Smoking Christmas Reindeer

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BeeRich

Sous Chef
Joined
May 20, 2009
Messages
583
Location
Toronto, Canada
Well, actually, pork.

Asked for 3 7-8 pound Boston Butts. He got me...wait for it...3 18 pound shoulders. Crazy South-American butcher. So I bought two of them. They're in the smoker now. Pictures and filming.

36 pounds total starting pork
Some fat cap on, cross-hatched sliced
Mustard & rub
No injection
No trimming
A: Wolfe Bold & a bit of Zatarains
B: Wolfe Citrus & a bit of Zatarains
Cherry chips & Apple chunks smoked for 1 day
Both woods on @ 0 minutes
I am guessing this is going to be a long smoke.

I had to scrunch them up a bit to fit in my WSM, but you wouldn't believe me on that one. Good thing I didn't order a brisket.

More later. Much later.
 
Well fine looking chunk o hawg meat you got hold of there. You is indeed a fortunant fella to get full shoulders. For some reason here in God's Country..it is apparently illegal to sell picnics still attached to the boston butt. They have to be separated at birth etc. That particular meat combo makes the best pushed pork in the world. Shame they cheated you out of the hocks and trotters:) Now are you cooking that thing in the pan? Or maybe it just happen to be sitting in a pan? Enquiring minds need to know this kinda stuff. Thanks.

bigwheel
 
Nah that was the vehicle to the smoker. No pans.

It's a little chilly as the wind is about 30 km/h. Says it should die down tonight so I can raise the temp later on. Running about 210 now.
 
Ahhhh 210 is a good temp for making tasso. You tried the upside down barrel over the top trick yet? Works wonders for keeping up the heat in strong cold N. Winds. Now if you have the 22" model WSM a regular 55 gallon barrel may not fit down over the top of it. You can sit a big washtub upside down over the top will help some.

bigwheel
 
I have no room for a barrel. This is the first time I've smoked in anything that brings the temp down. I've been in weather colder, but not with any reasonable amount of wind. I'm looking at re-fueling in a couple hours anyway. Two vents open, hitting the bottom of the smoke range.
 
Just foiled and into the cooler. 197. This is epic meat. >19 hours on the WSM. Time for a 5th nap.

I need a better way of peeling meat off those grates after a smoke. I have a stainless table where I put my large aluminum pan, then 2 sheets of thick alu-foil. I lift the top grate off, flip it onto the foil and use a spatula to get the meat off. Same with the bottom. Both with red welding gloves.
 
Hmmm..havent really had that sticking problemo too much anyway. Maybe a little with pork. I always leave the grates crudded it up till its time to cook again at which time they get laid direct on the fire to get themselves cleaned then hit em with a wire brush. After they are mounted you can spray a little PAM on them should help. If you can find a barrel which will fit down over the top of the cooker it doesnt take up any more room till it comes time to cook then you set it aside momentarily till you get ready to put it back on. When you aint cooking the cooker lives inside the barrel sorta like a little garage for the car. Would predict it knock about 6 or 7 hrs off the cook time and help the meat to stay more moist.

bigwheel
 
I run the spatula under the meat before I remove the meat. Then I use the spatula to help carry the meat to the foil wrapping area. That probably would have been a bitch for you to do with this cook, being the size of the meat you cooked. Did it fall into two pieces when you lifted it?
 
I flipped the whole thing, did the spatula thing. So similar approaches. Foil down, meat upside down, grate up, spatula underside of grate, and on top of grate pushing meat down.

The meat did its own thing slightly. It was a lot tighter than I had thought.

Sorry folks. On hold as I took 20 hours to do this, then a nap, then went out as it's that time of year. I have to have a nap then go out again.

PIcs and Youtube video later. This smoke was frickin epic. I'm eating some now, half in the bag at 5:30pm.
 
Well glad to hear it turned out good. Merry Christmas or Happy Hannakah or Quanzi or whutever yall celebrate up in Canada eh?

bigwheel
 
Looks mighty yummy. Fine job. Poor Rudolph. Think I seen his red nose laying over to the left of his butt bone.

bigwheel
 

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