Pork Butt - 17 hours?


 
S

Sameer Wahid

TVWBB Member
I recently smoked a 10 lb pork butt on my 22.5 kettle (with a smokenator, using maple leaf briquettes). I had to open the kettle about 10-12 times during the cook (between refilling the water pan, spraying AJ/maple syrup on the butt, adding more coals to the smokenator, and smoking a chicken at the same time). The total time was 17 hours. My grill temp (not dome) was about 220 on average, but here's the most curious point - 4 hours into the cook the meat 147F, it stayed at 147F for about SIX hours, and then took another 4 hours to slowly climb to 165 (after which I foiled it for three hours to hit 190).
The meat tasted good, if not a touch dry.

I had a few questions on my mind:
Is that normal to have such a long "plateau"?
Would a larger water pan, placed on the charcoal grate, help or hurt? (thinking I could open the lid less if I didn't have to worry about the water pan)

Thanks!
Sameer
 
Sameer,

First, a 10 lb butt at 220 going 17 hours is reasonable. I frequently cook a few 10 lb butts at time and the average around 1.5 hrs / lb, but I cook at 250-260 in a WSM.

I have seen a butt sit at a temp for about an hour, but hat is an odd plateau. Six hours at the same temp seems odd. You mention opening 10-12 times, were a lot of these during this time. I could see prolonging it by opening the lid, thus losing heat. If you also had to add coals during this time, I can see it staying at that temp for awhile. But six hours still seems long.

Reducing the number of times you open the lid will shorten your cook. You are losing heat every time you open it. A larger water pan will mean you have to replenish water less, meaning you have to open the lid less. Also, make sure to use hot water so that the charcoal is not having to heat the water.

Adding a chicken in the middle of the cook is also going to prolong the butt cook since you are adding cold meat, which is going to absorb the heat and act like a heat sink, although chicken is small and that should a have a small affect.

Spraying the butt with AJ is also going to lengthen your cook. When you spray, you are opening the lid, again losing heat. You are also putting moisture on the outside of the meat which will absorb heat to evaporate. You would be better off adding the flavors into the rub you are going after with a spray, or adding them to the meat once you pull/shred the pork.

Me, I no longer use water, but I understand it’s purpose on the smokenator.

Hope this helps.
 
Sameer, I have done a whopping ONE butt on a kettle, so I'm no expert...but IMHO...

I had a 3 hour plateau where the butt stayed at 155 degrees, not far off your number.

Rather than the smokenator (which I almost bought but did not), you might be better off just banking the coals to one side of your charcoal grate, and maybe using a wall of firebricks to seperate the coals from the meat. I do this, and I thik it allows me to put a lot more unlit charcoal in the grill, meaning that you dion't have to replenish as often.

I did a 10 pound butt on my Weber 26.75 inch kettle, cook took 18 or 19 hours, and i only opened the lid once during the cook, to add charcoal. I also used a large waterpan under the roast. My waterpan went dri at some point, but I figured as long as my temps were where I wanted them, I'm not endangering the butt if the pan is dry...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">First, a 10 lb butt at 220 going 17 hours is reasonable. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Agreed.

Simply cook at a higher temp to shorten the plateau and thus the overall cooking time.
 
Thanks Josh, Jamie, and Kevin for your replies! I was adding cold water, and I won't make that mistake next time! The water pan on the smokenator is of a fixed size, but I can easily put another water pan on the bottom grate. The AJ is part of the recipe I was using (Barbecue Secrets by Shewchuk), I'll skip it next time hope for less dry meat.

Jamie, do you just create a wall of bricks on your charcoal grate, then pile up the charcoal on the other side? How much free space do you have for cooking? I noticed that you have a 26.75 incher - I fear that with a 22.5 the brick wall would be so thick (as compared to the steel of the smokenator) that I'd lose significant grill space - what do you think?



Many thanks,
Sameer
 
The spraying of liquid doesn't add moisture to the finished meet. I used to spray as well, but was doing it for the sugar. I just upped the sugar in my rub instead.

You will lose some width with bricks. By standing them so that the narrow side is between the coals and the meat you will keep the most room.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Sameer Wahid:
Thanks Josh, Jamie, and Kevin for your replies! I was adding cold water, and I won't make that mistake next time! The water pan on the smokenator is of a fixed size, but I can easily put another water pan on the bottom grate. The AJ is part of the recipe I was using (Barbecue Secrets by Shewchuk), I'll skip it next time hope for less dry meat.

Jamie, do you just create a wall of bricks on your charcoal grate, then pile up the charcoal on the other side? How much free space do you have for cooking? I noticed that you have a 26.75 incher - I fear that with a 22.5 the brick wall would be so thick (as compared to the steel of the smokenator) that I'd lose significant grill space - what do you think?



Many thanks,
Sameer </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sameer, my grill is the Weber 26.75 inch kettle...

I create a wall across the middle of the charcoal grate. The wall consists of 3 firebricks that you can get at ace hardware (some guy ssay any old bricks will do, I just bought firebricks). Like you said, I pile the charcoal behind the wall, and I put the roast on the cooking grate, as far away from the coals as possible. I usually put my waterpan on the cooking grate, between the meat and the heat.

With the 26.75 inch kettle, I have 50% of my cooking grate that's not directly over the coals, which is more than enough room to do a 10 pound butt. The real advantage is this...I believe this system (which I learned about here) allows me to use a lot more unlit charcoal than the smokenator, and therefore I can maintain my temps longer.

As you said, you may have an issue with space with your 22.5. But it might be worth a shot...

Look at page 4 of this thread, it shows a photo of what I do (not my photo though). I don't foil my bricks...

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/...023/m/6750042994/p/1
 
I couldn't find firebricks in my area so I bought a concrete edge trim piece from Home Depot for $1.69. It's a bit thick but it works fine on my Performer. Was able to do a 4 lb butt over 7 hours and had 2/3 of briquettes unburned. Note that I had a 3-4 hour plateau at 155.
 
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