Last year I went to the country butcher shop and bought two 5 lb hunks
for about $1.10 a pound. Its a drive though. Cost me the same to buy
it locally.

Question, why can't we cut it in half so it cooks faster ???
I guess one thought, you get a wider range of meat, but
maybe not ??

In article
>,
Gz > wrote:

> Last year I went to the country butcher shop and bought two 5 lb hunks
> for about $1.10 a pound. Its a drive though. Cost me the same to buy
> it locally.
>
> Question, why can't we cut it in half so it cooks faster ???
> I guess one thought, you get a wider range of meat, but
> maybe not ??

There is no reason not to cut one in half. Since I am only cooking for
two, a full sized roast would go to waste as I prefer not to freeze
cooked meat if I can avoid it.

I generally only cook one half of a shoulder any more unless I'm going
to split the smoked cook with my sister and her family.

I've been doing that more frequently lately as they are more strapped
for cash than I am and two boys eat a LOT!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

"Omelet" > wrote in message
news
>
> I generally only cook one half of a shoulder any more unless I'm going
> to split the smoked cook with my sister and her family.
>
> I've been doing that more frequently lately as they are more strapped
> for cash than I am and two boys eat a LOT!

good man!

When I have a hankering for some pig, I need to remember it's just me
and one other.

So when I buy my shoulders from Big Joe and the boys at my favorite
Sam's store, I have them cut the pieces into 7 - 8 pound hunks. Makes
the cooking time shorter, and not so much meat.

As a side benefit, if we have company, I can put two hunks on the pit,
and still have them done in about 8 - 10 hours depending on
conditions. The best part of that is that you have double the surface
area for Mr. Brown, which is what I like best.

Robert

In article >,
"Wallace" > wrote:

> "Omelet" > wrote in message
> news
> >
> > I generally only cook one half of a shoulder any more unless I'm going
> > to split the smoked cook with my sister and her family.
> >
> > I've been doing that more frequently lately as they are more strapped
> > for cash than I am and two boys eat a LOT!
>
> good man!

Girl... :-)

And thanks.

I also share freezer space with them since I have plenty. Took them
awhile to take me up on that offer.
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine

"Gz" > wrote in message
...
> Last year I went to the country butcher shop and bought two 5 lb hunks
> for about $1.10 a pound. Its a drive though. Cost me the same to buy
> it locally.
>
> Question, why can't we cut it in half so it cooks faster ???
> I guess one thought, you get a wider range of meat, but
> maybe not ??
>

You can cut them in half, but you do change the cooking dynamics. Smaller
cuts take a bit more care and more precise timing or they go from juicy
pullable meat to leather. For bbq, it is not just about temperature, but
breaking down the collagen.

On Jun 30, 7:35*pm, bbq > wrote:

> Yea, I notice that too sometimes. *I can squeeze 3 racks of spares on a
> grate, but would rather to 2 and use the lower rack for another 2 if
> needed..

You probably have one of these, but if you don't, the rib racks that
fit into the larger verticals work great.

I can easily put three full racks of good sized spares in my WSM on
the top grate if I cut them in half and put them in the rack knuckle
(chine) side up. The collagen and fat will run down the ribs in a
most satisfactory manner in the racks.

My problem with splitting the ribs between the grates is that the
lower grate on my WSM is sometimes a cooler than the upper, giving
different finishing times.

Robert

On 6/30/2010 7:56 PM, wrote:
> On Jun 30, 7:35 pm, > wrote:
>
>> Yea, I notice that too sometimes. I can squeeze 3 racks of spares on a
>> grate, but would rather to 2 and use the lower rack for another 2 if
>> needed..
>
> You probably have one of these, but if you don't, the rib racks that
> fit into the larger verticals work great.
>
> I can easily put three full racks of good sized spares in my WSM on
> the top grate if I cut them in half and put them in the rack knuckle
> (chine) side up. The collagen and fat will run down the ribs in a
> most satisfactory manner in the racks.
>
> My problem with splitting the ribs between the grates is that the
> lower grate on my WSM is sometimes a cooler than the upper, giving
> different finishing times.
>
> Robert

Yea, got a rib rack, don't use it all the time. Different finishing
times is not a problem. Just means you can have ribs for a late lunch,
while the dinner ribs are still cooking. Ribs for 2 meals in a day. Is
that a problem? :-)

BBQ

On Jun 30, 8:05*pm, bbq > wrote:

>*Ribs for 2 meals in a day. Is
> that a problem? :-)
>

Not one tiny bit!

Robert

On Jul 8, 9:06*am, (GregS) wrote:
> In article wrote:

> >You're trying to cook too slow. Crank up the heat. Try 270F or higher.
> >Shoulders/butts should get done in 7 - 9 hours total. I'm talking about
> >185F internal or higher. I wouldn't even think about trying to cook a
> >shoulder at 200 - 220F.
>
> That sounds more like it, but in all the reading I did, most say 225 about 11 hours.

