My obsession is a very unhealthy one. It is true-to-the-tradition BBQ. I love BBQ culture and dive joints with legends who have been working their pit for 50 years. I love stories over beer that include “one too many” and a guy who once met Elvis. This culture is truly American, especially in the part of the country I am from. The Midwest doesn’t have much as its claim to fame, except hot dogs, blues music, riverboats and BBQ. Sure other parts of the country do BBQ well, but Kansas City, Memphis and Chicago (YES, Chicago!) definitely have a place in my heart (and stomach.) My goal is to help people who understand the difference between grilling and smoking and who want to give it a try. I’d like to share with you the mistakes I’ve made and breakthroughs I’ve had with backyard smoking.
I have loved BBQ so much for so long and have been repeatedly disappointed in “grilling” disguised as BBQ that I wanted a smoker of my own. Chicken with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce is definitely not BBQ. I figured I could do it, as a competent cook and having a passion for it is 99% of the challenge. So, several years ago I decided to buy a smoker and I researched commercially available models. I settled on a Char-Broil side box smoker. If you are confused by the difference between smokers and grills, you aren’t alone. You CAN smoke with a grill, but it won’t be the same. Grills get too hot and are not very good about keeping a low and slow, steady temperature. Side box smokers have an offset compartment that contains the charcoal, the source of your heat. I recommend a side box smoker with dampers on the stack and on the side box. Also a built in thermometer is a must.

Now to the fun part… Firstly you must decide what kind of BBQ you like. Kansas City is my favorite, Texas, Carolina or Memphis. Most BBQ will fall into one of these styles. The differences lie in the types of meat used, the sauces and the dry rubs. Let’s start with the meat. The cuts of meat used are typically considered poor cuts because of their toughness. Brisket, ribs, etc. if cooked any way other than low and slow will yield an impossibly chewy, dry unpleasant experience. Pork is always a nice choice for a beginner because it tends to remain moist. Pork shoulder is my favorite. Texans prefer beef, especially brisket. It takes longer and is easy to utilize, it just takes a couple easy tricks to create a wonderful sliced brisket. North Carolinians like the whole hog. And only hog. The main difference here is the wide variety of sauces they use. My favorite Carolina creation is mustard sauce. Memphis is rib central. I won’t start a debate about dry or wet ribs, I will just tell you how I learned to do it and you can go from there!

Pulled Pork
7-8lb Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder (Bone in)
Favorite dry rub (more on that)
Mopping sauce (also more on that)

Now that you have a smoker, charcoal selection is of utmost importance. No briquettes. Hardwood lump charcoal is ideal. You only use the charcoal for heat, not smokiness. I prefer applewood for smoking pork. Mesquite, cherry and maple are also nice. The fruit woods just tend to make pork taste better. The wood for smoking is available in bags at most grocery store. Make sure it doesn’t have bark on it. That imparts a bitter taste that is really very strong. The day before you smoke, buy your meat. Buy from a reputable butcher with quality meat. I am lucky, I live in pork country. It is worth the few extra dimes per pound. Once you have selected the meat get the rub applied liberally. I don’t trim the fat at this time, as I feel that adds to the overall flavor of the meat. Apply the rub heavily and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning set out your cut of meat. Allow it to come up to room temperature for an hour. In the meantime, fire up the smoker and let it preheat to about 230 degrees. You don’t need to add the smoking wood yet, just the hardwood lump charcoal.

After an hour, unwrap the meat and place it carefully, fat side up, near the opening from the side box. Highest heat is here. A full smoker tends to provide better results. More meat, more moisture, etc. I fill the rest of the space with ribs and Polish. Don’t open your smoker for at least the first hour. Simply add more charcoal and applewood, checking every half hour. Again, adjusting the dampers to keep the temp about 230 degrees. I smoke all of it for about 6 hours. The internal temp of the shoulder really should be 190 degrees if you want to pull the pork. Cooler would be done and edible, but you’d have to slice it. During the last hour of smoking I mop the shoulder with an apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper combination. The vinegar helps break down the muscle tissue and makes the meat more tender. About a teaspoon of cayenne to a cup of vinegar. Adjust for your taste.

When you remove the meat it is very important to let it rest for an hour. This is usually when we get the ribs and Polish off the smoker and enjoy those!

After an hour, pull the top layer of fat off of the shoulder and discard. On a cutting board, use forks and pull the meat apart. If you got the temp up high enough the pork should just fall apart. Sprinkle a little of your rub on the meat and serve on a bun with your favorite sauce!

Rub:
1 tbsp Chili Powder
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Mustard Powder
2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp blk pepper
1/4 cup paprika

This is just a sample rub. Experiment with different ones from different cookbooks. If all else fails? A little black pepper and salt for seasoning and then dress it with your favorite sauce.

I think that the biggest mistake new pit masters make is that they open the pit too frequently. One opening of the lid adds about 20 minutes to the overall cooking time. It is tempting, but keep the lid closed until you are ready to add the mop sauce!

Happy Q-ing! :Brian McKay