First overnight butt


 
J

John Beaulieu

TVWBB Member
Good morning Folks!

It's now 9:45am EST and I am in the middle of my first 8lb butt overnight cook. I was a little hesitant to do it, but after reading all the info you all have provided, I jumped in head first.

I loaded my WSM with about 10 lbs of old KF I found at Wal-Mart last night. Topped that off with 1/2 chimney of hot coals, and 5 chunks of apple wood. It was a mild night (40's) with little wind, so my cooker came up to 250 very quickly. After watching it for about 45 minutes, I closed the dampers to 1/4, and went nighty night at 11pm.

This morning I woke up around 6 and checked my cooker. The temp had fallen to 200, so I stirred up the coals, which brought it back in no time. I inserted my remote therm and got a reading of 145 after roughly 7 hours.

I have since reloaded the coals and it's cruising along at 250 again. I have closed down 2 dampers completely so I can get the temp to slow down a little. I have left one damper 1/4 open.

When I checked the fuel this morning, it looked like the burn was a little uneven. The coals were mostly gone near one of the vents, which leads me to believe the prevailing breeze last night was from the NW where the vent was facing.

I'm shooting for completion at 4:30-5:00 with a 1 hour rest period in foil inside a cooler.

How am I doing so far? I know all you experts can't wait to jump in on something like this, so your advice and critiques will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all

John
 
John

Well your first reply isn't from an expert, just a guy that's been doing this a long time.

Sounds like things are going well for you. A half chimney of lit could be part of the explanation of your fuel burning a little faster than you expected. That allowed more coals to light quicker than when starting with 12 to 18 or so lit.

I started an almost 10 lb butt plus a 6 lb'r last night. I thought the big boy was two in the package. The small one was ready in less than 12 hours but the other is still going. After about 12 hours, it was only at 165 - patience !

Sounds like your completion time will be about right - just in time to watch the Gators take off Cinderella's slipper - I hope !

Paul
 
You should be alright the way your headed. You should start checking the tendernesss around 185deg it might be done before 190 with that long a cook. Dont forget you're looking for tenderness as well as temp . A pb is done when tender not neccasarily at a magical temp.

Good Luck You'll make it
Jeff
 
Thanks gentlemen. A few too many lit coals could have been the reason why I hit 250 so fast last night.

First baste with apple juice was at 7am, and the second was at 11am. Right now I'm at 165 internal after 12 hours, and holding steady at 230 lid.

Heck, I only have 10 coming over to watch the games, so there's no pressure.

Although GM has had a great run, I'd like to see the Gators eat the mice before they turn into carriage horses. We love Billy Donovan. He always looks like he's going to run onto the court and play himself. Great intensity. The other 3 coaches are cadavers compared to Donovan.

I'll keep you posted on the butt progress. Again, thanks.

"Its' great....to be....a Florida Gator!!!"
 
Your temps will probably stay at 165 for several hours.

Once cleared from that temp plateau, they'll rise slowly. I use the bone as my guide with butts.

You can get different temp readings inside the butt because of the various muscle types. When the bone loosens to the touch..the butt is about ready. Then I'll check temps in different spots.....I aim for low 190's, then a double foiled wrap rest in a cooler for a couple of hours.

Careful when you pick it up, sometimes they'll want to break apart when you lift it.
 
Thanks Craig

I noticed the temp hanging around 165 for quite a while. It even dropped to 164. It has now risen to 172, so it looks like I'm in the clear, (for now) and I can stop panicking.

I plan to yank it at 3pm, wrap it, and place it in a cooler until tipoff. I still have 8lbs of wings to cook.

As I stated before, the overnight cook seemed more daunting than it actually was. Thanks again for your help.
 
Just for comparison of cooking times, the almost 10 lb butt (that I thought was 2) finished at 195 in a little over 19 hours. It looks beautiful.

Paul
 
Well Paul, mine came off at 16 hrs with an internal temp of 180, where it stayed for quite a while. The cook temp stayed a constant 240, so I guess it was okay to pull it off. It has been double foiled with a cup of apple juice, and is resting comfortably in a left over Omaha Steaks cooler.

Those are great because they are super thick, and the butt fits inside with little room to spare. Wings are on now and will be done at 5pm. The butt will be pulled then, and we really go at it around 5:30-5:45.

My guests include 6 high school football players who want to eat as soon as they arrive, so I'd better be ready. These guys are brutal.

They will stand right over me while I pull the pork. They're worse than sea gulls! They've already checked on my progress twice today.
 
I don't imagine you'll have a problem with the football players devouring whatever you put out. If the butt is very tender and the bones is a little to a fair amount loose, you probably have a true internal temp of higher than 180. Could be the therm, placement of the therm or whatever. A number of people have posted over the years about butts that just won't get to the desired temp even after more than enough time. It's almost always a measurement problem.

Have a great get together !

Paul
 
In the words of Keith Jackson...
"Wooaahhh Nellie!!!"

There may be 1/2lb of pork left and zero wings. These guys have cleaned me out.

The butt rested for 2 1/2 hours. When I opened it, I couldn't believe my eyes. The bark was the blackest and crispiest I have ever cooked, and the meat was light pink and tender with a massive smoke ring.

It was the best pork butt I have ever tasted/cooked. I never really figured out what all the fuss was about when it came to bark on a pork butt. I know now!! I am a total convert to the overnight method. Many, many thanks to all who have posted and answered my questions on the subject. My success is your success.

How can I top this? My son's friends are already planning the next Q.
 
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