Going to do first over night Pulled Pork cook


 
M

Mike_L (Big Mike)

TVWBB Fan
So i have a picnic on Sunday that i'm going to. The party starts at 1:00pm. I will need to leave the house around 12:30pm.

I'm either going to do 1 6lb pork shoulder or 2 6lb shoulders. Either way i was going to try to not foil them since i was going to start the cook the day before. I have never done this and i have had issues cooking pork butts before. I believe the cook time should be the same for either 1 or 2 butts weighing around the same. This is my plan:

Minion Method
Full water pan
full charcoal pan
Put the meat on around 6PM

If i do that i'm thinking i have a good window and the meat should be good no later than 11 or 11:30am the next day.
I will then foil it and put it in a cooler to hold for the drive and then pull it at the party.

What do you guys think?

Oh and i'm using a 18.5 WSM
 
I just completed an overnight pork butt cook. I started the chimney at 10 PM was cooking by 11 and ate at 1:00 the next day. I did not use water in the pan and did not use foil. I did use Stubb's and averaged ~250* and pull it off about 11AM. I hope this helps.
 
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seems like your window is a little long IMO. A 6# butt shouldn't take more than 10 hours. I would think that you could start as late as 10:00 or 11:00 and still be completely fine.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with the meat getting done early. It just may not taste QUITE as good, as it would straight off the smoker. But odds are your guests will still love it and rave about it.

If you only have 2 #6 pounders in there, I'd probably use water. If I have 3 or 4 butts, I skip the water since you really have a "meat sink" at that point and no longer require a heat sink.

With 12 pounds total or less, I think the water would be a good idea to make sure you don't overcook them while you are sleeping.
 
Depending on the temp you want to cook at will determine the expected start time. That being said, I would plan to pull the butts off the smoker at least 2 hours before you are ready to leave. This will give you pleanty of time if they go longer than expected (even with foiling) and allow you to get ready to leave for the picnic. I have rested from 1 - 6 hours in a cooler at safe temps and have never noticed a quality difference. Getting ahead of schedule makes the cook a lot easier than trying to catch up.

What were the issues duing the prior cook?
 
Issues were too big of a pork butt the first time and not planning enough time for it. It came out fine but was not tender to pull. Second time was again not tender enough. 3rd time i foiled in the middle of the cook and it came out great.
 
Then it just sounds like you need to start earlier than you expect and not worry about holding in a cooler.
Good luck.
 
no question 12 hours.....i have even had butts go longer that 2 hrs per pound at 225. your plan sounds good and i like that you have an extra hour beyond 12 as a safety net. Let us know how it goes.
 
Well, Its on!!!

I decided to start around 8pm. I got my fire going a little before 8. Got every thing going with the meat on at 8:15pm. At 9pm the temp was at 250. I adjusted my vents to about 25% on all 3. Its 10:15pm and the pit is holding steady at 244 degrees. I'll report back how it goes.

No injection just rub. I used my favorite Bobby Flay's Rib rub on it. Depending on how things go in the morning i'm not planning on foiling, but i can if it looks like i'm not going to make it. The meat was 6.75 untrimmed. So i'm guessing it is around 6lbs trimmed.
 
yes, i have frequently had butts take that long at 225. Holding the meat for an hour or so if you are a litttle early is not a problem, just double wrap in foil and cover with towels if necessary.
 
Mike_L (Big Mike) said:
Well, Its on!!!

I decided to start around 8pm. I got my fire going a little before 8. Got every thing going with the meat on at 8:15pm. At 9pm the temp was at 250. I adjusted my vents to about 25% on all 3. Its 10:15pm and the pit is holding steady at 244 degrees. I'll report back how it goes.

No injection just rub. I used my favorite Bobby Flay's Rib rub on it. Depending on how things go in the morning i'm not planning on foiling, but i can if it looks like i'm not going to make it. The meat was 6.75 untrimmed. So i'm guessing it is around 6lbs trimmed.
Click to expand...

You'll do great. Your plan to start early is a good idea ...give it a fudge factor. Plenty of great advice by others. Don't forget: no photos = it didn't happen.
 
I will have pictures soon. Its 9:15am here and the temp is 244 and the meat temp is 196. Still right on track. I woke up at 6:45am and the reading was 244 and 185. Very nice.
 
If my math is right that was 16 hours and my first overnight cook is done :)

Took it off the smoker at 12:15pm :) Meat was reading 203 and probe test went through like butter. Bone was popping out. Foiled, wrapped in a towel and in the cooler.

Pictures will be uploaded tomorrow. Thanks for all the help!
 
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