I Smoked 6 Pork Butts On My Kamado Using Texas BBQ Joint Secrets!

[@cohibafivefifty]

Bar-A Que is awesome and just around the corner from us. Thanks for all the information and videos you put out.

[@scubahiker]

Awesome, time to update the 101 video with this goodness! I'm going to be trying this on my next smoke! Thanks!

[@BehindTheFoodTV]

Very cool cook James! I absolutely love how you and I learn from each other and the rest of the community to constantly up our game. You're really killing it with videos like this one! #thatsalotofbutt #ilikesixbuttsandicannotlie

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

hey who's this behind the food channel with the EMV logo

[@ExTrumpet]

Just got the Big Joe on sale at Academy...quite possibly the most stable pit I've ever cooked on! Coming from an Akorn, so the learning curve may be less than those coming from a gas grill or something else, but so far it is just dang near set it/forget it!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

it really is not necessary for a controller... its dang stable

[@200clay]

Great video - I always appreciate the detail you put into showing each step. Super easy to follow and makes it really repeatable. Keep it up!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@williamwilson2624]

That was a pretty neat cook. I never thought about using a pellet tube to cold smoke in a kamado. Great video, as always!

[@herb7877]

Yes; I have found adding multiple pork butts to my WSM adds more time . I didn't really understand it until about the 3rd time though (slow learner!). I was use to doing just one butt at home and that work back time. Then when I do 2 larger ones for our camping group it was taking several hours longer. I was having to wrap them in aluminum tray, and kick up the heat for the last 2 hours and a very short rest to have them done in time for dinner. I've had the same issues / results with a pellet tube as well.

[@rickyl4656]

Great video! Always learning from you! I used a double indirect setup yesterday on my Weber Jumbo Joe portable to make pizza. Had a spacer between the stones to keep from burning the crust. Top cooked great with pepperoni reaching up. Delicious!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good stuff!

[@danthompson9596]

James, I think you do an extremely good job here at explaining how to get the most out of a smoker. There's a lot here to absorb, even though you've talked about a lot of these ideas in your past videos. Very cool!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I appreciate that!

[@JGill0124]

Great video. Would have to try this on a brisket.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

100%

[@blackmarble3786]

I've got a hack for you if you want it I've always found it hard to put the defector plates on the fire basket you now when you been have to balance them on those little bars if you put on heavy duty wire rope clips they fit great and it gives you just enough space to put the defector plate on 😊

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

thats a good idea, have a link so others can check out your idea?

[@jeffreyschmidt3997]

​@@blackmarble3786how about that link smoking Dad asked about?

[@6AnAsianGuy9]

The red plad shirt joke! Lol, good video as usual!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

😆 Glad you liked it!

[@mannyr8795]

Awesome always James. God I miss this. My classic 3 is in a storage as I moved into a beach front condo. Might just buy a house with a yard just to smoke again 😂

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

hope you dont need to wait much longer

[@Todd.T]

The advantage to the pellet tube in the gas grill is that a byproduct of burning gas is water. The water causes the smoke to stick to the meat. My first Traeger, I was a little disappointed in the flavour difference from the gas BBQ burining wet chips, so I added a small tray of water in the hottest part of the Traeger to compensate. Spritzing with water works good as well.

[@bat502]

Looks amazing, I’ll definitely be trying this.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i can't wait to do it again

[@coreysmith2196]

I love it,calling out the money truck 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

my reviews never have and never will be for sale... i for one have never had success getting the smoke box to make a comparable brisket to an offset. its not a bad grill... but its not offset quality let alone able to beat a $20 amazon tube added to a cheap pellet grill in my head to head so i don't understand different claims about it as for me thats just not the case

[@coreysmith2196]

@@SmokingDadBBQ well you got a subscription out of me for calling it out and being a man of principle. I can trust your reviews. I wish they would send you a Ninja 8-1 pizza oven smoker to compare against your expensive Kamado Joes,to see if the AI tech in those is just as good for $300.

[@blackshirt5530]

Wow- A to Z tutorial on bbq cooking- and from a Canadian no less! Well done again!!!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thank you kindly!

