1st butt with no water, Amazing


 
Andy Beers

Andy Beers

TVWBB Diamond Member
I know this subject has been talked to death but I just woke up. After many pork butt cooks with nice results I finally did one with an empty water pan and what a differance. I put the butt on at midnight sunday morning and it was done at 11;30 sunday morning. I did not have to add any charcoal to the 22.5. It held 250 to 275 all night with just one vent cracked on the bottom and the top opened of coarse. The meat was toothpick tender with a beautiful bark and smoke ring. Everyone loved the pork and was the best I have ever produced. With water in the pan I could only get about 9 or 10 hours out of a bag of charcoal and it took anywhere from 14 to 17 hours to do an 8 pound butt. So I will continue to run with no water.I wish I tried this 3 years ago. Thanks for all your advice and time
 
Did you foil the pork butt at any point during cooking? I usually do butts at 250 with no water (foiled clay saucer) and then foil about 7 hours in once the temp plateaus. 3 more hours or so and they're done at 195.

I did two butts this past weekend at 225 without foiling at all, and they took 17.5 hours to finish. They were a little dry and as much as I like bark it was a little thick. I think I'm going to back to 250 and foiling.
 
I couldn't agree more, I did two 8 pound brined butts this past Saturday and again they turned out great without water. To me, foiling the pan and catching the drippings is the way to go! Cooked mine at 275 for a total 8 hours and until tender, pulled at 145 and foiled with brown sugar, honey, and apple-juice. Nice smoke ring and really juicy. Didn't have any leftovers at all which I was really bummed about but I'm glad that everyone enjoyed it.
 
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I've cooked both ways and like the water pan. It's pretty much set and forget for me. After 75 min. I was cooking at 249' and it stayed at that temp. for 9 hrs. yesterday.
 
I use a foiled water pan and cook at 235. I just cooked an 8 # pork shoulder for 7 hours and foiled it with apple juice when I woke up in the morning (it was already 170 internal). Put it back on the 18.5 WSM 3 hours and it was 205 internal. Removed it and put in my Colemans cooler wrapped in towels. It was moist and very flavorful, too bad most of the guests got to the brisket first but, I do have some nice zip locked bags of pork in my freezer.
 
While I cooked 99% of my pork butts with water in the pan on my 18.5" wsm, I've yet to use any for anything but ribs on my 22.5". As others already posted, though, I gotta recommend foiling after bark formation. Only time I wouldn't wrap in foil is if I had all the time in the world to cook two full grates worth of unusually well marbled pork butts, but even then I might try butcher paper. Gotta try that sometime.

You can cook as fast as you want, but cooking longer will break down more fat and connective tissue. I prefer 235-250* and almost 1.5 hrs/lb. if time allows.
 
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