Pork Butt Cook


 
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Greg Rempe

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I am going to be doing my first pork butt this weekend. I have done a lot of research on this sight for info. My question is this...at 7 pounds or so, how long should I anticipate this taking to cook?

Should I do an overnight smoke to ensure a 1pm-2pm finish time?

Thanks for the help. I will be doing the MM to cook it.
 
The last ones I did weren't quite that big but still took around 14 hours to reach 190*F. There's a looong plateau between 180* and 190*+ and, while the meat is cooked at 180*, it's not pullable until it passes 190*.

I'd recommend starting it around 9 or 10PM. If it gets done early, foil it and hold in an empty cooler (or equivalent). You'll want to let it sit for an hour or so anyway before pulling mainly because it's too hot to handle without the cooling off time.

Joe
 
Greg
I would give yourself 2hrs. per pound, that is deffinatley an overnighter. Say start it about 9pm the night before that makes 11am the next day at 14hrs. When it hits 190F center temp. I take mine off wrap it tightly in heavy duty aluminum foil and put it in a dry cooler with some towels- hold 1 or 2 hrs.
If it gets done early, you can hold it in the foil and cooler for 3 maybe 4 hrs. and then just pull it and keep it warm in a crock pot till chow time.
Always better to get done early and keep it warm than to have hungry guests' waiting for it to get done.

Hope this helps,

Arthur
 
7 pounders normally take me about 12 hours, you can easily hold them wrapped in a dry cooler for 4 hour. Don't pull until you get close to the to time serve ( also helps keep the meat warm).
Jim
 
Overnight for sure. Otherwise it's not practical for an early afternoon finish time. Also, your stress level will be much less. I did two 6.5 lb'rs last weekend. Started at 6:00 p.m. amd finished at 9:00 a.m. at 197 degrees. HD foil and in cooler. I began to pull the meat 5 hrs later and the internal temp was 151. Absolutely delicious - if I do say so myself. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

Good luck on your cook.

Paul
 
Yes, and it can dramatically reduce cooking times-- at the expense of bark, however. I apply smoke until it reaches 150* and then wrap tightly in heavy-duty foil, and then take it up to 205*. I also pierce the bottom of the foil when it hits 190* to drain out rendered fat, but am tempted to forego this on the next one, just to see if it makes any detectable difference.
 
Doug D

I've always been curious as to whether the faster rise in temp as a result of using the foil would have a discernable difference in how efficently and completly the fat render through the butt. Perhaps I mistakenly thought that the very, very slow rise in temp over the longer cook improved the rendering of the fat in addition to obviously providing more bark, thus adding to the flavor. I also thought the slower rise in temp and plateaus more effectively broke down connective tissues, etc.

Any thoughts ?

Paul
 
To start, I don't trim at all-- what comes out of the cryovac is what gets rubbed and cooked. And if any pockets of fat don't render completely, it's never more than a couple tablespoons-worth to be separated out. I'm not sure that a complete rendering out of fat is what we're after, especially if you want to freeze some of it for later. You know that old line about "fat carrying the flavor".

Although I've not done any testing personally on the theory that the time in the plateau is some kind of fat-rendering "sweet spot" worth prolonging, I have to think that-- based on the results of butts I've done-- it can't add that much to the end result to do so. A co-worker of mine from the Carolinas grew up on pulled pork, and I was surpised when she paid some of mine very high compliments. (And if you knew her, you'd know she wouldn't just say it to be nice if she didn't mean it. Oops, she might read this.)

And, really, foiling isn't all that much quicker-- you still experience the plateau, and I still expect to take 9-10 hours (at 250*) on a 7.5-pounder to get to 205*.
 
My bet is 14 to 16 hours but if its left on longer it wont do any harm. Butt is great to start with and very forgiving. Start early and hold in the cooler like others have suggested. It will stay hot alot longer than you think.
 
O.K. Now I have a question for all of you folks that have cooked. more butts than I have ((ONE).
I have been cooking and grilling for over forty years (and smoking on my "gasser") but as you can see, am a relative Newbie using the WSM. I have done ribs, turkeys, They all with great success. And without much dfficulty in judging the cook time. However, that puny little butt that weighed only 3 1/2 lbs was another story. I thought that it would cook in about 6 hours. Wrong!! This little sucker took 9 hrs with a lid temp 0f 240.with the last one in foil, in the house in a 300 degree oven. ( It was late, the meat temp was only 180 and the mosquitoes were get'n hungry too!) Anyhow, the results were still . So, here's the question, why is there such a difference in what two folks think will be the cook time for the butt mentioned in this post. How can one think 9-10 hours and another think 14-16 hours? I have two 8 pounders scheduled for smoke next weekend and am just trying to figure the start time for a 2 p.m. serve the next day.

Al
 
My 9-10 hours is with the butt in foil for probably a little under half that time and cooking at 250* measured at the grate (which translates to more like 265-270 if you measure at the dome).
 
It is very difficult, maybe impossible, to predict with certainity, finish time. Many variables, weather, wind, amount of lit and unlit fuel, and last,"but", not least, the butt, itself - amount of fat, connective tissue, etc. That is the reason God made it so you could put them in HD foil in a cooler and hold for at least 4 hrs after they are done. By planning on 2 to 2 1/2 hours per pound for the largest butt on the pit, you'll be pretty close, but start with the idea of holding it in the cooler so you won't be rushed and stressed out for getting it on the table.

If you do another 3 1/2 lb butt, it might finish in 7 hrs or 8 or... you just can't be certain.

Paul
 
Doug,
Are there any percievable differences in the taste or texture (less bark, less smoke etc.)when using your "higher heat, foil" method? Seems like a real good alternative to the "all nighter" or BBQ Guru cook.
This is why this Forum is so great...Advise from a PRO And a Wizard !!!!!
Al
 
Flavor, tenderness, smoke, appearance (smokering and outer color) are all there. If you must have a chewy bark, it's the only thing my method lacks. A thought: I don't put sugar in any of my rubs, but I wonder if doing so might not remedy that somewhat.
 
The lower heat lets you cook slower. The slower cook helps render fat and break down connective tissue. The end result is a moist and tender product.

Foil helps speed the cooking process some, but tends to make the outside (bark) very soft. This bark is the prize of the cook and there've been far too many fights over who gets to eat the bark!

Why don't you try it and see how you like the results? The idea is to experiment and find what works for you.
 
I'm planning the same with an 8lb bone-in Pork shoulder. Will I get any sleep if I use the Minion Method? Funny I can never find Boston Butt where I live: Boston Massachusetts!

Bob in Boston
 
Bob

If you get your cooker stabilized so it has reached optimum temp and maintained for an hour or so and make sure your waterpan is full if you're using water, I see no reason you can't sleep, uniterrupted for 6 hours plus. I don't sleep with a temp monitor/alarm beside my bed. It's not worth it to me and I've done it enough to know it'll be ok. If the pit temp drops to around 200 or so I don't see a problem. Your cook will be slower but probably better. Now, wind could be something that could cause a problem so I you can set up with the wind on the opposite side from your open vent it would help. However with a large pan full of water I still don't think you'll have such a temp spike that would hurt you. If the fuel is consumed in the a.m., just add some more lit.

This may not win you a competition, but you'll get some sleep and have some very tasty pulled pork.

Paul
 
So, after taking all of the good advice, I was successfull in my first Pork Butt Smoke overnight!! How do I post pics to show you guys and girls how well I did?!?!
 
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