Cooking a Boston Butt for BBQ

[Highbeam]

That was a commercial unit from walmart I bought for like 70$. I believe Glenn was right on the brand and I have seen a propane version. For me, if I was going to cook over propane I would just use my NG oven. The coals actually contribute a large amount of smoke flavor and are a bit of work. I consumed about 25 lbs of charcoal for this piece of pig.

I did build the cart since I needed a working surface and a place to build fires. The original pit came on four legs. Oh and the pit came with a simple pan to contain the fire so I made that basket to hold the coals up out of the ashes and allow some air to the fire.

I pulled the pig out after just over 12 hours and the internal temps were just past 170 on both pieces. I let them sit uncovered for an hour and then pulled one to pieces. My oh my, it turned out real tender and flavorful. I was hoping to run them up to 190 per this thread but I didn't want to stay up all night for it. The recipe I used actually called out 170 as the desired temp.

So today I have another group of friends stopping by for dinner and I will need to reheat this pile of sheredded pig. Any ideas on the best way to reheat without drying it out? Microwave, iron skillet with lid, etc? I have a batch of "texas" baked beans to make and bake so the oven will be fired up. I found some cornmeal Kaiser buns to be toasted for the pork.

 

[anojones]

Man that looks good! One way to re-heat is to package in a vacum pack and throw it in a pan of boiling water- heats well and without any drying out. May not be an option, but is partiuclary good if you have frozen left overs.

 

[Highbeam]

I looked at the picture and should clarify, the pink meat is from the outside just under the bark and is the "smoke ring", it is not raw. The inside to the center is a brown color of well done meat. I used nothing but Kingsford coals since I have found that the smoke flavor can be overdone and ruin the meat if I try and add wood chips.

 

[BTDT]

Since this thread has some smokers in it, I thought I would post pics of mine here. I've not had much luck before posting anyplace except the photos section. Hope this works, and sorry for borrowing your thread for the test.

 

[Glenn9643]

For me, if I was going to cook over propane I would just use my NG oven. The coals actually contribute a large amount of smoke flavor and are a bit of work. I consumed about 25 lbs of charcoal for this piece of pig.

You would have a bit of a problem producing any smoke in your NG oven.
The propane smoker has a iron wood box situated about where your coals are, between the propane burner and the water bowl. I've found that wood chips in the box burn out too fast for me, but oak, maple, or other suitable wood scraps from 1" thick boards around the shop placed in the box provide plenty of smoke for about four hours. I've used both charcoal and propane smokers and if done properly can't really tell a difference in the result, but the propane is much easier to regulate and you don't have to fuss with it during the day.