Note from Seth: Last week we brought back Joe Pichey’s MGoBBQ column thanks to a new sponsor metal homegoods for college superfans. Some of you said “HELL YEAH!” and some of you were like “Noooo I am now too hungry” and some of those people made fun of Purdue losing to Wisconsin, so in payback Gridiron Metal Works is sponsoring again, and will keep doing so until morale improves. Derrick makes officially licensed grilling and decor products, where “makes” in this sentence actually means “CUTS HIGH-QUALITY STEEL WITH PRECISION LASERS,” so you can do your alma mater proud for years to come. Check out his stuff at gridironmetal.com, and maybe accidentally drop that link where people who buy you holiday gifts are looking.

 

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I went back and forth on which recipe to do for this HUGE week as we get ready for one of the biggest games in YEARS. I was hoping the game would be a bit later in the day so we had a little more time to cook but we will just have to modify the recipe a little. This one will be a HOT & FAST Texas style pulled pork. One of my all time favorites and just about the easiest thing to cook on the grill or smoker. For those just starting out or wanting to dip their toes in the BBQ waters, this one is the recipe for you. It couldn’t be any easier. This one is being cooked on my ceramic smoker and on my AWESOME new grill grate from GRIDIRONMETAL. This thing is so impressive. I can tell just by the weight that this thing will last me a lifetime. Unbelievable quality. You gotta get yourself 1 or 5. They have them for most grills and if they don’t, they will customize for you. Give Derrick a call and get one.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8-10 LB BONE-IN Pork Butt
• Kosher Salt
• Course ground pepper
• Apple Cider (Optional)

[After THE JUMP: butts.]

DIRECTIONS:

Fire your grill or smoker up to 300-325 degrees and add some pecan or apple chunks for smoke. Our goal is to get this pork butt done in around 4-5 hours. For Texas style pork, we are going salt and pepper only. I go 3 parts pepper to 1 part salt. Yes, you read that right. Trust me….it works. See the mix below. Also note, when picking out a pork butt that has the cryovac packaging, always choose one that is tight. If it has any air in it, put it back. That means there is a hole in the bag. Also look for one with very little blood.

Season the butt HEAVILY. I actually wish I would have seasoned this one more. Give it all you got. It’s a big piece of meat and can take it.

Once it’s been covered, throw it on your perfectly seasoned grate from GRIDIRON Metal Works. So Sexy!

Let this ride for about 2 – 3 hours at 300-325 degrees. Once you see the split in the fat cap, it’s time to wrap. You can see off to the right side the split is starting.

Look at that nice smoke ring forming on one of “Future Crunchy Bits” that will be a “PITMASTER TREAT”.

Something I did a little different this time around was spritzing it with apple cider. Don’t spritz until the bark has set. You don’t want to wash off that tasty treat. My local hardware store carries the right color spritzer. I spritz every 15 mins once it hits 155 internal.

Once it it’s about 175 internal, remove the Big ol’ butt with you GRIDIRON spatula. This thing is so well made. I cant wait to use it more in upcoming posts. It’s time to wrap. Notice the SPLIT.

Instead of wrapping completely, I am going with the FOIL BOAT method. This will help keep the juices locked in and speed up the cooking process. It will also help our bark stay crunchy. Use 3 large pieces of heavy duty foil for this. Place it back on the smoker until your internal temp hits 205. This should take another 1 or 2 hours.

Once you hit 205 internal, remove the butt from the heat and let it rest. You can place it directly in the cooler or set it out on the counter top. I have also placed in my oven at 170 for a few hours. Leave the top exposed (As pictured below)

After 2 hrs rest, this beauty should be ready to pull. You should be able to remove the bone with no resistance.

Another nice thing about the GRIDIRON Metal grate is that I can char my buns on it prior to making sandwiches. This worked perfectly. Add some butter or mayo to the buns and set them on the hot grill grate.

Once you pull that meat, start stacking. I like simple spicy pickles and meat. Add some onions or slaw if you like. Look at that bark and the pink smoke ring. SEXY! Now go enjoy a big win against Sparty and throw back a few cold ones.

BONUS PIC. I had some fun carving my first pumpkin in about 40 years. Not bad at all. Bevs may have been involved on this one. Ha. GO BLUE!