Barbecue

[mame11]

My hometown takes BBQ so seriously that it hosts the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest every May. Memphis In May- BBQ Baby

The Contest is the real deal and a very big deal in the food competition world. It is really only fun to attend if you (1) are a contestant (2) know a contestant or (3) are a JUDGE.

Though Memphians will take anybody to the mat if they dare suggest their hometown/state has better 'Que, an objective person has to recognize that Memphis is all about the pig... so perhaps places like Texas that do Brisket have good BBQ too (please do not report me to the Memphis BBQ Authority, I'd like to maintain my status of a Memphian even in exile)

So my question for DR.com is what makes good BBQ to you? Some people like yellow sauce, others like dry rub, some weird people like BBQ Tofu. What about you, what do you like?

[Sthitch]

Sauce is ancillary to good Que. It is all about the meat, heat, and smoke. For me it is all about pork, the bigger the piece the better. While whole hog is preferred there is no way I have room to cook one, or know enough people to share it with. For heat, it has to be low and slow. Many hours of heat that barely hits to 200 degree mark (actually more like 180), and the smoke is generally a mix with mostly hickory. I find that many people tend to either under smoke or over smoke meat knowing when it has had enough is the real trick. It is easier to do if you are using wood as a fuel instead of as only a means of creating smoke.

Since most of the people that I share my BBQ with like different types of sauces, I make all sorts. I prefer a simple Eastern Carolina style vinegar sauce. But really, I don't have that many thoughts on how to cook BBQ.

[mdt]

Sauce is ancillary to good Que.  It is all about the meat, heat, and smoke.  For me it is all about pork, the bigger the piece the better.  While whole hog is preferred there is no way I have room to cook one, or know enough people to share it with.  For heat, it has to be low and slow.  Many hours of heat that barely hits to 200 degree mark (actually more like 180), and the smoke is generally a mix with mostly hickory.  I find that many people tend to either under smoke or over smoke meat knowing when it has had enough is the real trick.  It is easier to do if you are using wood as a fuel instead of as only a means of creating smoke. 
Since most of the people that I share my BBQ with like different types of sauces, I make all sorts.  I prefer a simple Eastern Carolina style vinegar sauce.  But really, I don't have that many thoughts on how to cook BBQ.

Brine or no brine for the piggy?

[jparrott]

You can brine it. In the end, it's not a huge difference (assuming you're doing NC-style chopped BBQ), because the sauce serves as internal seasoning. Remember that the primary flavoring and enriching agent in pork for barbecuing is connective tissue/sinew.

[New Foodie]

I have absolutely no experience making it myself, but some good pulled pork butt with Eastern NC-style sauce is the best. I enjoy tomato based sauce sometimes, but it's just not the same.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the planet. It's a well known fact.

[Sthitch]

I have to agree with Jake, brining does not add much. However, injecting does. I have tried a number of different things to inject, and during peach season I juice some nice peaches and inject those. The taste of the peach is very slight, but the acid helps to break down some of the tougher interior meat that does not actually cook as long as the outside. Think of it almost as a Pork Cheviche.

[Sthitch]

Kansas City is the BBQ capital of the planet.  It's a well known fact.

I have to disagree, I believe that Lexington, NC is the true BBQ capital with more fine joints and dives per capita than any other city in America.

Edited to add: I do not mean to impugn Kansas City, there is loads of fine BBQ to be had in that fine city, much more so than in Memphis (which I find vastly over-rated).

[Escoffier]

I believe that Lexington, NC is the true BBQ capital with more fine joints and dives per capita than any other city in America.

I (and about 80% of the NC State Troopers) happen to agree with you. Lexington, NC is BBQ heaven.

[ChefJeff]

I'm going to have to go with NC to that vinegar sauce hits the spot. By the way if your ever in Raliegh theres a great place downtown called Cooper's. It's been around since the 30's, and when you sit down they bring out baskets of hush puppies and pork rinds to get you started. Nothing goes to waste here they even sell smoked pork ears at the checkout to take home for the dog. Does anyone know where to get good Carolina style Que in DC?

[Escoffier]

Does anyone know where to get good Carolina style Que in DC?

Only way I've been able to get the real thing is to have someone bring it back when they go to NC. Hmmm, Raleigh isn't that far away...

