Frist butt- advice needed


 
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Dale Nichols

TVWBB Super Fan
I have a couple of questions,working with a 9.5 butt. I trimmed it,made up Mr. Brown.
1. Is 24 hours to early to put the rub on?
2. Inject or not?
3. Best wood combo?
4. How long will it take? I read 1 1/2 to 2 1/2
per pound. Big difference on when I put it on.
5. Is a full ring of charcoal with 20 lit ones on top going to be enough?
6. If you can think of anything else I need to know please let me know.

Thanks ahead of time. Dale
 
Hi Dale,
I cooked a 9 pound butt last Sunday, my inaugural cook on my new WSM. I trimmed it early Saturday morning and rubbed it with a mix of yellow mustard and Willinham's BBQ rub. It sat in the fridge for about 22 hours before the cook. I used a chimney and a half of Kingsford to start and added a few chunks of hickory, total cook time was 10 hours, internal meat temp was 190.
Lessons learned:
1. Start with more charcoal. I had to add coals during the cook.
2. Give the WSM more time to heat up. I put the meat on when the lid temp was 260.
3. Pay attention to turning and basting at the halfway points. The finished product pulled easily but was a bit dry.
Overall I was satisfied with my first experience. Keep a good log and refer to it for future cooks. The log is important, it actually helped me try to help you! Happy Smokin'!!
 
I have about the same question. Did a search for "pork butt time" and found some of the answers last time I asked. Looks like I should expect about 12+/- hours for an 8-pounder. Wrap in foil after.

March butt

From what I remember from the last time keep the temp low and slow. Not so many coals lit to start with but enough to last all night for a noon ready time. I plan on using apple wood. No injection.
 
Hi David,

I usually inject the butt several hours before I start the cook. I also will apply yellow mustard and the rub after I inject.

I keep the temperature at the grate at about 225 degF. I also will mop several times during the cook with a mop of cider vinegar, pinapple juice, spices, etc. I will pull the butt when the internal temperature (taken at several locations) is 190degF. That will give me pullable pork. I always use a combination of hickory and oak, but that's just personal preference.
 
Dale,

To quote others on this site, "It's done when it's done." Going by temp is much better than going by time. Time is only a guide. Take the butt to 190-195F then wrap in foil and let it rest for about 1/2 hour.
--------------------
Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
One way to make cooking butts easier (and use less fuel) is to not have anything in the pan...no water, no sand, nothing (but foil). This winter here in the northeast, the temps were routinely below zero overnight and I had to run the WSM with the vents open to some extent to keep the temps up. The cold temps, in conjunction with the water (as a heat sink) consumes more fuel and lengthened the cook times. Even with the Minion method, I had to finish the butts in the oven. There had to be a better way.

I then tried leaving the pan empty and the results were a perfectly cooked butt upon waking up (and there was still fuel left).

It's finally summer and I still find that cooking butts is easier and faster with no water in the pan. The meat still comes out super moist due to the meat's high fat content. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif In addition, I can virtually close the vents and still maintain a super long and consistent 240 degree cook since I do not run out of fuel. It's foolproof! /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif
 
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