[@CharlesBurnsPrime]

I would really like your thoughts on a high-end kamado grill, comparing insulation, fuel use, Max and min temp, and of course, flavor.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r4TUequZe55prMksi=yKNqfC-1PPhQbayL

[@CharlesBurnsPrime]

That's just the same basic dome kamodo, but made of cast-iron, right? I would think that's a much worse material than ceramic. I'm thinking of an *actual* high-end grill. For example, Kalamazoo makes a *fully insulated* stainless steel grill that is optionally rated for saltwater use. The price is crazy, but it's design and performance are supposed to be equally crazy. Komodo Kamado Grills are insulated with aerogel and have specially designed lids with lifetime gaskets, multiple bottom vent controls for different precisions, and refractory cement interiors, like on the inside of a nuclear fission reactor. Some fairly notable names and grilling have claimed they are the best available grills, I'm not sure how much of a difference there could be.

[@kmbbmj5857]

James, great video comparison. Can you do something similar on how to do classic Carolina open pit style BBQ on a backyard cooker? It's a really different flavor compared to Texas smoker style cooking. Would love to be able to replicate the flavor and texture of classic chopped BBQ. It has a firmer texture than pulled which I find to be too mushy for my tastes.

[@StoneColdATH]

Hey James, I’m having trouble getting and keeping my temps low in the 200-250 range. What am I doing wrong? Do I have too many coals lit? Do I need to put my Joe in the shade? Thanks for the feedback and/or link to another video of yours

[@larryscott9583]

All about the vents. Sounds like one or both of your vents are open too much. One-two fingers width of an opening for the bottom vent and only cracked at the top vent will hold temp. Close vents around first temperature reading of 300-350 and you should sit at 225-250 no problem.

[@edwardprokopchuk3264]

I really like the bbq content that an average joe can relate to with equipment people have in their backyard.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

much appreciated

[@toddwynia7491]

Great video as usual. And congrats on getting 6 roasts done at the same time. I've got a pellet tube that I've used for smoking cheese in my Kamado Joe Classic 3. Is there any food spoilage risk of letting pork shoulders sit at room / air temperature for the 1-2 hour cold smoke session? I live in the Phoenix area so I don't think I'd want to even attempt the cold smoke session until winter. I love the idea of getting more smoke on the pork though.

[@CoolJay77]

Great work, great video. Perhaps sometime you could run a comparison between smoke tube using pellets, vs smoke cage using wood chips, vs wood chunks. Unrelated to this, if one is on a time crunch to make hot and fast pulled pork, smoke pork lard on a sheet pan, then mix the desired amount of lard into the pulled pork. I always have smoked lard and tallow handy for all sorts of applications, best of all over indoor cooked steaks.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Great suggestion!

[@astrang15158]

James, what were your vent settings for the cold smoke period? Great video!!!

[@timmartin1801]

Is the upper rack from Smokeware or is it another brand? Does it matter? I’ve never seen that but it cures the ale of not enough surface space.

[@danielrichards2580]

So would you have had more room on the big Joe 3 ? Everything you know now , if you needed to be able to cook 6 to 12 pork buts at a time 6 times a year or more would you buy 2 Kamado big joe 3 ‘s , 2 of the new Primo XXL’s or 2 XL Big Green Eggs. I just don’t know if I could do double indirect on the Primo XXL or the big green egg XL’s .

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I haven't used the Primo 2XL so I am not sure... but the 6 racks of ribs i did on the normal XL i ran into some space issues with the depth front to back. The primo oval shape definitely is longer for things like ribs or brisket, but its also so much less deep front to back i had to stack the ribs on top of one another. Al from EMV has the 2XL and i don't remember how many he tried to fit but i don't think it was as many as he was hoping / if i recall definitely not more than what we just fit here on the Big Joe the Egg XL and BJ i have used plenty and i have no concerns with either and have done my double indirect setup on each (both have racks that are more suitable for that.. in my Primo XL double indirect i had a home depot grill accessory as a spacer)

[@praetorxyn]

Komodo Kamado have a dedicated port and machine for cold smoking, not to mention the sealed fire basket for more airflow. One of these days maybe.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Dare I ask how much $?

[@praetorxyn]

@@SmokingDadBBQ A lot of it depends on accessories, but the 32” Big Bad is $6425 for some tiles and $6645 for others. Dennis recently did some videos on their design. They’re worth the cost IMO, it’s just a high cost.

