Butt advice


 
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Paige Anders

TVWBB Fan
In a couple of weeks I have a party to go to and I will be smoking 2 pork butts totaling just over 18 lbs. We will be eating anytime from noon to later on that night. Basically an all day party with people showing up whenever they get there. I would like to have the pork ready to serve around 2 or 3. I will be smoking on my 22.5 WSM. I have done a few all night cooks before with 1 butt but started really late (like 12 or 1am) but didn't really have a deadline for the next day. Just wanting to get some pointers on good time to start the night before, should I use water or no water, should I pick up a clay saucer, temps, foil, etc, etc... Also I should mention the party is only 2 blocks from my house. Thanks in advance for any and all tips!
 
Paige Anders said:
In a couple of weeks I have a party to go to and I will be smoking 2 pork butts totaling just over 18 lbs. We will be eating anytime from noon to later on that night. Basically an all day party with people showing up whenever they get there. I would like to have the pork ready to serve around 2 or 3. I will be smoking on my 22.5 WSM. I have done a few all night cooks before with 1 butt but started really late (like 12 or 1am) but didn't really have a deadline for the next day. Just wanting to get some pointers on good time to start the night before, should I use water or no water, should I pick up a clay saucer, temps, foil, etc, etc... Also I should mention the party is only 2 blocks from my house. Thanks in advance for any and all tips!
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Paige, relax. You will do fine. I would plan on a cook of this size lasting from 10 hours up to 15 hours, give or take depending on whether or not you foil your butts. I would shoot for running your WSM between 225* up to 275*, and planning accordingly. It's up to you if you want to use water in your rig or not. For butts, I usually use water to help control the temperature, but others do not use water. I use a wrapped clay saucer and no water for ribs. The great thing about butts is that they will hold for several hours without going bad and so if I were you, I would shoot to have them done and ready to go by 10am the day of the party. Backing up 12 hours, I personally would probably start them around 10pm the night before. Once they are done, you should double wrap them tightly in heavy aluminum foil, and then place them on towels in a cooler and close the lid. They will easily hold at temperature for 4 hours or more in the cooler. So, once you are ready to eat, you can pull them out and shred them and dig in.

Hope that helps.
 
If you have the time do them a day or two before, pull and bag then the day of the gathering just reheat either in a pan on the grill/smoker or use a big electric roaster set to a low temp it'll taste just as good and no beating yourself up getting it done in time.
 
The last time I did two butts was in a very similar situation: party, people coming and going, etc. They weighted in at 17 lbs total (one 9 lb and the other 8). It took 12 hrs cooking time to get to 200* with no water (clay saucer) and I held them on the pit 2 hrs by closing the vents on the pit. When I pulled them off they were 180* internal. I put each one in a separate disposable pan covering them with foil and pulled them by hand one at a time as they were needed (you should have heard the oooohs and aaaaahs). I served with several different sauces so folks could go as hot or sweet or ketchup-y or mustard-y as they liked.

I would backwards plan 14 - 15 hours. With a little planning this is gonna turn out great. Don't forget to plan getting your pit ready, fire lit, pit heat up, etc. I give it an hour until I'm ready to cook.
 
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Paige,

I would use water for a couple reasons. 1: It will not let your temps spike overnight and 2: It won't let your bark have a chance to get tough (like a layer of jerky). Your schedule sounds easy. I would plan on a 12-15hr cook. Make sure if they are done early and you need to wrap, DO NOT IMMEDIATELY wrap in foil if they are done/tender, let them rest under a foil tent for 15-20 min to stop the cooking before you tightly wrap to "stop" the cooking!!! Or as said above: cook them ahead of time and pull so you can relax and serve in a warmer.

Have fun :wsm:
 
All great suggestions made above. While I like the bark texture of a butt cooked without water in the pan, there's definitely more involvement in way of vent changes to keep the temp where you want it, and Glenn is completely right. Spikes without water in the pan make the bark thicker and tougher...not what folks want if a large piece ends up on their sandwich. Little tip though, if you ever have that happen OR don't cook the whole butt to thorough tenderness, chop-chop-chop! Chopping butts helps cover a multitude of sins, and besides, even some of the best low-n-slow pros will do it, anyway. And of course, if you have to hold hot for long the bark is going to lose it's texture, anyhow. Water in the pan just works, though, and you can consider it a "fool-proof" tried and true method. Note Glenn's tip about residual cooking above, though, if having to hold hot. Nothing is worse than dry BBQ from holding too hot for too long. There's certainly nothing wrong with cooking ahead of time and reheating in portions as needed, though. Actually, I'd probably go that route for the simple fact that the time frame for serving is so broad and it's not at your own place where you can pull one off the cooker later into the party.

Hope that helps,
Dave
 
All great suggestions. I would put them on before I went to bed and let cook overnight. Then you have the next morning to see where they're at, foil if you want/need to, let rest, make a finishing sauce or 2, etc..
 
yall, I am following along and taking notes on this one. Next weekend I am catering a buddies baby shower and cooking 3 or 4 butts on the 18.5.
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'm thinking I will start my smoker around 830 or so and have the butts on by 10 pm. Also think I'll use water this time to avoid temp spikes during the night. From what everyone says it seems 2 butts are hardly any different than 1.
 
One more suggestion, Paige: I like to make a theatrical presentation of the pulling. The "OOOooos" and "AAhhhs" mentioned above. Also, if there are teenage boys present, they usually relish the public deconstruction of a butt. Most effective is when you can set up a COMPETITION between them, to see who does the best job.....ENTERTAINMENT!
 
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