4 hr butts as good a low/slow


 
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DavidD

TVWBB Super Fan
I have used the high heat brisket recipe with great results but based on this forum, have stuck to the low and slow for butts. However, during big cooks with friends, one of the guys does a 4 hr butt on the weber with indirect heat by doing 1.5 hours uncovered and 2.5 wrappep in foil. I compared my low and slow to his, and gotta admit, I didn't notice much difference. Mine did seem slightly more tender and juicy but not by a meaningful amount, especially given my 10 hrs of cook vs. his 4 hrs.

I do think his bark suffers b/c he doesn't remove it from the foil to dry it out. Made me wonder if the 3/2/1 method used on ribs would be good for the butt. What is your reaction to his recipe vs. the low and slow, etc. I am going to do a butt tomorrow and am wrestling with trying the 4 hr method.
 
i've refined my search and learned a bit more about the HH vs. low and slow at this point but still find it interesting to see how similar the two were when i compared them side by side.

I'm going to do a HH butt today. Should I leave the water pan empty on the wsm? also, is it better to put the butts in aluminum tray, uncovered vs. directly on the racks, then cover with foil after 2-3 hrs?
 
any additional comments on this topic? I was going to load my weber into the truck and take it to the hunting camp for a big cook this weekend, but it just isn't practical for me to take it. Rather than use the electric, I am going to do the HH butt on the weber kettle for 4-5 hrs. Any tips or suggestions regarding this method are appreciated. I am also wondering what your view is on the 3/2/1 concept for HH butts.
 
I did low and slow for years till I did my first HH. I really haven't gone back. I actually find that my HH butts are juicier. I also like the fact that if I'm cooking for a group (typically dinner) I can sleep in, fire up the kettle really anytime before lunch (no more getting up at the butt crack of dawn), and be good to go for dinner.

The only time I do low and slow now is when I feel like having pulled pork for breakfast. I set the grill up at dinner and let the kettle/guru combo do the work overnight.

Come to think of it, the only bbq I really do low and slow anymore is ribs.
 
Dad used to sear a BB well then throw it in the oven for 4 -5 hours. Perfect. No reason you can't do the same on a Kettle.....
 
I did another 4 hr butt this past weekend and i was not overly impressed. It turned out ok but had much more fat layers/chunks than i prefer. When in a pinch for time, it's still pretty good but i've concluded the fat content of this meat is really better served w/ low and slow
 
I know the low and slow method for PP renders away most of the internal fat, creating a wonderful result.

During a high heat cook, does the internal fat burn away to the same degree?
 
duh.....shoulda read Davidd's post

this is my only concern with a HH PP cook as well

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I did a 350 HH butt this weekend based on the method discussed on the Pickled Pig method (Cook high heat until color you want and foil until tender).

The result I thought was a more "shrunk" butt than when I do low and slow, but the internal fat didn't melt down as much. The HH one was easier to seperate into seperate muscles and the internal fat was more obvious and noticable ended up with about 1 to 1 1/2 handfuls of fat, vs the Low Slow one which I typical just "bearClaw" without having to remove fat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Brad Benski:
I did a 350 HH butt this weekend based on the method discussed on the Pickled Pig method (Cook high heat until color you want and foil until tender).

The result I thought was a more "shrunk" butt than when I do low and slow, but the internal fat didn't melt down as much. The HH one was easier to seperate into seperate muscles and the internal fat was more obvious and noticable ended up with about 1 to 1 1/2 handfuls of fat, vs the Low Slow one which I typical just "bearClaw" without having to remove fat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've read similiar descriptions of HH pork butt several times, not to mention nobody brags about the bark.
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I have done butts at 275-300 degrees for 5-7 hrs and it is as good as a low and slow. Cook at 275 or so until temp is at 160ish foil and then check until 195 and tender. Throw back on smoker unfoiled for about a half hour for bark. When I foil I usually add a small amount of apple juice and some of the rub I used. Fat renders fine and I use the juice from foil to mix in with PP.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Greg Muller:
I have done butts at 275-300 degrees for 5-7 hrs and it is as good as a low and slow. Cook at 275 or so until temp is at 160ish foil and then check until 195 and tender. Throw back on smoker unfoiled for about a half hour for bark. When I foil I usually add a small amount of apple juice and some of the rub I used. Fat renders fine and I use the juice from foil to mix in with PP. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

275-300 isn't high heat, but your times sure are.
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I've found Ray Lampe's temps/times to be pretty good estimates, and for a trimmed 7 pounder smoked at 275, he estimates six hours BEFORE the butt even reaches 160 IT.

Good tip on the bark, and I might try that some time, but on fast/foiled cooks I tend to procrastinate and run out of cook time.
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I figure its a WSM, it can run a looong time a a nice low steady heat... so I let it do it's job.

Fire it up at midnight, butt's on by 1:00 AM, got to bed, get up at 7:00 AM, pad out check the dome therm, take a shower, grab a cup of coffee. By then the butts are usually about ready for foil, foil them put them back on the smoker, and let them run till they hit 205°. Place foiled butts into a towel lined cooler to rest till dinner time - usually about 2 hrs.

Don't get much easier than that, only have to mess with them 1x when I foil them, WSM does all the work.... I just take all the credit! LOL
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Russell:

I've read similiar descriptions of HH pork butt several times, not to mention nobody brags about the bark.
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</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The taste and texture of the meat was very good and I'll experiment with the cooking method more. As for Bark, I'd consider it more of a "crust" than a bark, but it was good. Overall I was very satisfied with the experiment and it was 6 hours from lighting coals to serving pulled pork with a 1 hour rest in the cooler too!
 
I can't tell much of a difference on hh. The first time I did one, I told a few of my fellow smoking buddies at work that I was going to. I went home, smoked the butt, and brought in the buns and container the next day. Every one of them said they had no idea it would turn out this way. I know it's blasphemous, but it works.

The key point is that it's a game changer. No longer do you have to plan your weekends around your smoking. You can come from work or toss one on midday sat/sun and not have to worry about planning. Heck, I would be more concerned with planning to thaw time if it's frozen than the actual time to smoke it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gene:
I can't tell much of a difference on hh. The first time I did one, I told a few of my fellow smoking buddies at work that I was going to. I went home, smoked the butt, and brought in the buns and container the next day. Every one of them said they had no idea it would turn out this way. I know it's blasphemous, but it works.

The key point is that it's a game changer. No longer do you have to plan your weekends around your smoking. You can come from work or toss one on midday sat/sun and not have to worry about planning. Heck, I would be more concerned with planning to thaw time if it's frozen than the actual time to smoke it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Speaking of a "game changer", are pork butts still "forgiving" if you fill both racks of a wsm up and stoke it to 350? I know with ribs it's easy to end up with a few bones left on the grate
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, so at HH, I only do a couple of slabs at a time.
 
All VERY interesting and a higher heat is something I may try if I want to save the time. But I never did see any reply to Davidd's question about 3-2-1 with a pork butt. Has anyone tried it?

Rich
 
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