Well, now you know better.


>
> I can't do more than 225 with the Brinkman. of course I should
> have not tried to cook 23 pounds of meat. I was more worried about
> overheat. I should have stayed up all night !!

The extra pounds did not make the cooking go longer. I often cook
50-60 lbs at a time. Very little if any time difference from when I
put on 10 lbs. The main driver is TEMP.

I suggest you try some of the common Brinkman mods if you can't get it
over 225F.


> I'm glad I added a final coating of brown sugar. I like the pulled pork
> with a little sweetnes.

Yes, and the brown sugar helps make bark.

Hey everyone, notice the snipping? Try it sometime.

In article >, tutall > wrote:
>On Jul 8, 9:06=A0am, (GregS) wrote:
>> In article wrote:
>
>> >You're trying to cook too slow. Crank up the heat. Try 270F or higher.
>> >Shoulders/butts should get done in 7 - 9 hours total. I'm talking about
>> >185F internal or higher. I wouldn't even think about trying to cook a
>> >shoulder at 200 - 220F.
>>
>> That sounds more like it, but in all the reading I did, most say 225 abou=
>t 11 hours.
>
>Well, now you know better.
>
>
>>
>> I can't do more than 225 with the Brinkman. of course I should
>> have not tried to cook 23 pounds of meat. I was more worried about
>> overheat. I should have stayed up all night !!
>
>The extra pounds did not make the cooking go longer. I often cook
>50-60 lbs at a time. Very little if any time difference from when I
>put on 10 lbs. The main driver is TEMP.
>
>I suggest you try some of the common Brinkman mods if you can't get it
>over 225F.
>
>
>> I'm glad I added a final coating of brown sugar. I like the pulled pork
>> with a little sweetnes.
>
>Yes, and the brown sugar helps make bark.
>
>Hey everyone, notice the snipping? Try it sometime.


I tried it. I always have to go back to Google archieves to see what they were
talking about.


Brinkman....
I played with the electric grill a day before. I was drilling holes in the thing, 1/2 inch,
total of 12 holes. I also proped up the container
with pins to get more air in. I proped up the top lid. With only the water pan it was
headed over 250 degrees no problem.

I wired up a variac last minite, a 1500 watt unit. So now I could turn down the heat
if needed. I closed up all the holes and openings I made.


greg

Brick wrote:

> You're trying to cook too slow. Crank up the heat. Try 270F or higher.
> Shoulders/butts should get done in 7 - 9 hours total. I'm talking
> about 185F internal or higher. I wouldn't even think about trying to
> cook a shoulder at 200 - 220F.

I agree that things would cook faster, but I bbq 8 pound to 10 pound butts
at 220 to 240 all the time. I do agree that 200F is too low a temp. And I
think it is very possible that Greg's temperature measurement is off if it
wasn't measured directly at the grill surface, which means that the
temperature at the grill surface was up to 10 degrees cooler than he
thought. And consider that the typical probe thermometer (which is usually
more consistent in measuring temperature) will usually vary plus or minus 3
to 5 degrees, and mechanical thermometers, if not properly
calibrated...well, you know. 15 hours is just far too long to only reach an
internal temperature of 130F.
--
Dave Bugg
"For it's 'guns this' and 'guns that', and 'chuck 'em out, the brutes',
But they're the 'Savior of our loved ones' when the thugs begin to
loot." - Rudyard Kipling

On 8-Jul-2010, tutall > wrote:

> On Jul 8, 9:06*am, (GregS) wrote:
> > In article wrote:

.. . .

> >
> > I can't do more than 225 with the Brinkman. of course I should
> > have not tried to cook 23 pounds of meat. I was more worried about
> > overheat. I should have stayed up all night !!
>
> The extra pounds did not make the cooking go longer. I often cook
> 50-60 lbs at a time. Very little if any time difference from when I
> put on 10 lbs. The main driver is TEMP.
>
> I suggest you try some of the common Brinkman mods if you can't get it
> over 225F.
>
>
> > I'm glad I added a final coating of brown sugar. I like the pulled pork
> > with a little sweetnes.
>
> Yes, and the brown sugar helps make bark.
>
> Hey everyone, notice the snipping? Try it sometime.

Yup! Nice job on the snipping too Toot.

--
Brick said that

On 8-Jul-2010, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:

> Brick wrote:

.. . .

15 hours is just far too long to only reach
> an internal temperature of 130F.
> --
> Dave Bugg

There's the gist of it. Whatever heat you were using, it wasn't
enough.

--
Brick said that