[Sthitch]

Does anyone know where to get good Carolina style Que in DC?

I hate to disparage food in and around DC but when it comes to BBQ I have to. There are a few places worth visiting, but not many. In another thread I offered my belief that the reason why it is hard to find good BBQ in Washington and for that matter most cities is that they try to be all things to all people. Outside of the small town places that have next to no overhead few people can afford to limit their to a single meat product. But that is what makes places like Skylight Inn, Wilber's, Lexington #1, Cooks, Backcountry, or The Barbeque Center so great, the make pork, no chicken, no beef, no fish, just pork. When they concentrate on one thing they do it well and they excel. Also they have real competition. Of the places that I named all but the first two are in Lexington, and they are the pick of the litter (I would also add Jimmy's to that list), but there are many more who have to prove themselves to a very discerning BBQ community to stay afloat. I do not see that happening in or around Washington.

[mame11]

Kansas City can't and doesn't hold a candle to Memphis BBQ. If you think Memphis BBQ is overrated I suspect you have been to two places in Memphis-- the Rendevous and Corkys. Neither are good examples of true Memphis BBQ.

Great BBQ joints in Memphis: Cozy Corner, The BBQ Shop, (the real) Interstate BBQ, Neely's BBQ, Willinghams (when it hasn't burned down), Central BBQ, 3 Pigs BBQ and many others.

The problem is that the Rendevous and Corkys get a lot of press and are totally commercial enterprises.

BTW, I went to law school near Lexington. I like the vinegar sauce too...

[Halloween]

Well, i'm from Chicago where, in my opinion, LEMS' BBQ, is king. Nothing beats an order of rib tips or a small end, with fries, white bread and that amazing sauce. For reasons that are not clear to me, my brother and I (good Catholic children that we were) loved to eat Lems while watching the cerebral palsy (sp?) telethons, which, as i recall, were held some time in winter ( ie, between October and May!). The last time my brother was in Chicago, he purchased a gallon of lems' sauce, which he uses on special occasions. I had some good bbq in Kansas (let the fighting begin), but it did not compare to Lems. I was last in Memphis when elvis died, so i can't speak to their cue. I have been meaning to return, though, specifically to do a memphis cue-sampling tour.

[Sthitch]

Kansas City can't and doesn't hold a candle to Memphis BBQ.  If you think Memphis BBQ is overrated I suspect you have been to two places in Memphis-- the Rendevous and Corkys.  Neither are good examples of true Memphis BBQ.

Great BBQ joints in Memphis:  Cozy Corner, The BBQ Shop, (the real) Interstate BBQ, Neely's BBQ, Willinghams (when it hasn't burned down), Central BBQ, 3 Pigs BBQ and many others. 

While I have suffered through a plate of ribs at Rendevous (possibly the worst non-boiled ribs I have ever had), and eaten at Corky's, my statement was not based on those two visits. I spent six weeks in Memphis on a project for Union Planters (now Regions) Bank. While my partner in the project would go to Arkansas every night to gamble, I would search out BBQ places. With the exception of Willinghams (and maybe 3 Pigs which sounds familar) I have been to all that are listed. When I say that Memphis BBQ is over-rated, I am not saying it is bad (except for the tough tasteless grilled ribs at Rendevous), I just do not think that it is the epicenter of great BBQ. Of all of the places that you named I would be over-joyed to have any of them in Washington.

BTW, I went to law school near Lexington.  I like the vinegar sauce too...

The vinegar sauce is not what makes Lexington BBQ some of the best in the world (best being found in whole hog country), it is the cooking process, and the smoke.

[Joe H]

Lem's is, indeed, world class. I had their ribs as part of a trip a few years back where in one week I had ribs there, Bryant's and Guy and Mae's outside of K. C.), Interstate in Memphis, McClard's in Hot Springs, Clark's Outpost (Tioga, TX-highest rated in TX by Dallas Morning News), Dreamland in Tuscaloosa and Johnny Ray's in Birmingham.

McClard's was the best on this trip. Two or three years earlier Dreamland was better.

My wife does not like Dreamland at all...

