BBQ for Thanksgiving

[sherpa]

We are having the turkey but The wife and I decided to smoke a boston butt for Thanksgiving.
I can't wait for my city relatives to taste this good homemade BBQ.
It is outside smoking with some good old NC hickory chips right now.
I heard you could use some other hardwoods for smoking.
What kind of wood do you use for smoking?
sherpa

 

[om21braz]

Boston Butt, that'll be our Christmas Day fare here. I've never tried it, but heard friends of mine have good results w/ cherry and apple. Oak does well too with some mesquite chips mixed in.

 

[jinman]

Pecan is an excellent smoking wood, either exclusively pecan or mixed with other hickory or mesquite. Of course, pecan is a type of hickory, so it may be already in the wood or chips you can buy. Traditional Texas open-pit smoked BBQ is done with oak.

Oh yes, we are going to my wife's mom and dad's house for Thanksgiving, but the Sunday after I'm having over my daughter and her family for dinner. I'm marinating and smoking a spiral sliced ham for that meal and may pitch in some baby back ribs in the extra space in my smoker. I'll use a 50-50 mix of hickory and mesquite chips with wine and beer in the water pan for flavor.

 

[Car Doc]

BBQ is good for every meal lol I know it is for me sounds like a winner!

I have a big competition Traeger and use a 1/2 - 1/2 mix pecan and cherry pellets usually.

Here lately I am getting to where I just use hickory its pretty hard to beat. Thats what my turkey breasts will be smoked with tonight when they come out of the brine. happy thanksgiving y'all btw

 

[czechsonofagun]

OK, I bite. What is boston butt?

 

[Car Doc]

Top 1/2 of a pork shoulder. yumm

 

[nickel plate]

Just across the Nevada border at lake Tahoe, my FIL would bring back what he called Mountain Mahogany-the dead falldown trunks and branches about 2" to 4" in diameter. The stuff is so hard it generally takes a couple of weeks to soak it until it sinks, then it's ready to use for smoking. I keep a couple bags of presoaked in the freezer to cover that sudden urge to barbeque. I still have what I consider a life time supply of Mountain Mahogany as it doesn't take much to flavor even a lesser cut of meat.

 

[KPark]

Apple and Maple, mostly. Apple for smoking our bacon (delicious!:licking.

 

[DennisArrow]

Got my turkey out in the smoker NOW.......When the temp gets up a bit the foil covering will come off and then will use Sweet Gum chunks to smoke it with. Gotta go down in a moment to get a 2" or so tree. I take these and cut it up like a salami in 1/2" or so slices. Put 4 or so in the smoker perhaps every 30 minutes.......MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM good.....gives the meat a pinkish color and a definate sweetish smoke taste with the outside a beautiful red/brown.....My land is covered with oak and hickory but I totally prefer the gum as it doesnt have that heavy strong taste....Anyway, am thankful that I have a choice...God bless OUR country........Dennis

 

[sherpa]

More questions about this smoking:

Do you cut fresh wood or use dry wood that has been cut awhile?
How long do you soak your wood in water prior to the smoking?
Also, do you put the meat in the smoker as it is or do you wrap it in alum foil?
sherpa

 

[ihuntbear]

i use alder ,maple and cherry for smoking deer sometimes apple.really good flavour.Eating some now mmmm

 

[Car Doc]

sherpa,

I can only answer for what I know and I don't use a stick burner anymore but when I did I only used dry wood and I didn't soak it, doesn't make that the best way by any means just what I did.

That said I know some guys that swear by almost green wood and some guys have specific drying times etc its probably going to be an acquired technique but you cant go wrong with dry imho and soak it as you feel the need or not.

As far as foil just me but I save foil for last if I use it at all. The smoke cant penetrate the meat well if its wrapped (tented yes that's fine) or after a certain temp. Putting the meat in a shallow foil pan is good when I am not hanging something I use pans fwtw.

I personally prefer to smoke @ 150 then after so many hours (10-12) turn up to 325 and I may foil @ that point but I rarely do depends on whether you brine or not if not brining then maybe foil it for a more moist product at the last hour or so jmho. hth

edit: sherpa I got off topic sorry this is more tuned for turkey etc what I said at the last here.

I do butts right on the grill @275 (not foiled at all) up to 160 and I don't flip them, then I wrap them and pull them @ 205-210 let sit 2 hrs wrapped in a couple towels in a Styrofoam cooler if I happen to have one handy and then pull them apart.

 

[brin]

I usually buy 2 boston butts or picnics as they call them at Sams Club and I inject them with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 special BBQ sauce..I mean I really inject them all over..then I put light one side of my grill and put Oak wood chunks that have soaked in warm water for a few hours on the briquetts...then I put the injected picnics on the unlit side of the grill , close the lid and wait about 6 to 8 hours at which point I turn them over, inject a little bit more and tent them with aluminum foil and wait another 3-4 hours...and Yum !:licking:

 

[om21braz]

Old fashioned way involves 2 cinder blocks, expanded metal, a large appliance size cardboard box (wet down w/ water), a supply of hickory, a couple of pork shoulders, and about 8 hours. Salt & pepper shoulders before placing atop grill - no basting, etc. while cooking. That is basic Lexington-style BBQ - some like it, some don't. PM me if you want the original "dip" recipe.

 

[Alan L.]

I smoke my butts in a Weber Bullet smoker. Use Kingford charcoal with hickory chips. Smoke them at about 220-235 for about 7 or 8 hours, then finish them in the oven with a temp probe to bring them to precisely 188 degrees. Let em rest maybe 30 minutes then make pulled pork. Also make a glaze that has brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Some choose BBQ, others the glaze. I prefer the glaze when eating the pulled pork alongside the turkey and ham for Thanksgiving.

When I had a bigger smoker I just used oak firewood and it worked great.

 

[donn12]

I am smoking baby back ribs and sausages to go along with the wife's turkey. I also have a turkey that I salted which will also be smoked but I probably wont have time today.

TVWB.com has a lot of turkey info and recipes. It is mainly geared towards weber smokey mountain (bullet) smokers but the food prep, rub, wood choice etc will all be the same.