First pork butt - wish me luck


 
I

Isaac P.

New member
Fired up my 18.5 WSM tonight for the first time tonight, 2 boneless pork butt totalling 15lbs. Also bought a Thermopro duel thermostat to help me keep track of temps through the night.

A few notes -
Meat: Costco Boneless Pork Shoulder (Swift I think) all natural. Did a yellow Mustard coat and Byron's Butt Rub since my dad had a large amount already at the house, letting sit for 10 hours in the fridge. Hopefully it's not too salty.

For Charcoal, I used Weber brickettes with the Minion method, used 14 in the chimney, ring completely full. The WSM climbed to over 200 faster than I expected, closed the vents to 25% and added the water bowl (hot water, about half inch below the top.) The temps plummeted and had to work to get it back around 225.

From there the meat went on and I had to adjust the temps a bit to get it dialed in, first open them up then closed to 25%, the temp probe leveled out at 248 at the gasket location and has held for the last two hours. I have the temp alarms set. Hopefully I sleep through the night. A little hotter than i'd like but not gonna mess with with a good thing.

Will Post an update in the AM.

I'm hooked already.
 
With water in the pan don't sweat the temperature. Unless you get some massive runaway burn the water will keep you within a reasonable range for pork butt. 225F is a guide, not a hard, fast rule. Even if it runs up to 275F you'll still be fine.

Did you tie the butts? With boneless it's a good idea or you end up with pieces hanging out all over the place. Not a disaster, but it will cook more evenly if tied. Tie first, then apply the rub.
 
As Jay stated, *225 is a guide, not an absolute must. I cook all my pork butts at *265-*275,( no water in the pan) and they turn out great. Good luck, and don't worry. Butts are virtually bullet proof. Enjoy the ride and build from this cook.
Tim
 
The pork turned out great, cooked for 14 hours. I did notice that I was loosing heat towards the end, it took adjusting the charcoal a few times to keep it at the temps I wanted. After I took it off, it went wrapped in a cooler for a few hours until it was time to pull. The meat turned out great, super tender, a bit heavy on the smoke. It went great with the Boone Hall Plantation Carolina Mustard sauce we had at the house.
 
Congratulations on your first cook. Temp excursions are not the end of the world and 250 is also a good low and slow cook temperature.. Have fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top