Steve, I agree that Lexington is the most intensive bbq town of all, per population. I disagree about Memphis but this is a meaningless statement since everyone believes their own bbq is better than anyone else's. Let me just note that K. C., Memphis AND BIRMINGHAM (which has more bbq places listed with phone numbers than either of the first two), Ownesboro, KY, Lexington, NC and, generally, the area between Austin and San Antonio are ALL outstanding meccas for bbq. ALL are superior each with a number of places/joints/roadhouses/restaurants to anything in the D. C. area. Having said all this someone from South Carolina will sooner or later mention Sweatman's, someone from GA will talk about Interstate, Harold's or the place in Melearsville where they bbq a whole hog on the pit and when you ask for a pulled or chopped pork sandwich they take a pair of tongs and PULL it off of the carcass which is impaled a couple of feet behind the counter. And someone else will mention that there is better Q in each of the state's mentioned above but I had the cities wrong.

To be honest, though, the Melearsville shack was a bit much although it WAS good Q.

And fresh.

[Sthitch]

Joe, if you find yourself in Eastern Tennessee, you might give Ridgewood's a try. It reminds me of a nice cross between Carolina and Memphis styles of BBQ. It would certainly rank in my top 15 places to eat slow smoked meat. It is a bitch to find, but well worth the detour.

I do agree that most people are partial to their hometown style of BBQ. Originally being from Wisconsin this is not the case for me. Hell what they call BBQ up there is a sloppy joe with green peppers in it . Much different than a slow smoked pork shoulder.

As for Lem's my Chicago born and raised wife raves about them as well. But claims mine are better. Not sure if that is just her love speaking or her tastebuds.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

Kansas City can't and doesn't hold a candle to Memphis BBQ. 

You are as full of sh*t as a Christmas goose.

[Spiral Stairs]

Region A's barbecue : Region B's barbecue :: Region A's sports teams : Region B's sports teams.

(Go Royals!)

[mdt]

Region A's barbecue : Region B's barbecue :: Region A's sports teams : Region B's sports teams.

(Go Royals!)

BBQ is hotdogs, burgers, and chicken, right?

I guess now is a good time to bring up The New England BBQ Society.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

BBQ is hotdogs, burgers, and chicken, right?

This is grilling, not barbequing. Grilling=high heat, short cooking time.

Barbequing=low heat, long cooking time.

I guess now is a good time to bring up The New England BBQ Society. 

New England BBQ=oxymoron.

[Sthitch]

New England BBQ=oxymoron.

I am sure that there are some people in New England doing a fine job making real BBQ. But I find it interesting that whoever puts together this page put Mesquite at the top of the "Favorite smoking wood" poll. Even in Texas this foul tasting wood is only used for grilling. I should add that it does make great coals once the sap has burned off.

[Jacques Gastreaux]

But I find it interesting that whoever puts together this page put Mesquite at the top of the "Favorite smoking wood" poll.  Even in Texas this foul tasting wood is only used for grilling.  I should add that it does make great coals once the sap has burned off.

I generally use hickory whenever I barbeque pork butt.

[Sthitch]

I generally use hickory whenever I barbeque pork butt.

I do a mixture of Hickory, Oak, Pecan, and a fruit wood (including peach when I can find it). The Hickory alone can be a bit too strong, the oak helps to cut the strength of the hickory, the pecan and fruit wood add nice flavors to the meat as well. I have even done a butt with only pecan smoke, it was sweeter than I wanted, but was a nice change.

I have found that unsoaked wood chunks give me the best success.

I just found out that in the next few weeks I have to smoke a brisket for someone. I had made a promise to a friend from Texas, hoping that I would not have to follow through (since she lived in Austin at the time), now I am screwed, she has moved back and wants her brisket. This is going to be an insidious affront to my smoker.

[oliveDC]

Does anyone know where to get good Carolina style Que in DC?

Levi's Port Cafe, down under the overpass on Eighth St. SE, is the best I've found. It's run by the same folks who own the Levi's catering and restaurant operation in Oxon Hill. They're from NC and the 'cue is Eastern NC style -- nice vinegar tang and no tomatoes! You can get a plate with a half pound of barbecue and heaps of sides for $8.95. They also make a mean red velvet cake...

