Boston Butts take too long


 
I think Im a believer in splitting the butts down the middle creating two sections to help reduce cook time down some, plus more surface area for bark creation( I always thought the center meat tasted kinda boring in a large butt)....for large pieces of meat and wanting more smoke flavor I start at 225 for a couple of hours then ramp up to 250-275 wrap at 170 in peach paper ....
 
I took a class a number of years ago with Harry Soo and he told us that even if you had two pieces of meat (butt or brisket or the like) that weighed the same that they would finish at different times due to connective tissue and fat content, as it takes longer when there is more connective tissue and fat to break down this the difference in times.

I'll chime in also with 250-275 temps is what I run and no water.
 
I used to be in the 225F camp for years. The amount of time and uncertainty made me switch it to 235F, and now I run at 250F for every cook with the Billows blower and temp reader. I feel that 275 is a bit too hot for my taste.
 
I have been running my 18 wsm at about 240 degrees and finish 8.5lb bone in Boston butts at 8 hours, which includes wrapping at 165IT and finishing at 200IT.
 
I inject pork butts with the well known Chris Lilly Apple juice injection recipe before applying my rub and spritz them with either apple juice, coke or cherry Dr Pepper when wrapping them. I always add hot water to the pan, which helps the smoker get up to my desired temperature quicker as opposed to using cold water.
 
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