First Butt, have some questions..

[Jason de Weerd]

Brand new to the WSM, and loving it so far. I have done some ribs and a pork butt today, following the Mr. Brown recipe. Details were as follows:

5lb butt
Smoked for 7 hours, as close to 225 as I could keep it
Hot water in the bowl
Maple leaf lump charcoal
Foiled and rest for 30 min

Results were...ok. Flavor was very good, but not as tender as I was hoping. Judging from the other posts on here, guessing I should have smoked longer and closer to an internal temp of 200?

I thought 7hrs for a smaller piece would have been lots, but I really did not get that fall off the bone meat I was hoping for. I am guessing when smoked long enough it really is fall off the bone? Just want to make sure what I am after is indeed possible with some practice.

My Maverick is in the mail and I should get it this week, so that will help with temps.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be great!

Cheers,

Jason

 

[TravisH]

7 hours is not long enough for a 5# butt at 225º.

For Pulled Pork, I target 200º but I start testing for tenderness at 190º. For Sliced or Chunked, 180º~185º.

"I am guessing when smoked long enough it really is fall off the bone?" - For PP, yes.

In fact, that's one of the tests - is the meat pulling back from the bone and can you wiggle the bone or even pull it right out?

IMO, for PP, it's done when you can't take it off with tools as it simply tears and falls apart. Neoprene gloves are almost required.

 

[Jason de Weerd]

My apologies, it was closer to the 3.5-4lb range, not quite 5lb. Regardless the results are what they are. This butt was boneless as I thought it might be easier for my first try.

It was definitely not as you described it should be, but that is what I am after, so I will keep at it. I am not sure if it makes a difference, I turned it once about halfway and basted a couple times with apple juice after the turn. As I mentioned, tasted great, just not the tenderness I was looking for.

I will try again next weekend and start early so I can take as long as needed and still eat by 6 or 7.

Thanks for your input!

Jason

 

[Walter Eugene BrookerJr.]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TravisH:
7 hours is not long enough for a 5# butt at 225º.

For Pulled Pork, I target 200º but I start testing for tenderness at 190º. For Sliced or Chunked, 180º~185º.

"I am guessing when smoked long enough it really is fall off the bone?" - For PP, yes.

In fact, that's one of the tests - is the meat pulling back from the bone and can you wiggle the bone or even pull it right out?

IMO, for PP, it's done when you can't take it off with tools as it simply tears and falls apart. Neoprene gloves are almost required. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

With Boston butts it usually takes abut 12 hrs to get competitn grade pulled pork , I myself use the Minion method to get the WSM up and running , during our cooks the temos will avraage between 225 and 250 which is ok , I look for a internal temp of 160 then I double foil , place back on cooker till it hits around 190 , then I pulll it off place in cooler for 30 mins and unrap and start pulling. I always cook bone in, that way you know its done when you can pull the bone out and no meat is on it.

 

[Tony V]

Jason,

I did my first BB this weekend also. I cooked a 5.5 lb (bone-in) for 12.5 hours and it still wasn't done. The temp was between 225 - 250 the entire cook. The highest temp I got on my Maverick was 188. I thought for sure it would be done.

I will allow more cook time on the next one and be more patient!

Cheers

 

[Tim (the grillaholic)]

I have only smoked a bb 1 time, but some of the best advice given on this site is go by feel not nessasarily a target temp or time frame. I was excited to achieve the temp of 190 at about the 11.5 hour mark, (7.5 pound butt,bone in, temps between 225/250 throughout)but when I inserted the temp probe a few times in different parts of the meat, it didn't 'slide' in like I felt it should. I placed the meat back on the smoker for another 45 mins, and all was right with the world!! The probe should slide in like a toothpick into a cake.
Good luck.

18.5 WSM, Weber Genesis E310 gasser

 

[Jason de Weerd]

Thank-you for all of the tips. I am going to try the foil next time, and more patience...never an easy thing when you have been smoking for 8 hours with your brand new smoker! Either way the leftovers are great today, and can only get better.