Bought my First Pork Butts.


 
JeffB

JeffB

TVWBB Pro
On Saturday, at Sam's Club. 2 pieces of meat ran me about $26. I think I paid about $2 per lb.

I want to smoke them this weekend. My questions are:

1. How long should I expect them to cook? I think I've read 1-1/2 hours per lb. I was thinking about 10-12 hours.

2. Will I need to replace the briquettes mid way through the cook, or if I pack it tightly and use the Minion method, should one packed ring last me 10 hours?\

3. If I replace the briquettes, do I start a new chimney and all new coals or just dump unlit coals on the remaining fire?

4. Anything special I need to do to prep the meat? It looks like there is limited fat on the outside of the meat at this point.

5. I'm expecting to marinate it overnight in the fridge. Do I marinate it in a sealed bag or exposed in a bowl?

There may be more questions coming. Thanks.
 
1. All depends on cooktemps and the size of the butts - not the total, the individual sizes. What do you have? (Plan 2 hours/lb.)

2. Not likely if you Minion. Full ring, regardless.

3. When fuel needs to be added, if ever, you can go either way. If the fuel in the cooker is near gone, add lit, if not add unlit.

4. No.

5. Why would you marinate?
 
I'm gonna add put them fat side down to act as an extra barrier and also if it sticks to the grates it pulls off the fat and not the tasty bark.
 
Kruger, I got 2 butts that appear to be about the same size. I'm guessing at $24 they are about six pounds each.

When I say marinate, I mean cover in a rub and seal in a bag overnight. Is marinate the wrong term?
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More questions:

1. Do all Boston Butts contain a bone that I will have to remove?

2. I got my new Maverick ET-732 but for the love of God, I can't figure out how to use it. It's so confusing. How do I set this thing up? To check the temp at the grill level, is the best way to put the cord through one of the three holes on the lid?

Thanks.
 
There is no need to rub in advance. You can if you want to though.

All butts have a bone. Some retailers remove it first. I prefer bone in. It is easy to remove after cooking by just pulling on it.

Me, I do not bother temping at the grate. I just dangle the grate probe in one of the vent holes - just enough so that the probe is inside the lid, the probe wire is outside.
 
I just run my leads under the lid. I don't have the 732 so I'm not sure just how simular it is to the 73 but do you mean as far as setting the high/low smoker temps and the meat temp?
 
Jeff, in order to get the 732 going you have turn the REMOTE on first, then turn the BASE on within one minute. You set the alarm temps on the base, and doing by holding the buttons down until you get the number you want.

Hope that helps.

BTW, mine works perfectly except in my office where there seems to be too many electronics.

I budget 16 hours for a regular sized butt.
 
I try to get butts in the 8-10 pound range........I get the 2 pack at Sam's all the time and they are generally in that range.

I usually slot 12 hours for my cooks and I always tack on 2-3 hours to be safe. If they finish early, you can always foil and towel and stick em' in a cooler for a couple of hours......a lot better than praying it finishes in time as your guest are arriving!

If I'm going to add fuel toward the end, I try to make the decision before it gets too low so I can add unlit through the door..... a lot easier than adding lit imho.

I rub only no marinading. For the Sam's butts, I like to trim the really heavy fat off. imho, it creates more surface area for edible bark.

One full ring should easily last 10 hours.....the charcoal will last a little longer each cook (at least they did for me) because your seams will gunk up a bit and create a better seal. I pack it in tight and bury a couple of fist sized smoke wood chunks in the pile.

For temps, I try to smoke in the magic range of 225-250......if it spikes to 275, no worries.

Best of luck!!!
 
Hey Jeff, if you have 15 minutes to spare - take a look at this video of a guy smoking 2 pork butts. It will give you a feel for what you'll do for the smoke. I watched it before I did my first two butts on a ECB and the pulled pork was well received by my family and friends. It also whetted my appetite for a WSM.

The cook will go fine and if you cook at 250-275 degrees it won't take 18 hrs.
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Thanks Lew for the link and for the email.

As a follow up, Myron Mixon's book indicates that he generally does an injection when he smokes pork butts. Is this necessary?

Does everybody inject their pork butts before smoking them?

Thanks!
 
Just watched that video Lew. Terrific!!

Makes me even more excited to do those butts this weekend!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Does everybody inject their pork butts before smoking them? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
No. I've never seen the point. It is too easy to adjust moisture/texture/flavor with a finisher during pulling.

Some people inject. Many go for stuff like the Chris Lilly injection listed in the recipes section. Not for me.
 
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