[crackers]

Maybe they should re-name it NIMBY-Que. New York Mag is reporting this week that Mark Smith and Toni Ross, who own Nick & Toni's in East Hampton, are getting ready to open a BBQ joint in nearby chi-chi Sagaponack and some of the neighbors are holding their noses at the prospect of having to whiff the 'que smoke wafting through their topiaries and across their koi ponds and infinity pools. "There's nothing around it to buffer the odor. There's a golf course directly across the street. Do you like to play golf first thing in the morning smelling barbeque?" asks one neighbor.

um....as long as my caddy can keep wiping all the drool off my drivers, why not?

[treznor]

"There's nothing around it to buffer the odor. There's a golf course directly across the street. Do you like to play golf first thing in the morning smelling barbeque?" asks one neighbor.

um....as long as my caddy can keep wiping all the drool off my drivers, why not?

Man, that might make playing golf worthwhile :-)

[mdt]

Maybe they should re-name it NIMBY-Que. New York Mag is reporting this week that Mark Smith and Toni Ross, who own Nick & Toni's in East Hampton, are getting ready to open a BBQ joint in nearby chi-chi Sagaponack and some of the neighbors are holding their noses at the prospect of having to whiff the 'que smoke wafting through their topiaries and across their koi ponds and infinity pools. "There's nothing around it to buffer the odor. There's a golf course directly across the street. Do you like to play golf first thing in the morning smelling barbeque?" asks one neighbor.

um....as long as my caddy can keep wiping all the drool off my drivers, why not?

Not much different of an attitude from those folks that think that NC, or pick your flavor, Q is the only Q.

And I agree with treznor...

[rvanrens]

some of the neighbors are holding their noses at the prospect of having to whiff the 'que smoke wafting through their topiaries and across their koi ponds and infinity pools. "There's nothing around it to buffer the odor. There's a golf course directly across the street. Do you like to play golf first thing in the morning smelling barbeque?" asks one neighbor.

Nah, I hate golf. Breakfast barbeque, on the other hand, has some intriguing possibilities...

Rob

[Escoffier]

Great series of articles from Slate on barbecue. Five articles in all covering most styles and methods (and lots of eating of same).

[DanCole42]

I was very surprised to see there wasn't a general "barbecue" thread. So I've decided to start one, just as this summer I'd like to get better acquainted with with my Weber Kettle.

My personal favorite BBQ dish is pulled pork or, as they say in North Carolina, "barbecue." I do have several questions:

1) If I'm making coleslaw and buns for sandwiches, how much pork should I count on per person. Will a five pound shoulder yield enough sandwiches for ten people?

2a) I've noted that some sources prescribe 1.5 hours for every pound of shoulder. If I were to cut the shoulder in half, how much would the increased surface area and decreased individual mass make for a faster 'cue? Would it turn 90 minutes into 45?

2b) Regardless of its effect on cooking time, wouldn't such a technique increase the amount of desirable bark on the meat, and therefore be something I should do anyway?

3) How much meat could I reasonably expect to cook in a 22.5" Weber Kettle? Enough for 30?

4) Is there a "Virginia"-style barbecue?

I hope this gets the ball rolling!

[Ilaine]

I am far from an expert in barbecue, but I do know that a Weber kettle grill is not, in and of itself, a smoker. Kettles are for direct heat/grilling, smokers use indirect heat. Low and slow is the way to go for pulled pork. You can get a very nice offset smoker for only a couple hundred bucks, one that uses only charcoal. My husband is the meat man, and he refuses to use gas.

No doubt there are many who will disagree, as barbecue is one of those fraught areas, so this is just my opinion, based on my own observations.

I don't think cutting up the meat to speed up the process is what you're looking for.

One area you might want to explore is combo braise and smoke. First braise inside, then smoke outside. A lot of people do this with ribs. Personally, I am looking into a Big Green Egg.

I don't think there is a "Virginia" style of barbecue, but you can get very good barbecue at Buz and Ned's in Richmond. It's the real deal.

[chaofun]

I was very surprised to see there wasn't a general "barbecue" thread. So I've decided to start one, just as this summer I'd like to get better acquainted with with my Weber Kettle.

My personal favorite BBQ dish is pulled pork or, as they say in North Carolina, "barbecue." I do have several questions:

1) If I'm making coleslaw and buns for sandwiches, how much pork should I count on per person. Will a five pound shoulder yield enough sandwiches for ten people?

