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Met a guy at a Memphis competition who said his secret was a single piece of hickory per pork butt
He claimed it forces you to manage the fire perfectly, and I've been thinking about that for months. Anyone else run into a piece of advice that simple but stuck with you?
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the_jennifer14d ago
That Memphis guy is onto something with the fire management, but honestly, one piece of hickory per butt sounds like a recipe for no smoke flavor. Hickory burns up fast. You need a bigger chunk or a couple pieces just to get through the first few hours when the meat takes on smoke. Tbh, his method might work for a super hot and fast cook, but for low and slow, you'd run out of smoke way too early. I stick with two good fist-sized chunks minimum.
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phoenix_grant3413d ago
One piece of hickory for a whole pork butt? @the_jennifer, that's wild to me. Hickory burns so quick, you'd get maybe an hour of good smoke. I tried something like that once on a long cook and the meat came out tasting like plain oven roast, lol. You're totally right about needing at least two big chunks. That first few hours is everything for the smoke ring and flavor. His fire control might be good, but the smoke math just doesn't add up for low and slow.
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king.robin13d ago
Read an article that said the smoke only really sticks to cold meat. So @the_jennifer is right about those first hours being key, but maybe a single dense chunk can last if your temps are super low. My own results have been mixed, honestly.
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