When to try pork butt?


 
R

Rich Matyiku

New member
I got my WSM 14.5 a month ago and have done 4 smokes (2 chicken and 2 ribs). My last rack of ribs were amazing. But I found myself adjusting vents very often to maintain 225. When I got the smoker the thing I was really excited to do was pulled pork. My question is, should I wait and do a few more sets of ribs and see if I can get better at maintaining heat better throughout the cook or just go for it? I don't want to have to babysit my smoker for 10-12 hours. How many cooks did you guys do before you did a pork butt? Thanks for any info!


-Rich
 
Pork butt was the first thing I ever cooked on my first WSM. A butt is probably the most forgiving cut of meat you can smoke. Go for it. As your WSM becomes seasoned from multiple cooks, it will be easier to control the temp. New WSMs tend to run hot. Also, make sure you aren't starting with too many lit coals and then having to fight to choke the fire down. Start with just a few lit coals and let the temp creep up.
 
Steven P (Tupelo) said:
Also, make sure you aren't starting with too many lit coals and then having to fight to choke the fire down. Start with just a few lit coals and let the temp creep up.
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I think that this is exactly what it did. I would maintain temp for a little while and then it would start going way up. Thanks for the advice! I think I may give it a try this weekend.

-Rich
 
Pork butt is one of the easiest things you can smoke. They are very forgiving and letting the smoker run hot isn't a big issue. Using water will help you regulate temps in your smoker.

I shoot for 230-235, plan on about 10 hours for a 5lb Butt. I usually buy 8-9lb. and cut them in half. It gives you more bark and shortens cooking time. Once they start to come out of the stall or thereabouts, I let the smoke go and run it up to 265-275, and usually pull the water to let the bark get nice and crusty.

My target internal temp if I'm pulling is 203 degrees. Always more than 200, never more than 205. If I'm cooking it to slice and use as a roast I shoot for around 150. Be advised you won't get a lot of bark, if any at that temp.

Here's a nice little meteorite after about 10 hours. This was roughly 5.5 lbs.

P1000214.jpg
 
Rich, as you get more experience and more confidence, you'll start to relax on the temp control a little bit. I started out the same way, feeling like I needed to keep at my desired temp +/- a couple degrees. Now I realize that with most meats, especially with larger cuts like a pork butt, letting the temp fluctuate between 225 and 275 is not a problem, and you won't be able to tell the difference in the final product.

As Steven said, I've had really good luck on my 22" WSM with adding about 10-12 lit coals to a full load of charcoal. I start with all vents wide open, and once the grill temp hits about 180, I start shutting the vents down to slow the rate of temp rise. I normally cook around 240-250 with the top vent wide open, 2 bottom vents closed, and the third bottom vent open maybe 25% or less. It will run all day like that with vary little variation in temp.
 
Rich I have been smoking on various cookers for 5 years and i spent the first four years "fighting temperatures". Its only in the last year that i have learned that trying to keep a perfect temperature is way more stressful then it needs to be. Getting down to 225 for me was always tough but the more research i did, the more i found that cooking at 275 was more manageable, was faster, and got better results as fat renders better at 275.

I shoot for 275 but anywhere from 250-300 will be fine for me. If its cooking hotter it will cook faster, if it is cooking lower it cooks slower. I just adjust my expected cooking times accordingly.

As stated above pork butts are big hunks of meat and are very forgiving. I generally get 9-10 lb bone in butts that get done in about 8 hours. I usually foil them when they get to around 160 (4-5 hours in) and them continue to target them. Let them rest before pulling.

I have cut into chunks as poster above did for more surface bark with good results too.
 
I would go for it, the more you use the WSM the easier it is to keep temps where you want them. I also agree that don't put to many lit coals on when doing the minion method. Been smoking for about 8 years now and I still learn new stuff everyday. You will get it.
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think I am just going to go for it.


DBWallis said:
Rich, as you get more experience and more confidence, you'll start to relax on the temp control a little bit. I started out the same way, feeling like I needed to keep at my desired temp +/- a couple degrees
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I was definitely doing this. Once I got more than 3-4 degrees from my target I was out there messing with the vents. So it's great to hear that there is a pretty decent range to work with.

-Rich
 
I'm still a newbie, and so far pork butt has been one of my most successful cooks. It's a pretty forgiving meat.

Regarding temperature, you might notice that your WSM will have a few sweet spots. Don't fight them. For example, my 18.5 LOVES to sit for hours at 240-244, but it takes a lot of fiddling and adjusting to keep it at 250. It also has two other similar spots--around 261 and 282 degrees. So...instead of trying to precisely hit 250 or 275, I am learning to let it hang out at something close.
 
Go for the pork butt Rich.

225-275 is good. Don't sweat it.

I find putting 10 fully lit coals on top of a full 14.5 coal ring she'll stay within this range, (top vent wide open, all three lower vents +/- 10% open. Close the vent on a matchstick.). No water in the pan.
 
Someone on this forum schooled me, probably the founder. Fill the charcoal pan with unlit then light 9 to 12 coals und when they ash over place them on the unlit in various places. It gives you a nice long consistent burn.
 
Mark Barton said:
I'm still a newbie, and so far pork butt has been one of my most successful cooks. It's a pretty forgiving meat.

Regarding temperature, you might notice that your WSM will have a few sweet spots. Don't fight them. For example, my 18.5 LOVES to sit for hours at 240-244, but it takes a lot of fiddling and adjusting to keep it at 250. It also has two other similar spots--around 261 and 282 degrees. So...instead of trying to precisely hit 250 or 275, I am learning to let it hang out at something close.
Click to expand...

^^^ This, as they say. Cook a butt, and instead of trying to maintain an exact temperature just watch the WSM and don't make any adjustments unless it gets out of a fairly wide band around your target. Butts are very forgiving, so temperature fluctuations of even +/- 25 degrees will not make much, if any, difference in the final product. And as Mark said you will probably find that your smoker will settle down and run for hours at a perfectly acceptable temperature. Once this happens, if you really feel the need to change the temperature, make very small adjustments to the vents, and give the WSM plenty of time to settle in after you do. Chasing temperatures is a very common and very frustrating part of the learning process - learn not to do it and you'll have more fun when you cook.
 
Rich, are you using the temp gauge on your WSM or a digital (like a maverick ET-) I suggest you take some time to learn how accurate your gauge is on the smoker, get comfortable using it as your guide and then use a digital thermometer. The temp gauge on the WSM will not reflect small variances in the temp like digitals do, so you don't go crazy chasing your thermometer all day/smoke long. The first time I used my Maverick, it was the most stressful smoke I've ever had! Butts are bulletproof, very forgiving, and very rewarding hunks of meat, I recommend doing one as soon as you can! Just realize you will have ups and downs with your temps and not to stress over small differences. Good luck, and take lots of pics!!
Tim
 
I was a member in the 90's, my emails got corrupted and I lost 3 email addresses. To this day it ****es me off but you live and learn and hope one day to have one of those wastrels under your mitts. Then you turn it into the county sheriff and thank God for the Grace.
 
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