Any thoughts on the curve?


 
T

T Bounds

TVWBB Super Fan
Friends,

I've been wondering lately:

I have my comfort zone smoking butts and ribs down cold (no pun intended). I am determined to produce a brisket worth eating consistently this year. But back to the question. My smoked butt, using my method, take 2 hours per pound and I love them that way. However you do yours, you have your times down pat, too. However, all my butt smokes fall in a pre-cooked range of 6 to 9 lbs each, way too big for my family and more than I want to freeze. But if I smoke, say, a 3 lb butt, about right for the family, is the time factor a linear line (I don't think so) or a curve of some type (I'll bet so).

There doesn't seem to be any way a 3 or 2 or 1 lb butt could cook, under the same circumstances as a 7 lb butt, and using the same time expectations get the same results. If I want bark, tenderness, juiciness, from a 3 lb butt how do I adjust the time factor expectation? This has been occupying too much of my thinking for too long so now I need an answer. I want to do one for Cinco de Mayo, just for the family. What say you, friends? Thanks for any help that comes my way.
 
Like you, my pork butts come out at fairly predicable time per pound when cooked in a common method and pit temp. However, I consider time as only one favor of doneness and use it as indicator along with internal temp, whether the bone moves freely or not, and a probe test (probing for tenderness) -- some use a fork and twist test. In my grocer I've not seen a butt small than 4 lbs uncooked. I believe the butcher takes the whole butt and slices pork steaks off it to get to 4 lbs. After cooking, I think this 4 pounder would be in your desired "not too much" finished product due to moisture loss shrinkage. I'd say you'll be within a few minutes of X per pound as your normal size uncooked butts given pit temp and method remain constant.
 
I think this was brought up in another post, but I've done a couple of smaller butts and there definitely is a curve. The smaller ones will take longer than you would think. And, in my opinion, I think the bigger ones come out better, maybe it's just me.
 
You can't go too small and get the same result. For example I've tried smoking brisket half flats, and couldn't get a good product. Full packer? No problem, comes out good.

My recommendation, smoke a whole butt, give away the leftovers to friends or at work. Everybody loves getting BBQ, and you'll get a better end result doing the whole thing.
 
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