[@larryscott9583]

Awesome video as always! How do you tie them? Do you think this helped? Would you have tied if you weren't cramped for space with the 6 butts?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

sadly i have no choice with costco for bone out roasts so they flop and have thin parts that won't cook evenly if i didn't truss them up so in this case i would recommend trussing them together to make them roast shape everytime

[@andrewworthington2022]

Different topic but building an outdoor kitchen - what is the optimum height for the base of my KJ Classic 3 off the floor?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

www.smokingdadbbq.com/blog-posts/how-to-build-a-custom-kamado-grill-station 15.5" is the height for my big joe, the big joe 1 which is 4" lower is on a 4" riser box

[@alessandroferrari2166]

I noticed that at 16:22 James puts the meat on the grill when there is still a lot of white smoke coming out. Shouldn't have he waited for the white smoke to go away first?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

The deflectors are cold and the vents are all the way open. This is the single piece of wood I placed in the fire before installing the deflectors which will give us some some to start. No concerns with this while the vents are wide open

[@alessandroferrari2166]

@@SmokingDadBBQ thank YOU James, I'm super new at this, as you can tell 😅

[@johny.5381]

How long can you hot hold the pulled pork before it gets dry, change texture, or taste? Great demo on planning!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I try not to go over 18hrs

[@samacc2536]

Interestinggg…. I think you might have an idea of what I’d want to see this tested on next… Rhymes with biscuit 😅

[@wesleydrew9242]

Okay, that was impressive. I've had a smoke tube for a couple of years and I haven't used it yet. You just convinced me.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i am glad i didn't get rid of it.. this will be happening again

[@toddpower4674]

Get a smokai.

[@CharlesBurnsPrime]

I don't understand the benefit of smoke tubes, even though I use one with my pellet grill. Don't you recommend blue smoke, whereas smoke tubes make mostly the undesirable white smoke?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Blue smoke is hardwood only as pellets can’t produce that outside of higher temps and forced air to basically be a small bush fire in the fire pot at which point there is no flavour from the compressed saw dust. You wouldn’t want 14hrs of pellet tube smoke but in small doses it can be beneficial like when cold smoking cheese for example and or in this setup. 2hrs was a good addition to the hot cleaner smoke that followed

[@kellystastny4653]

Loved the longer video, keep them coming!! I’ve never thought about cold smoking the meat. Do you have to put ice in the grill to keep the meat out of the danger zone while it just sits in the smoke for 2 hours?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

no based on the food safety training we've done as long as the temps is always going up its not a concern as we transitioned to hot smoking right after cold smoking

[@tomm9493]

Dad, to add charcoal in the Kamato, do you have to take everything out to do so? ie; food, slow roller, deflector plates, etc?? If yes, what a hot annoying thing to have to do!

[@aaronbuckman3403]

What is the oven temp for the hot hold? 170? How long can you do the hot hold?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

you need to confirm with probes… i had to replace our oven and the same make and model was 20f off from one to the next. oven calibrations are not what we are used to with precise probes

[@SAfighter]

Hey, really need your help. I’m in Ireland building out my outdoor bbq kitchen pergola area but I don’t know what is the best grill to get. I have 4 burner gas grill at the moment but want more flavour but convenience. I love cooking for the family but often have bbq parties where could have 10 to 20 maybe 30 people. And cooking for large numbers is hard because in Ireland they want food all at the same time. So steaks, chicken wings, burgers (which I hate on gas because of the fat flaming and grease mess), sausages… was thinking Traeger ironwood XL or a Kamado Joe big Joe. Love the Konnected Joe but worry about the size. Key thing for me is to get better flavours and good sears on steaks but don’t want to be running around like a headless chicken because the grills too hot and things are burning too quick or having to shuffle meats around because heat spots means half the wings blacken while others are raw. What would you advise? I love the convenience of the Traeger and less clean up but the kamado Joe looks to do a better job at searing and cooking “normal” bbq meats we do here in Ireland. And any advice on doing quick last minute grills on either?

[@gqsm]

Where are the videos about your Lone Star Santa Maria grill? Did a search of your channel for "Lone" "Santa" etc and got no good hits.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s not out yet. It’s in a week

[@admranger]

Did you not use the slo-roller because of the height that it adds? It would have been a tough fit.

