Off topic: Rinker owners who grill!

Handymans342

LaRea said:

LOL, where was my dinner invitation?  (Joking -- we have a standing invitation to visit Chez Handy, and I haven't made it happen yet.)

You suck man

MarkB

@Handymans342 did you make pulled pork from that?  We like to make two different kinds of BBQ pulled pork ... one with BBQ sauce for the kids ... and one a bit spicier like this:





Bowl on the left is the Carolina BBQ sauce. It tastes amazing.

Handymans342

I don't know what I did wrong but it just didn't seem tender enough to pull apart but some of it was 

Willhound

I find butts a little trickier for pulled pork. Shoulder usually easier because of higher fat content. With a butt I'll go lower temp and longer time, some times up to 8 to 10 hours. And even then there are sometimes parts that are harder to pull apart. I'll get the big knife out and chop it. Cheating, I know.

MarkB

Handymans342 said:

I don't know what I did wrong but it just didn't seem tender enough to pull apart but some of it was 

You need to cook that thing low and slow ... it's gonna take 5h to 7h ... cook it at 250F to 275F, indirect (no direct heat) ... and pull it off when the meat hits an internal of 200F to 205F. Then it pulls apart like there's no tomorrow.  Trick is low and slow, or you dry out the meat. 

Also, if you have a conventional smoker ... put a deep aluminum pan in there filled with water to maintain max moisture inside the cooker, to help prevent the meat from drying.

Willhound

@MarkB he has a brand new Grilla Grills pellet pooper.

Handymans342

I put it in at 11am at 220. At 430 it had reached 160 internal. Covered with foil and raised to 275. Was 200 at 6pm. 

Willhound

Would be better to just leave on smoke setting, around 180 for about 5 or 6 hours and then up to 220 for a few hours to finish. And I think you meant raised to 175? How low does your GG go on smoke setting? My Traeger is 180 but my Country Smoker by Louisiana Grills is 220. I find it too hot on smoke. I sometimes play with an on/off cycle on a long cook. And if you haven't already, get a decent instant read thermometer. A game changer.

randy56

All butts are not created equal. Pork is not graded like beef. No two butts are alike, ya never know what your going to get.  I'm happy about that.  When I did competition we did at least two sometimes 4. Then pick the best one of the 4 to turn in to judging . Most of the time you will find on the label inspected or USDA approved. No grading on the label. I'm sure Handy cook was fine. He had it on for 8 hours. The bone pulled right out. and it was 20 outside. There are many different muscles in a pork butt not all of them will as tender as the next one to it. The opposite end from the bone is what we call the money muscle, as it is the beginning of the tenderloin. Always look for big money muscles when buying. As I was leaving the BBQ competition world, most pitmasters had changed to 275 all the way through the cook. You could not tell the difference. Those guys were winning.  But we were using stick burners.  With a pellet cooker I believe, it take's a minimum 3.5 to 4 hours to get a good bark. on big meats like butts or brisket. Smoke is a flavor, you can over do it.  After it goes in the foil or butcher paper. Get it done. If it was not so messy you could bring it in the house and put it in the oven with same results. Well, your wife would not be very proud of you. Ask me how I know. LOL

Handymans342

@Willhound I used a smoke tube as well. The flavor was amazing 

Willhound

I have not had good luck with smoke tubes. I mostly use mine to smoke cheese but I find the smoke produced a little acrid/creosote tasting. I think I'm packing the tube too tight so not enough air maybe....

MarkB

Handymans342 said:

I put it in at 11am at 220. At 430 it had reached 160 internal. Covered with foil and raised to 275. Was 200 at 6pm. 

If you want pulled pork, take it to 205F internal (it makes a difference).  Also, if you have good temperature control, keep the dome temperature at 250F to prevent the outside from drying out too much. The pellet grill can still dry out meat ... so put the aluminum pan in there filled with water. Even though on my Big Green Egg it is probably the best for retaining moisture, I still add the pan with water.  It also helps moderate the grill temperature.

If you want to serve it as a roast, I agree with Randy, push to 275F the whole cook ... to get the bark to setup nicely.

Probably the last point is ... inject the butt with A LOT of apple juice ... at least 1 cup, let that soak in overnight.  

Handymans342

So much to learn and try different meats and cuts. Great hobby

MarkB

Handymans342 said:

So much to learn and try different meats and cuts. Great hobby

Yes it is ... and you're only gonna to learn by cooking, taking notes, adjusting ... each grill is different, so every grill is gonna need some adjustments to the cook.

randy56

Injecting is a great way, When in competition we injected everything but ribs, Don't do it as much at home. Mark is right on. another trick is to spritz with apple juice every hour, moisture attracts smoke, and adds hint of sweetness. Much cheaper hobby than owning a boat. 

Handymans342

Just cooked Jerk Chicken. My wife is now in love with a pellet grill !!!!

LaRea

Keep it up and I'll come to your place for a visit.

Handymans342

LaRea said:

Keep it up and I'll come to your place for a visit.

You are way past your invite

Handymans342

Anyone grilling for the Super Bowl??

Willhound

Handymans342 said:

Anyone grilling for the Super Bowl??

Ya have to call it the Superb Owl....don't you know there's copyright? Don't want the "man" to come down on you!  
Just the wife and I this year, so nothing fancy.
Doing Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers, Wings and Nacho's. Easy peasy.

LaRea

We have house guests for a week, and they brought four steaks from a beef tenderloin that they dry-aged for a month.  Looking forward to cooking those babies this week.  Yeah, they are excellent house guests!

MarkB

Handymans342 said:

Anyone grilling for the Super Bowl??

Yeah, my friend ... and I'm eating his food! LOL.

Handymans342

MarkB said:

Handymans342 said:

Anyone grilling for the Super Bowl??

Yeah, my friend ... and I'm eating his food! LOL.

Go move your truck MB

Willhound

randy56

Have friends over, It's steak nite, no wings, sweet potato, salad. 

MarkB

Willhound said:

A way to a man's heart ....

LaRea

My friends have a dedicated meat locker normally used for storing game.  They dry-aged this tenderloin 37 days in a UMAi dry aging bag, then trimmed it and cut 1.5" steaks.  We're trying something new tonight:  cook sous vide to 129F, then finish them in a cast-iron pan instead of the grill.  We'll sear them in olive oil, or maybe I'll get adventurous and make some clarified butter (ghee) which has a higher smoke point.  

It'll be a nice double-date for Valentine's Day.  I bet it's gonna taste like a million bucks!

Willhound

He!! Yeah!

YYZRC

I would not want the top right! Fat=flavor!

randy56

I bought the UMAI bags a couple years ago and dry aged a whole prime ribeye primal. dry aged 30 days. Got to say we were not impressed. never did it again. As we each have different taste. Not for me.