Noob Questions on Pulled Pork


 
D

Don M

New member
I've done BB ribs, and a wild turkey, both of which turned out great. Now, I want to try a pork butt. From what I've read it seems like a wide varience in cooking times. If I have about a 8 pound butt, and want to eat around 5 or 6 on Sunday, when should I put it on? I was thinking about 10ish saturday night, but that may be too far in advance.I could get uo early and put it on about 6:00 am Sunday, but that seems risky when I hear about 16 hour cooking times for pork butt. Thoughts? Thanks for helping a new guy out. Love the WSM, by the way.
 
Welcome to the Bullet! What temps are you cooking at? If you do a 250-275 most that size will be done in 9-12 hrs and they can hold in double wrapped foil and double towel wrapped in a hot cooler for 4-6 hrs.
 
My limited experience (I've done about 10 pork butts in the 5 to 8 pound range) is that something this size, cooked at 225°F will require about 15 or 16 hours.

Cooking at higher temperatures will shorten the cooking time, but will also cause the result to be drier.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Cooking at higher temperatures will shorten the cooking time, but will also cause the result to be drier </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It will shorten the cook time, what causes drying out is over cooking which is easy to do at higher temps because your window of done/tender is much shorter. If you catch the doneness at the right time you can cook shoulders at 300. North of 275 will cause the bark to be thicker/ tougher but at those temps or more foiling will solve the bark issue.
 
So Don, what did you decide to do? I would either have put the butt on at about 6:00 Saturday morning and then put it into foil about 11:00 or 12:00 Saturday, or like you suggested, put it on about 10:00 p.m. the night before, then pulled the meat when it was done, double wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler until time to prepare it to serve.

Either way will work and the meat will be great no matter which way you go.

Pat
 
I'm leaning towards putting it one around 10:00pm tonight. You raise another issur, though. When to pull? I was going to foil it and put in a cooler untill near dinner time, them pull it. But, your post suggests that I should pull, then put in the cooler. Is that what I should do?
 
Pat means pull the butt off the cooker then into foil, towels and cooler. Wait to pull the meat apart after it has rested, if you pull apart early you will lose most of the moisture.
 
Interesting to read this since I put an 8lb bone-in butt in the smoker at 7am this morning, needing it to be ready at 5:30p this evening. There's 2+ inches of snow on the ground, and I'm going to be done way before that. I foiled at 160, and it's at 192 right now (2:20p). I haven't let the dome temp (per the built-in thermometer) get anywhere north of 250, and have been in the 200-225 range most of the time.

So those of you recommending 10-16 hr cooks for 8lb butts . . . what am I missing? Are you all at 200 the entire time? Not foiling?

I know when I didn't foil that it took longer, but our times seem to be all over the place.

Hey, as long as the results are good it doesn't matter - but it makes for good message board conversation!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So those of you recommending 10-16 hr cooks for 8lb butts . . . what am I missing? Are you all at 200 the entire time? Not foiling? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Foil will cut time in a major way for sure. I usually never foil a shoulder until its done, I plan for plenty of time. I normally cook them 260-280 myself at 1-1.2hrs a pound.
 
It will be ready when its ready, I have found that every time I cook a pork butt boneless or bone in they have a mind of there own, last Sat. night 4.5 lb bone in, cook at 260F it took 12 hr. No water in pan just clay dish, overnite temps outside 50f.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Don M:
I'm leaning towards putting it one around 10:00pm tonight. You raise another issur, though. When to pull? I was going to foil it and put in a cooler untill near dinner time, them pull it. But, your post suggests that I should pull, then put in the cooler. Is that what I should do? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don,

I think you're heading in the right direction. Start between 10 and midnight tonight. Take it off when you can stick a fork in it and "spin" with minimal resistance. Start checking for this at around 190*. Pull it right before you eat. So, your plan of resting the whole butt in a cooler until chow time is a good one. Double wrap it in HD foil, then a towel or two. Throw it in the cooler. It'll stay hot for several hours. Pull before serving.

Welcome to the addiction.
 
You really should check out high heat posts. I do mine around 350ish for 4 hours and gave no problems with butts ever coming out dry. If you're really worried about it get a bone-in and inject it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JimK: Start between 10 and midnight tonight. Take it off when you can stick a fork in it and "spin" with minimal resistance. Start checking for this at around 190*. Pull it right before you eat. So, your plan of resting the whole butt in a cooler until chow time is a good one. Double wrap it in HD foil, then a towel or two. Throw it in the cooler. It'll stay hot for several hours. Pull before serving. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

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I ditto that.

It's harder to overcook going low-n-slow, you get great bark, and if want to cook for a lunch, it's ESPECIALLY the way to go. I rarely do that, but it's nice to use the same method all the time.

However, foil's a great tool if you need to cook during the day for supper. I just prefer the method JimK described, four butts at a time, and w/ water in a ECB charcoal pan, 225-250 at the vent. If you get a good cooler preheated and cook a few butts at a time, you can hold several hours no problem.

I sleep like a baby using a Maverick ET-73 w/ an alarm to wake me up if temps go awry, which is extrememly rare, Stubbs briquettes preferred, and a split drum for a wind break.
 
I put the pig on at about 10:00pm last night. It just hit 190 degrees f, and it is almost 11:00 am Sunday morning. So far, so good.
 
I just took a BBQ class in Kansas City, and the instructor HIGHLY recommends wrap/foil when meat hits 160. Then let it cook till it hits 195. you can even finish it in the oven. You are not getting any more smoke flavor, and it cooks soooo much quicker.
 
Well, I pulled it off, wrapped it in foil and let it rest for about an hour in a cooler. The meat pulled easily and tasted great. It was abig hit with the entire family. Thanks for the help and words of encouragement. Next up, brisket
 
Pork butts are almost a cant fail. depending on the circumstances. I have a chargriller so temp controll is a major pain and after 6-8 hours, Ill foil and finish in the over, if Im using a wsm, I let it go 9 hours, foil and throw in a 275 degree oven. seems like it always hits temp in 2 hours foiled in the oven no matter where it started. let cool and pull. Butts can stay hot for hours just wrapped in foil. I think the cooler method is a little over kill but if I had to hold them higher, they work.
 
I have only done 2-3 dozen cooks,so I am a noob as well. I try for 240 deg at the dome. My guess would be for 14-16 hours but your mileage may vary. Every butt is diffrent
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. The butts will be done when they are done. Once I get the temps stable, the over night cooks are fine and I sleep like a baby- That might have to do with the brew I have while getting the cook going
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Don,

Glad to hear it came out good for you.

Just a word of caution, you have loved your ribs, turkey and pork butt. Watch out for brisket, it's a whole different world.
 
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