Pork butt... less meat = faster cooking time?

[Andrew Binkard]

I've got a single 9.3 lb pork butt. The articles I've seen on here deal with cooking two or more at once. The cook times seem to range between 12 and 16 hours. Will a single, 9.3 lb pork butt take less time to cook?

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I think you can expect about 1.5 hrs per lb. @ 250*F +/- 25*F. Two doesn't add a lot of time to the cook. If you need it to cook faster you can cut the butt in half and/or wrap it/them when it/they hit the stall.

Here's a Quick Cook article: http://virtualweberbullet.com/pork3.html

 

[Tony R]

I just smoked a 8 pound butt. Took about 10 hours @250 pit temp
Only opened the wsm twice. Once to take an action shot and the other to wrap the butt

In my experience if I would've done to it would've taken about the same time.


http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?47645-Potluck-pulled-pork

 

[Chad Bman]

I almost always cook butts around that size. If I'm using the 22 WSM and doing 2 or more, it's still 12 hours like a single butt in the WSM or mini.
Once I did 8 butts on the 22 and that added a bit of extra time, but not as much as I would have expected.

I'd plan on 12 hours.

 

[Jerry N.]

Only opened the wsm twice. Once to take an action shot and the other to wrap the butt

I'm guessing that there are not too many other places where you'll find a picture of a piece of meat, sitting on a grate, described as an "action shot".

 

[Dave Alvarado]

Thickness of the meat is what matters for how fast it cooks. The heat has to make it to the center of the meat.

More meat in the smoker just means you have to burn more fuel to maintain the same temp. Just like if it's colder outside. In practical terms, that means you'll have to run the dampers a little more open than usual to hold your cooking temp, and you'll run out of charcoal sooner.

 

[Bill Schultz]

Dwain's 1.5 hr per Lbs. is what I have had with the variables Dave just mentioned being very accurate for me.

 

[Eugene A]

I did a pork butt a few weeks ago, a little over five pounds, on the WSM (18.5) for around eight hours, and it only reached 177 degrees internal temp. It was close to 7pm and we wanted to eat. (I figured on 1 1/2 hours per pound, and I figured wrong.) We didn't have pulled pork; BUT (pun intended) we did have nice juicy sliced pork.

 

[Dwain Pannell]

I did a pork butt a few weeks ago, a little over five pounds, on the WSM (18.5) for around eight hours, and it only reached 177 degrees internal temp. It was close to 7pm and we wanted to eat. (I figured on 1 1/2 hours per pound, and I figured wrong.) We didn't have pulled pork; BUT (pun intended) we did have nice juicy sliced pork.

What pit temp were you running?

 

[Chad Bman]

What pit temp were you running?

Yeah, what he asked. If I had to guess, I'm gunna venture to say this is a 225 degree cook.

 

[John Wheeler]

I'm a believer of the Myron Mixon mindset. Hot and fast! I've found it's easier to go hotter faster and turn it down later than try and start slow and bring it up! Especially if you're on the clock. Better to keep it warm than to hurry up and wait. IMHO.

 

[Jim Lampe]

in my honest opinion.....
Myron Mixon is over-rated.