Bama BBQ
Well-known member
OK, first off this shouldn't be taken as a slam on the Bull & as I know every grill/smoker has it's strengths & weaknesses as does every cooking method, recipe etc.
This is more about me & my learning process with the Bull.
I decided to do the maiden run with 2 Boston Butts to see how the overall flavor compared to my barrel infrared smokers which by the way is super comparable to stick burners low & slow process but much faster & still have the tenderness & thick smoky flavored rings.
I may be wrong but feel my mistake yesterday was more than likely attributed to cooking the butts on grates elevated over a pans of water.
Until proven otherwise I think it hindered the smoke infusion by steaming it away. This cook started out with the bull set on extreme smoke for 3 1/2 hours & then the temp bumped up to 300 degrees until it reached the 203 degrees I was shooting for. Then they were pulled & wrapped in heavy foil & placed in a cooler for 1 hour, opened & pulled apart for the taste test. The "overall" taste is good, tender, & very moist but kind of a let down on the smoke flavor.
To say the bone pulled away easy is an understatement, couldn't ask for better & the meat was moist with a great bark over 80% off the meat.
Again, the problem was the lack of smoke taste, the smoke ring was there but light in color, not the deep red I normally see & taste while using the same pellets I have good results with my in barrel smokers, The rub was even the same ingredients with only a few very minor tweaks (brand names of garlic & salt).
On a VERY positive note, I calibrated the meat probes before starting the cook & only found one off by 2 degrees & they ran perfectly inline with each other afterwards.
The Bull put out what I thought was a LOT of smoke for a pellet smoker, especially in extreme mode, it just didn't have that rich smoky flavor we're used to.
The temps stayed rock solid throughout the entire cook & outside during temp swings from 50 degrees down to 28 degrees before crossing the finish line & it never failed to perform. Next cooks will be made directly on the grates to see if my theory holds true about the water/steam fighting the smoke flavor.
Also, I'm sure as the Bull gets some more cooks on it & becomes more seasoned with all of those wonderful BBQ/Smoke flavors everything will come together just fine.
Your thoughts ?
Pic was taken about 2 hours before coming up to full temp.
This is more about me & my learning process with the Bull.
I decided to do the maiden run with 2 Boston Butts to see how the overall flavor compared to my barrel infrared smokers which by the way is super comparable to stick burners low & slow process but much faster & still have the tenderness & thick smoky flavored rings.
I may be wrong but feel my mistake yesterday was more than likely attributed to cooking the butts on grates elevated over a pans of water.
Until proven otherwise I think it hindered the smoke infusion by steaming it away. This cook started out with the bull set on extreme smoke for 3 1/2 hours & then the temp bumped up to 300 degrees until it reached the 203 degrees I was shooting for. Then they were pulled & wrapped in heavy foil & placed in a cooler for 1 hour, opened & pulled apart for the taste test. The "overall" taste is good, tender, & very moist but kind of a let down on the smoke flavor.
To say the bone pulled away easy is an understatement, couldn't ask for better & the meat was moist with a great bark over 80% off the meat.
Again, the problem was the lack of smoke taste, the smoke ring was there but light in color, not the deep red I normally see & taste while using the same pellets I have good results with my in barrel smokers, The rub was even the same ingredients with only a few very minor tweaks (brand names of garlic & salt).
On a VERY positive note, I calibrated the meat probes before starting the cook & only found one off by 2 degrees & they ran perfectly inline with each other afterwards.
The Bull put out what I thought was a LOT of smoke for a pellet smoker, especially in extreme mode, it just didn't have that rich smoky flavor we're used to.
The temps stayed rock solid throughout the entire cook & outside during temp swings from 50 degrees down to 28 degrees before crossing the finish line & it never failed to perform. Next cooks will be made directly on the grates to see if my theory holds true about the water/steam fighting the smoke flavor.
Also, I'm sure as the Bull gets some more cooks on it & becomes more seasoned with all of those wonderful BBQ/Smoke flavors everything will come together just fine.
Your thoughts ?
Pic was taken about 2 hours before coming up to full temp.