After cooking a shoulder loses a bit of weight/size with the fat that renders off. Plus factoring in the bone. Historically for me, I've needed a lb per person, but it depends on the kind of eaters you have. You could probably get away with half a lb per person.

2a) I've noted that some sources prescribe 1.5 hours for every pound of shoulder. If I were to cut the shoulder in half, how much would the increased surface area and decreased individual mass make for a faster 'cue? Would it turn 90 minutes into 45?

I have never done a hours/pound ratio. With a smoker (or mine at least), everything is variable. Each cook is diff, depending on the humidity, temp outside, etc. Instead I just measure the temperature of the meat. Once the temp is 180-190, preferably 190, I am good to go. As far as the cutting in half the shoulder, this may work BUT you want to be careful as the bigger the mass, the more fatty juicy goodness it keeps inside (and def keep the bone in). I actually go the opposite route, I get the biggest whole shoulder I can fit on my smoker. It does take forever though (~17hrs). Oh and be sure you stay in the range between 275-220 in the smoker. 250 is always my goal.

2b) Regardless of its effect on cooking time, wouldn't such a technique increase the amount of desirable bark on the meat, and therefore be something I should do anyway?

You could try, but be mindful of how much you cut it.

3) How much meat could I reasonably expect to cook in a 22.5" Weber Kettle? Enough for 30?

When you use a kettle, you would lose about half the area for indirect cooking, that said you could easily fit 2 butts I would think on there, maybe three. I would think you could feed 30.

4) Is there a "Virginia"-style barbecue?

I don't know of one

[Ilaine]

I have never done a hours/pound ratio. With a smoker (or mine at least), everything is variable. Each cook is diff, depending on the humidity, temp outside, etc. Instead I just measure the temperature of the meat. Once the temp is 180-190, preferably 190, I am good to go. As far as the cutting in half the shoulder, this may work BUT you want to be careful as the bigger the mass, the more fatty juicy goodness it keeps inside (and def keep the bone in). I actually go the opposite route, I get the biggest whole shoulder I can fit on my smoker. It does take forever though (~17hrs). Oh and be sure you stay in the range between 275-220 in the smoker. 250 is always my goal.

And therein lies the problem with a grill. You have to open it up to put in more charcoal, and that lets the heat out. Smoking needs a controlled environment, which is why whole hogs are cooked in a pit dug in the ground, and covered up with the earth you dug up. Also why caja chinas are so useful.

[DanCole42]

And therein lies the problem with a grill. You have to open it up to put in more charcoal, and that lets the heat out. Smoking needs a controlled environment, which is why whole hogs are cooked in a pit dug in the ground, and covered up with the earth you dug up. Also why caja chinas are so useful.

See, I know that everyone says that. "Don't let the heat out." It seems to me, though, in the rare instances I have tried BBQing, that the interior comes back up to temperature in under a minute. Does that really have a major impact on cooking?

[chaofun]

See, I know that everyone says that. "Don't let the heat out." It seems to me, though, in the rare instances I have tried BBQing, that the interior comes back up to temperature in under a minute. Does that really have a major impact on cooking?

No, you are right it does for me as well. I have a weber smoky mountain, one set of coals if you do it right can last 13 hours (or even longer) so I only open the lid to turn the meat, or baste. Every time the smoker comes up to temp fairly quickly.

Ideally however you don't want to have too much fluctuation in the amount of heat the meat sees, or its going to take even longer to pass "the plateau" when the internal meat temp sits at around 170 for an extended period of time.

[DanCole42]

I picked up one of these. Here's hoping.

One worry I have is of putting all this meat on the barbecue, and having everyone show up and dang, it's not ready!

Could I BBQ everything the day before, wrap it in foil and stick it in the fridge, then maybe an hour or two before dinner the next day toss everything back into the heat?

[xdcx]

I picked up one of these. Here's hoping.

One worry I have is of putting all this meat on the barbecue, and having everyone show up and dang, it's not ready!

