Monk: As we like to do, Speedy and I used a sporting event as an excuse to test out our barbecue skills. This time, it was the Liverpool FC vs. AC Milan exhibition match at Bank of America Stadium last Saturday. Seeing as how the match started at 6:30, that gave us plenty of time to smoke a pork butt. We got to the parking lot at 7:15 and besides the Hooligans owner setting up temporary bars for the day, we were the first ones there for a few hours. Plenty of time to get the smoker going and get the meat on. And Speedy even bought a new smoker specifically to try out at the tailgate!
Speedy: I bought a Dyna-Glo offset charcoal vertical smoker. I’ve wanted an offset smoker for a while and this one is reasonably priced with good reviews. I was really pleased with how well it was constructed – it didn’t have much trouble holding temp and is very sturdy. I think it was a great purchase.
Monk: Considering it was our first time using it, we were both very pleased with how the pork came out. In fact, we both agreed that it was the best pork shoulder we have done to date. I can’t wait to smoke more meat in it again, because I really think the smoker made a huge difference in the quality of the product.
Speedy: We also bought a couple of cleavers and a large chopping board from Ikea, so we were able to chop the pork in more of a Lexington style instead of just pulling it. I think this actually helped as we mixed in the dip. I agree with Monk that it was the best pork butt we’ve ever smoked and I legitimately think it was good enough to rival many quality joints. We may not be able to take down Lexington #1 quite yet, but we’re heading in the right direction…
Nice work! Looks like some tasty pork! What wood did you go with?
Thanks! We used charcoal briquettes and added chunks of post oak and cherry during the smoking. Those chunks were actually leftover from previous smokings so we didn’t necessarily intentionally pick them for use this time but I think it turned out real well.