First Butt


 
Chris E

Chris E

TVWBB Pro
I got an 11 lb butt at walmart and plan to smoke. Is this bad boy really going to take 15 hrs? I don't have the confidence yet to try over night but thinking maybe I will anyway.

I guess you can't butterfly a bone-in butt. However it was only 1.50 lb so I can afford to make a mistake.
 
Chris,

I have found when cooking with the foiled pan and clay at 250ish most butts are done around the 12hr mark.
I have had a few that took 14-16 though.

When do you want to serve?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris E:
I guess you can't butterfly a bone-in butt. However it was only 1.50 lb so I can afford to make a mistake. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Sure, you can debone and divide it up. I've taken a 7lb bone-in butt and separated it into 2 boneless 3lb butts and they took about half the time to cook.

It's hard to make a mistake with pork butt. The biggest mistake is probably taking it off too soon.
 
I personally wouldn't do them overnite but that's just me. I like sleep.
I'm doing (2) 10# butts today.
Put them on at 9am. It's almost 1pm and they are already at 145.
I'm thinking I will be foiling and putting the in the cooler by 4-5pm.
I do butts a little hotter - around 250-275
 
Who says that overnight-smoke and sleep have to be mutually exclusive? Cold combined with wind can be a real problem, but if it's above freezing and you have a good windbreak, go for it next time. I minion start with plenty of fuel around 8 pm. Temps are settled at 235-ish within an hour or two. Set the ET73 for a low of 210* and a high of 265*. Set the windbreak nice and tight around the WSM and hit the sack by 11:30pm. Up around 6am. Temps usually have dropped a bit, but not bad. Poke the coals, add a few briquettes, open the vents a wee bit, shower and shave. Add meat probe to butt and/or brisket. (Should be around 160-170 by now). Have a good breakfast and enjoy the morning coffee! It takes some practice, but I like the low 'n slow methods. I love to see my guests's faces when I tell them the full brisket took 17 hours on the smoker.
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I do the exact same as Gary H. I did my first WSM cook this way! There is no issue with a good nights sleep, that's the beauty of the WSM!

99% of the time if you minion and get to 210 and set the bottom vents to 15-20% it will be just fine till morning IMO!

Quote: I love to see my guests's faces when I tell them the full brisket took 17 hours on the smoker.

Funny how many people are shocked that we cook anything over 4 hrs!
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Oh yes,the overnighter. The WSM is really set and forget. Get your temps set where you want,go to bed,get up in morning and it's still running like normal! An absolute cooking machine! Of course,if you want to get up in the middle of the night,well,that's your decision to make!
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I did my first overnight last week. No wireless thermometer or anything either. Go for it. I got the cooker to about 235, made sure it was in the ball park for an hour or so and went to sleep. I got up 7 hours later and it had drifted all of 7 degrees. I was running without water and it was kind of windy too. When I woke up my butts were just hitting 160, and I foiled them for a few hours, then they hit the cooler, then pulled at dinner time. Couldn't have been more perfect. Go for it.
 
OK dudes I'm going for it. I was going to build a wind break so I'm going to do that today with some plywood I have. If I put a top on it I get some insulation too. Overnight temps are around freezing and I'm at 6K feet. should work good.
 
Tasty but a little overdone in spots (mushy)
I fired up the cooker with full ring and 3/4 chimney lit K, no water in pan. Butt was cold but not frozen.

Smoker at 230 and I put 11# butt on there at 8:30. Temp about 235 and hit the sack at 10:30. Dog woke me up at 3:30 and dial at 250.
I woke up at 7:30 and lid temp still at 250.

I checked the meet at 7:30, wiggled the bone and it just pulled right out. Got the probe, went in like butter and registered at 190 and 200 in some places. Fell apart when trying to pick the thing up.

I was reading 1.5-2hrs per pound at 250 degrees but looks like it didn't take nearly that long at all. Shoulda got up at 5 and checked it. I calibrated my lid thermometer in boiling water and it is right. I assume the grate is a few degrees cooler.

I let it rest for 30 min and pulled it. It was very tender but seemed a little mushy. The bark was tasty. Made some nice East Carolina red sauce to go with it. Texture seemed better after it sat for a few hours in the fridge and reheated for dinner. My family loved it so all is not lost.

Got inspired and smoked a 12lb turkey Sunday for easter.

http://infoburst.com/imagehost/bbq/Easter_butt.jpg

http://infoburst.com/imagehost/bbq/Easter_turkey.jpg
 
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