[@TheRssr1979]

Great video! I don’t remember seeing you use a Weber propane grill in the past. Which video was that?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i bought one for the charity in town and did this and few other videos on it while they were building their kitchen, i set them to come out later though so you haven't missed it as i changed around the schedule

[@TheRssr1979]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Ok 👍. Nice

[@larryscott9583]

What temp do you do the foil boat? Also, what did you do with the butter?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Boat was at 160f. The butter i placed a few pieces in foil along with some of the same rub i applied and a little apple juice to wrap the roasts tight to go into the oven... as it was midnight i wasn't able to record much of this part of the cook so thanks for asking for clarity. same idea as wrapping ribs

[@teddillon7739]

Which model and year were you smoking on?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

That’s the original Kamado Joe big Joe series 1. I bought it maybe 2018-2019 not sure. They still sell them like previous generation smart phones. It’s 999 usd and the food tastes the same

[@jcbever1511]

For a 4th of July block party, I smoked two 9lb Pork Butts for 9.5 hours, then let rest for 2 hours before I shredded into pulled pork (temp was about 180° when shredded at 11:30pm). I then put the pulled pork in a warmer drawer at 150° until 5pm the next day (July 4th). Everything turned out great, but my question is: Should I have put the warmer drawer at 170° instead of 150°?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I find it shreds better at higher temps for pork

[@BenWood-c9e]

Do you ship your double indirect method book to the uk? Could really do with the help for my Joe junior am happy to pay for the extra shipping!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s digital so you are ok

[@BenWood-c9e]

Do you ship your double indirect method book to the uk?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s a digital download so yes

[@Keith80027]

Have you tried shredding the pork before the long hold? Those butts look great and wish I able to go to your church for that dinner. I tried the smoke tube in my GE trying to create smoked cheese. I didn't like the flavor of the cheese, maybe I smoked too long and will try again this fall. You must have a large Ref too, there is no way I could get 6 butts in my refrigerator. I love all the details you provide in your videos, as they are helping me remember how to smoke after 2.5 years being away from my smoker.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

cheese needs to mellow wrapped in saran wrap in the fridge for a week or more before you eat it otherwise the smoke is bitter and unpleasant... vac seal works too. try that next time and i think you will be amazed how much better it is

[@Keith80027]

@@SmokingDadBBQ I will do the vac seal the next time. Thanks.

[@tayloranderson1268]

I'm definitely going to be trying the cold smoke to get more out of my Akorn! Noticed you didn’t do a water pan between deflector plates like in past videos. Is that something you've abandoned, or just ran out of space?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

the big joe 1 doesn't have the space to sneak a pan and a drip pan so i went for just the deeper drip pan since there was 6 roasts which is a lot of fat to catch.... plus the humidity from 6 roasts i thought would negate the need for a drip pan

[@jameshyde149]

Anyone know what that gadget in the Joe Jr is?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

this was the video on it. kinda a dojoe for the jr - kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJXJlHR4jZpkpdk

[@jameshyde149]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Thanks!

[@jamesj5469]

Dude is doing the lords BBQ work lol

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

😆

[@donalddoan3092]

James, you've got the guys on a Facebook Weber Summit Kamado group really butthurt. Keep up the good work.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I see that in some comments but I’ve not seen a single fact yet that I think is wrong / changes the outcome so while it might disappoint some owners I think it’s a fair review

[@donalddoan3092]

@@SmokingDadBBQ I found your review to be very fair. The only thing that I find appealing about the Summit over my own KJBJ is the fact that if you happen to overshoot your target temp, it's easier to bring it down. The lack of accessories is a big negative for me. Costco is selling them this summer at a very decent price point but I just can't pull the trigger on it. I'm hoping to find a used one on FB marketplace. That's the only way I'll buy one.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@donalddoan3092 they are more portable and maybe a little easier to come down I didn’t really notice as I tend to not have as much difficulty with temps so it’s not an issue I was really looking for. Adding some charcoal and remove the deflectors and clamp things down and you can knock 100f out of ceramic grills pretty quickly

[@thecoolyodad]

I was unclear where and when you added the pellet tube.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Add the pellet tube for 2hrs in the early am the day of cook, remove the pork and add charcoal start a fire and add the pork back

[@TonyHarlan]

Everything I've ever seen has said to never spray the fat cap as it reduces the temperature and slows rendering. Have you done a video on whether that's accurate or not?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

sounds like a good test

[@bandagraph]

Great video! For the hot hold in your oven, are you covering everything with foil or leaving it open on top? Also - how are you doing the cold smoke? Meat straight from the fridge to the kamado? You don't need Ice or anything to keep the temp of the meat safe?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

since its going cold smoke to hot smoke immediately the temps of the roasts are rising so no concerns... you get issues if you don't pass 160 something and then the temps come back down for a long time and then you eat it The roasts were completely wrapped in foil in the pouches with some butter, rub and apple juice