Could I BBQ everything the day before, wrap it in foil and stick it in the fridge, then maybe an hour or two before dinner the next day toss everything back into the heat?

you're better off getting a real smoker rather than trying to jerry-rig something. Doing it this way, you're not going to have a lot of control over the heat of your fire so cooking time will be variable. I'd definitely cook it the day before unless you're just planning to do chicken. Brisket or pork shoulder will take you easily 9+ hours. Chicken will only take 2-3 and ribs about the same amount of time. When I'm having people over, I cook stuff the day before and just reheat it in a low oven wrapped in foil and it always turns out great.

[DanCole42]

When I'm having people over, I cook stuff the day before and just reheat it in a low oven wrapped in foil and it always turns out great.

Would there be any problem reheating it in the BBQ? I want the effect.

[xdcx]

Would there be any problem reheating it in the BBQ? I want the effect.

you may dry it out depending on how well you can control the fire.

[DanCole42]

you may dry it out depending on how well you can control the fire.

Why would it dry it more in a moist BBQ than in an electric oven?

[chaofun]

I have done ok reheating on the BBQ, but either way I would make sure to put some of your basting liquid on whatever you are reheating.

Two other notes, when you do reheat, specifically foiled reheating, you are going to soften up your bark. This is most significant to brisket. The other note is that ribs do not reheat well, or at least you loose quite a bit compared to pulled pork or brisket, at least in my experience.

I usually BBQ the meats that reheat well the day before, and BBQ everything else the day of.

[winger1930]

One thing I've done is basically create an electric smoker inside my Webber. It's a take off of Alton Brown's terra cotta smoker.

Because the Webber doesn't have the same insulation that a clay pot has, I needed to have TWO hot plates in the bottom of my smoker. One is an old 750W and the other is 1000W. I put a pie pan full of a combination of wood chips and wood chunks on one of the hot plates, turned the heat up to medium high, and let it go. The other hot plate is strictly for keeping the temperature steady, so I've usually kept that one at about medium high, but it depends on the outside temperature. You do want to put a disposable pan on this hot plate to catch any fat from the pork.

I think my goal was to get the temp to around 275 or so around the meat, and up to just under 200 inside the meat. I found that you can't put the two hot plates on the bottom grate of the Webber because it sits too high, so I actually had to put the hot plates on the bottom of the Weber with a few pieces of wood to hold them level. You then thread the cords of the hot plates through the bottom vents of the Weber and you're good to go (one one was threaded through - the other one was too big so I had to have it dangle out the side of the grill).

Using these specs, this past March, I smoked a 9.5 butt for about 18 hours or so. I timed it so that I would start around 11pm the night before with a ton of chips and chunks in the pan, then let it smoke overnight. I woke up around 8am, added in more chips, and did my first mop of the pork. Checked on it every couple of hours until around 5ish or so. At that point, guests were arriving, they smelled the smoke going, and I pulled the pork off, wrapped it in foil, then a dish towel, and stuck it in a cooler for about 30 minutes. After that, I took it out, shredded it, and enjoyed some awesome pulled pork.

I haven't done this since, but it really was pretty easy to do and the results were great. The pork wasn't dried out, it had a great smokiness to it, and everyone seemed to love it.

Couple of notes:

-I would be careful with the overnight smoke. One thing I did was I stupidly put the power strip (one of those ones that are made for outdoors) underneath the Weber itself, so some fat from the pork dripped out the bottom vent and into the power strip. Yeah....that shorted out my outdoor outlet and I lost probably an hour or two of cooking time. However, I did learn all about home electrical repair!

-This does produce a lot of smoke, and if you have neighbors (like me in my townhouse), they'll either love or hate the smell. No one complained, so I take it they loved the smell.

-I wanted to get a whole shoulder, with the skin, so that I could take the skin off PRE-smoke, and fry up some pork rinds to crumble on the pulled pork. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any whole shoulders in the sub 10lb range.

-My 9.5lb butt probably could have fed 12 easily, probably closer to 15-18ppl.

[thistle]

Lots of variables w/ bbq, it's still hard for me to guess amounts, but I'll always err on the heavy side-sometimes, a very generously marbled piece of pork will cook down to almost nothing, though-after cooking & rendering, while I'm hand-pulling, I like to take out any excess fat- I usually do a couple of Boston butts or sometimes, a fresh picnic shoulder. I usually cook in an electric smoker, w/ a basic salt/pepper dry rub, for a LONG time-low & slow is what you want. After cooking, I use the vinegar sauce from Steven Raichlen's Barbecue Bible (Elizabeth Karmel's North Carolina Style Pulled Pork). An important point is mixing the white & dark meat, & bits of crispy outside. I've cooked it in a crockpot & an oven, overnight, but the smoker works the best.

