After a winter of recovering from back surgery, I’m so happy to finally be able to get back to BBQ! I decided to jump right back in this weekend, so I called my sister and invited her and my niece down for a Red Sox game on the tube and some lip smackin’ BBQ!
In northern New Hampshire, Mother Nature has little interest in cooperating with our outdoor plans and Saturday was no exception. I looked at the weather forecast Friday night, hoping to find some good news, but no. Cold and snowy was the forecast du jour.
We woke up to find another Winter Wonderland! An inch of snow had fallen overnight and it was still snowing and blowing. I was a little discouraged, but I’ve been inside for far too long! So, I kissed my bride goodbye and sent her off to work and moved the Ugly Drum Smoker out to the driveway and lit up a chimney of charcoal.
Normally, I will moan and groan through winter BBQing and smoking - I HATE IT! - but I love to cook so I suffer through. This time however was different. I have been out of the game so long, I was chomping at the bit to get outside and fire up the smoker!
The menu for dinner was pulled pork sandwiches, cole slaw, baked beans and cornbread. I know, that's way too much starch. carbs, whatever...but so what? I`m not trying to make diet BBQ here!
Friday night we trimmed up a nice 8-9 lb boneless Boston Butt and injected some extra flavor. Here’s my “go-to” liquid recipe for pork butt:
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
Basic and mild, but I think it adds a hint of flavor and extra moisture for the long cook.
Normally, I will rub the meat the night before and refrigerate, but i was tired so I waited until Saturday AM. I got the butt on a little later than I had hoped, but by 10AM, the smoke was rolling and the butt was cooking. Here’s a basic pork butt rub I make that can be easily customized to your tastes:
Big Ricky’s Butt Rub
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Paprika
1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1-2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
1-2 tablespoons Onion Powder
1 tablespoon or more Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Coarse Salt
1/4 cup Brown or White Sugar (I use Turbinado sugar)
1/4 cup Paprika
1/8 cup Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1-2 tablespoons Garlic Powder
1-2 tablespoons Onion Powder
1 tablespoon or more Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Coarse Salt
1/4 cup Brown or White Sugar (I use Turbinado sugar)
We smoked the butt for 8 hours, until it hit 205F. I maintain temps between 220F and 240F in the UDS and, this time, I used Hickory for my smoke (Kingsford briquettes for my heat). I still haven’t gotten my time management down to where I can let the butt rest for any length of time. As it was, we didn’t eat until 8PM! I guess I need to get going even earlier next time.
One of my favorite things is seeing a well cooked pork butt. If it’s done right, it will like jello. We pulled the butt and watched it jiggle and dance all the way into the kitchen.
While the pork butt rested, me and Les put together the cornbread. A big kudos to Demetra Overton for this recipe! it is FANTASTIC! Click on the link to check out the recipe and her other great looking dishes (her Vidalia onion cornbread is going to be made soon too!!)
Here’s our results. It was a huge hit!!
I'm super happy to be walking upright and BBqing again! It looks like winter is on the run and warmer weather is here. I`ve knocked off the rust and am ready to dive back into the pit! Stay tuned, lots more to come!
