OBQ

[Shawn White]

I'm stuck away from home again this weekend ... had a bad cold, been off a couple of days ... now the weekend is upon me and I'm already bored to tears.

So I got this idea, I'll try a pork butt in the oven at 240F ish in a roaster, on a rack elevated from the drippings. I'll leave the cover off and cook 'till it seems pullable (no therm here).

Other than that I'll rub it down with something, maybe baste. I got some hickory smoked salt ... that'll work.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

 

[Captain Morgan]

i never travel without my Taylor probe thermometer. Ya never know when you need to whip up an emergency batch of q!

 

[YardBurner]

Any pork is better than no pork!

 

[Rob D.]

No therm? If you're gonna experiment, might as well work on the fork technique for doneness....figure if you can stick a big fork in it and give it a twist easily, it's probably good for pullin', or something like that....

Rob

 

[Guest]

While you're at it, par-boil some ribs... :ack:

 

[Woodman1]

Do what I do when away from home. Get incredibly drunk and find a cheap hooker! =P~ =P~

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Good Luck Shawn! You'll apprecicate your cooker when you get home!

 

[Shawn White]

No therm? If you're gonna experiment, might as well work on the fork technique for doneness....figure if you can stick a big fork in it and give it a twist easily, it's probably good for pullin', or something like that....

Rob

great idea, thanks Rob

... still trying to learn what 'done' looks and feels like and not rely on the therm so much, and I really think things start to go wonky after 160F ...

Well, I'm set. Got my new 'pit' ($1 roaster + $1 for foil from the dollar store). I'm gonna crumple up some foil wads to elevate the meat.

Scored an 8lb picnic chunk with skin on. I'm gonna rub it up tonight with Mr.Brown, then 'fire up' the pit in the morning ... I'm figuring about 9 hours, then rest an hour.

WoodDeviant: now I like a fine piece of butt as much as the next man but that's not what I had in mind (and I don't need ideas like that after being gone for two weeks <married, long time, with kids>) :grin:

 

[LarryWolfe]

Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke. I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven. If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference. Sad, but true.

 

[Shawn White]

Heck, give it a shot. I bet it comes out just fine, especially with that hickory salt.

Well I'm hopefull it comes out 'not too bad'. I noticed some of the boys use propane as an alternate heat source ... and one of the Q restaurants I was at used either Natural Gas or electric. So mine can be at least as good as that right?

The thing sure to be missing is the real smoke. I wonder too how much the effects of the airflow and maybe even, ahem, a bit of the lump exhaust contributes to the finished product in my WSM.

 

[Shawn White]

Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke. I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven. If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference. Sad, but true.

Thanks Larry, just saw your post. Ya got me all optomistic now ...

The picnic is trimmed and rubbed. I left the salt out of the rub and gave the thing a good spinkle of hickory smoked salt.

I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.

Larry, about how long at what temp do you think this thing might take?

 

[LarryWolfe]

[quote="Larry Wolfe":2dosu5yw]Shawn this is the only time I will suggest just a bit of liquid smoke. I've cooked many butts/picnics in the oven. If you do them right, other than the smoke ring you won't be able to tell much difference. Sad, but true.

Thanks Larry, just saw your post. Ya got me all optomistic now ...

The picnic is trimmed and rubbed. I left the salt out of the rub and gave the thing a good spinkle of hickory smoked salt.

I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.

Larry, about how long at what temp do you think this thing might take?[/quote:2dosu5yw]

Shawn, cook it at 240-250 oven temp. I don't even measure the meat temp when I do them in the oven. I usually stick a fork into the butt/picnic and give it a twist. If it twists easily it's done. I think your 9 hour estimate in the oven is about right. Good luck Shawn! I look forward to seeing your pics and hearing how it turned out!

 

[Guest]

That's just over an hour per pound..I would have thought longer...

 

[Shawn White]

the picnic portion was 8.8 lbs .... I figure I took at least 1.5 lbs off ... let's call it 6 lbs

I know I've done 3lb chuck rolls around the same temp for 6 hours and they were pullable (burritos recipe)...

maybe you are right Bill, I will give it twelve hours <Shawn set's alarm clock for 4 AM to start the picnic> for a target dinner time of 5 pm

if it's done early, I'll foil and rest in a slow oven


thanks man

 

[Greg Rempe]

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Shawn, I am looking forward to your results!! [-o<

 

[Guest]

Shawn,

I've never done a picnic ~ Larry has done many....I was just thinking out loud. :!:

 

[Shawn White]

I used to do butts in the microwave on the defrost setting for about 2 - 3 hours. Comes out great.

hey, don't steal my thunder man ... this is a big adventure for me .... :grin:

 

[Guest]

I'll try and snap and post some pics with the webcam and the torchlamp.

Is a tourchlamp what we southerners call a flashlight? :razz: Lookin' forward to the pics.

 

[Shawn White]

not sure what you southerners call it ....

what I meant by torchlamp was the 500W halogen bulb mounted at the the end of a 6' pole

the webcam has no flash ... so, working the laptop, webcam and torchlamp all in to position for cook pics ought to be some fun!

 

[LarryWolfe]

That's just over an hour per pound..I would have thought longer...

Well, from my experience cooking BBQ in the oven with temps between 240-250 that's about the timeframe.