I'm from NC, & I grew up eating bbq cooked out of those giant barrel smokers that guys tow behind their trucks (my BIL has one, & an enormous SS grill, & he still hasn't shared his bbq sauce recipe w/ me), but you know, it's pretty hard to mess up pork-just get some good rolls & slaw (& plenty of beer), & everyone will be happy...

[xdcx]

Why would it dry it more in a moist BBQ than in an electric oven?

oven you can set the exact temperature, grill you can't.

[plunk]

I've got a weber smokey mountain, and am a fan of the overnight cook when entertaining. Just much less to worry about the day of the get-together. I keep it wrapped in foil and towels until serving.

Before I serve, I usually pull the pork right within the disposable aluminum tray, while basting with a light finishing sauce (chicken broth, vinegar, and some rub) to keep it moist while reheating in the oven. Tray goes into the oven and then out on the counter top for folks to serve themselves. Easy clean up.

As a general rule for life, I always err on the side of too much pork. Leftovers work great in things like tostadas, white bean stew, sandwiches with broccoli rabe and provolone, etc.

Let me know if you'd like to steal some chunks of smokewood - I'd be happy to give you some. I've got hickory, cherry and apple. I like a combo of all three for pork.

[Pete]

I used a day off of work on Wednesday to make an attempt at making Pulled Pork using my Weber Performer grill. Overall, I think it was a fairly successful first attempt. I followed the recipe from Steve Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible (which is a fantastic book). I purchased a 7.5 lb Boston Butt from Macgruders, covered it with the dry rub, and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours (the recipe has you rest it for 3-8 hours, but I didn't have time). I put the pork on the grill at 11:30AM and fed the grill more charcoal and wood chunks hourly. At 5pm the pork was at 190 degrees so I removed it from the grill, let it rest 15 minutes, and shredded the meat by hand (will invest in heavy duty rubber gloves for this part next time). The shredded pork got a moderate dose of vinegar sauce (recipe from the book) and I put it back on the grill to keep warm until serving. Next time I try this I will let the dry rub sit for longer. The 2 hours was probably not enough time. I will probably try a different sauce, as the vinegar sauce needed a little more sweetness....perhaps a Memphis meets Carolina sauce (BBQ purists reading this right now are probably throwing things at the computer screen).

Here's my (good) dilemma. I have lots of leftover pulled pork. More than 2 1/2 people can eat in a reasonable amount of time. Does cooked pulled pork freeze well?

[Seanchai]

I used a day off of work on Wednesday to make an attempt at making Pulled Pork using my Weber Performer grill. Overall, I think it was a fairly successful first attempt. I followed the recipe from Steve Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible (which is a fantastic book). I purchased a 7.5 lb Boston Butt from Macgruders, covered it with the dry rub, and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours (the recipe has you rest it for 3-8 hours, but I didn't have time). I put the pork on the grill at 11:30AM and fed the grill more charcoal and wood chunks hourly. At 5pm the pork was at 190 degrees so I removed it from the grill, let it rest 15 minutes, and shredded the meat by hand (will invest in heavy duty rubber gloves for this part next time). The shredded pork got a moderate dose of vinegar sauce (recipe from the book) and I put it back on the grill to keep warm until serving. Next time I try this I will let the dry rub sit for longer. The 2 hours was probably not enough time. I will probably try a different sauce, as the vinegar sauce needed a little more sweetness....perhaps a Memphis meets Carolina sauce (BBQ purists reading this right now are probably throwing things at the computer screen).

Here's my (good) dilemma. I have lots of leftover pulled pork. More than 2 1/2 people can eat in a reasonable amount of time. Does cooked pulled pork freeze well?

I freeze my leftover pulled pork all the time with no discernible drop-off in quality.

[dcs]

I freeze my leftover pulled pork all the time with no discernible drop-off in quality.

d'accord

[DanielK]

Here's my (good) dilemma. I have lots of leftover pulled pork.

PICNIC!