could actually be very tough (under cooked) or very dry (over cooked). Seems like a pointless exercise. Just saying.

[CeramicChef]

When John posted this "Challenge" I was thinking to myself "What's the challenge here?".  I'm the guy that preaches ad nauseum over there that you've got to know your vent setting and how your kamado responds to changes in vents setting, i.e. the response curve.  

If you know and understand your kamado, this challenge is dead simple.  Our KKs are rock steady as Charles points out above.  Not every kamado can lay claim to that.  Not every kamado cooker knows their basic vent settings for basic temps.  Not every kamado chef knows anything about how to tell if a cook is done except by looking at an electronic thermometer.   And therein lies the challenge for a lot of people.  Basic skills sets are lacking.  Those skills were pounded into my head first by my father and later by my kamado mentor. (It was a very tough job as I'm very thick skulled!  )

I think that John is/was trying to get the folks over there at the Guru to think about the breadth and depth of their skill set or lack thereof.

[ckreef]

Well said CC. Wasn't a challenge between people it was a challenge between ones self, their equipment and their skills. Pointless for some but probably a really good learning adventure for others.

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Just so I know how close I got it Mrs skreef has been inserting the dome thermometer every few hours and recording the temperature (but not telling me). After its all over I'll post the results she got.

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On a KK it's all in the ramp up to temperature and the vent settings. I usually do it a little differently but wanted to play it safe without a thermometer.

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...................

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Here we are at 8 hours. Looks like 2 more hours to me. Meanwhile wanted a BBQ sauce to go with this Asian butt so how about an orange BBQ sauce.

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Reef's Bistro

[ckreef]

I went a full 12 hours. Just wanted it to probe a little better. Anyway here it is at 12 hours straight up on the KK the whole time. Pulled it then wrapped in foil and a towel for the next 30 minutes or so. Yea I knew I wanted to start this a little earlier - damn you Saturday night alcohol - LOL. Oh well we always eat late.

Give me another hour or so and I'll post a couple of money shots.

Reef's Bistro

[tony b]

Looks like money from here already, Charles! Nicely done. 

@CeramicChef - Ken, I hear yah. But, it seems a bit off kilter for a Guru Challenge, where it's usually all about the recipe, not so much about the technique.

[MacKenzie]

Sure looks extra tasty.

[CeramicChef]

@ckreef - Kudos to ya, my Friend!  Mega low tech kudos to you.

@tony b - I've get to get you over there to The Guru to read some of the questions asked and the corresponding posts!   I read some of those and I know that idiots are breeding faster than folks with an average IQ.  Stupid seems to be winning.  And the idiots get upset when you point out their manifest stupidity in terms they can understand.  

Some of those guys can't pour water out  of a boot with directions written on the sole.  Seriously!

[ckreef]

After the 30 minute rest here is what we have. The bark was fantastic. Flavor profile was one of the best to date. The reality is, I did this cook for my sister who's coming to visit in another month.

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Culled out 3 portions them chopped the rest in large chunks to freeze for her visit.

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The orange BBQ sauce was awesome but needs a little tweaking.

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Thanks for following along. My goal was 250* but not more than 300*. I must have came close. Mrs skreef will post her temperature findings soon enough.

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Conclusion for this challenge coming tomorrow - it's been a long day.

Reef's Bistro

[CeramicChef]

Charles my Friend - that's MONEY!  Pure MONEY.  Congrats and kudos on a great cook.

[Aussie Ora]

That does look pretty darn good pretty easy with the kk

Outback Kamado Bar and Grill ♨

[_Ed_]

Great cook! Looks like you nailed it. Love the idea of the orange bbq sauce - care to share a recipe when you're happy with it?

[tinyfish]

You definitely nailed that challenge Charles.  

[MacKenzie]

Fantastic cook, ck, the pulled pork looks delicious.  

[tony b]

That close-up shot of the sandwich is MONEY. That's your entry shot in the Challenge. Well done, sir! 

[ckreef]

Thanks everyone, it was a fun cook not knowing any temperatures.

The orange BBQ sauce was good but definitely needs some tweaking. Eventually I'll post a recipe when I get it right.

Reef's Bistro