[@blakjac852]

You really need a Komodo Kamado! I thought about a KJ but the size was too small. Email Dennis. He will hook you up. Hopefully 😂

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

i emailed a year or two ago about doing a review and he gave me a customers name about 6hrs from where i live and said i could try and reach out to them to see if they would let me drive to their house and review it.... as much as i would love to try it thats making life too difficult for my schedule

[@adamkoblenz659]

I'm confused! You mention using a pellet tube, but the smoke it produces is heavy, bitter smoke. We're always looking for thin blue smoke, so I'm confused how a pellet tube would work without giving us that acrid taste?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Small doses. Would I want 14hrs of that? No way. But just like I can cold smoke cheese for a little while with this and not get bad taste you can get some supplemental smoke from the pellets burning with this

[@andythedrew7]

How does double indirect burn more fuel? And give more flavour? Not grasping this part..if your not using more smoking wood should be same smoke flavour

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

extreme example. My goldens cast iron kamado cooked a brisket with 50% of the basket full and had about 30% remaining the next day including some of the wood chunks I added in the coals its SOOOO Efficient. Contrast that to this cook which burned all the charcoal, wood in the can, wood in the charcoal basket and wood i added in the fire at the start. Fuel is flavour... a cleaner burning fire with more wood will taste better than a smouldering efficient fire. Double indirect makes the fire work harder to heat the grill and protects the bottom of the food allowing slightly hotter temps (270-300) which otherwise in a grill with the heat below the food can run the risk of burning the bottom even though the smoke tastes better

[@andythedrew7]

@@SmokingDadBBQ cant wait to get my kamado joe and try it out !

[@ekill1395]

Hi James, I really enjoy your videos, and I like seeing all your tests. I’m not being critical of you when I bring this up, and I am not assuming any intention on your part. It seemed like you took a shot at Brad and/or Jeremy for potentially being biased in their review of the Woodwind Pro. Again, I’m not saying you intended to do so, but your comment about the money truck caught me off guard. Now, I don’t know them personally. I don’t know how much if any they have been paid by Camp Chef. But, from watching many of their videos, they seem to try their best to remain unbiased to me. In the video in question, Brad was even blindfolded while trying them. Just because they reached a different conclusion than you did doesn’t mean they’re biased or lying about their results. If you honestly think their review was biased and paid for by Camp Chef, then absolutely call that out. If you don’t think that, you might want to consider looking at your phrasing a bit more so that people don’t take it the wrong way. Anyway, I enjoyed the video! Keep up the good work!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

My intent is never to step on the backs of other creators and i have no inside information.... but seeing as grill companies have offered me money i know its possible that this could happen on youtube. my only comment is that i have never been able to replicate getting the wood wind briskets to taste anything close to an offset thats it

[@LightZone9]

Hi James. This was the first video of yours that I just couldn't get past the first 10 minutes. You lost me with the complexity of your reverse timing schedule and multiple cooker techniques. Still a huge fan (and a thumbs up to help with the algorithm) and look forward to your next video.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

admittedly there's a lot going on but as i have had so many people ask in advance of the long weekend how to not mess up getting their pork or brisket to finish for an exact time that guests are arriving i spent more time than normal breaking down some of the process to do that. if you take nothing away, the smoke trick #2 is what i would steal from this... see you in the next one

[@danielbeaulieu581]

Chruch???

[@StoneColdATH]

FIRST!

[@hanktrantham2641]

Something just hit…..no bone? I ALWAYS cook bone in. I think anything taste better if you cook with the bone in. That’s one reason we keep our Sams club membership. Costco is no bone and I’ve cooked one but won’t bother again .

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

You got that right! Costco here doesn't give me the choice

[@ksanders308]

Wait, how are you gonna insinuate that people who give positive reviews of Camp Chef smokers are just recipients of the “money train” just bc you disagree when the Komodo Joe is pretty much the same price?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Not my point at all. Simply saying I could never replicate a comparable result to offset flavour and the tube in a normal pellet grill resulted in a blind taste test indistinguishable from the smoke box

[@missinbrain]

Do you think child smoking like this would be good for ribs?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I think beef ribs for sure. Not sure about pork

[@jlaw3255]

This dude makes something so simple seem so overly complicated.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

These are the steps of Texas monthly top 50 joints adapted for a Kamado. If you have no interest in what’s recognized as the best barbecue and or reducing the smoke quality gap to an offset than continue as you were