When to wrap a butt


 
Edmund Caro

Edmund Caro

TVWBB Fan
I was wondering when is a good time to wrap the butt during the smoke process. Been reading that some like to wrap about 6 hrs into cooking process while others smoke it then wrap and stick in a cooler. Would love to hear your view point on this thanks.
 
Ditto, I never wrap either. I have found that I just love my precious bark too much to let the butt sit and braise in its' own juices (not saying this is bad) and everything seems to just "soften" up. Just not my cup of tea.
 
You wrap, ideally, to break the stall...the stall occurs when the temp of the meat is stable due to the cooling effect of the moisture leaving the meat (sweating)...you speed this up by wrapping (think sauna)...

In competition, wrapping is a must...cook to temp and then feel...never to a clock!
 
I wrap sometimes. I like to take a pork butt and put it in an aluminum pan and cover it with foil around 160*F to capture the juices coming out of the butt. After the butt is finished I'll take it out of the pan let it rest and then take the juices and run it through a fat separator and will add it to the pulled pork.
 
I'm no expert but if you wrap at around 160 ( the stall), the meat will finish cooking much quicker. The first butt I didn't wrap and the stall lasted a few hours. The cook time on that butt ended up being about 2 hours per pound. The bark was nice crunchy. The butt I cooked this weekend I wrapped at 160 and the cook time was about 1 hour per pound. The bark was not as crunchy. I definitely liked the taste of the unwrapped butt better, but if you are strapped for time, wrapping is the way to go.
 
Unlike most, I always wrap in fold. But only once the bark is fully set. Then cook to tenderness. Once off the pit, I let it cool to stop the cooking process.
If one waits until the bark is fully set, very little softening happens.
 
Phil V said:
You wrap, ideally, to break the stall...the stall occurs when the temp of the meat is stable due to the cooling effect of the moisture leaving the meat (sweating)...you speed this up by wrapping (think sauna)...

In competition, wrapping is a must...cook to temp and then feel...never to a clock!
Click to expand...

Why is wrapping a must in competition?
 
I only wrap and oven finish if it's nearing the end and I'm out of time...

Typically, I mop a couple of times after the 8 hour mark, then let it go to an internal temp of around 195 and test to see if the bone is ready to come out, then take it, wrap it in foil, put it in a cooler with a towel underneath for about 2 hours. I'm smoking two butts right now actually... a 9 lber and a 10 lber.
 
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John Solak said:
I wrap sometimes. I like to take a pork butt and put it in an aluminum pan and cover it with foil around 160*F to capture the juices coming out of the butt. After the butt is finished I'll take it out of the pan let it rest and then take the juices and run it through a fat separator and will add it to the pulled pork.
Click to expand...

I am in the same boat... I like to wrap, especially if I am running low on time. If I don't foil, I will foil for about an hour after and let all the juices settle and that is where the party is at.
 
I wrap mine once the bone wiggles. That consists of wrapping in a beach towel then coolering it for at least an hour. Comes out juicy everytime.
 
I always wrap. I like the quicker smoking times (I'm also a high heat fan), and bark is a personal preference. I place the butt on a rack on top of a foil pan and then wrap with foil. That way the butt doesn't sit in the juices (if you like bark) but they are still caught for use when pulling.
 
I never wrap and continue to cook unless it's a time issue; you always lose some of the smoke flavor. I do wrap in foil and a towel and rest in a cooler if I'm not serving it for a while after it's off the smoker.
 
Michael Constable said:
Why is wrapping a must in competition?
Click to expand...
Most competition cooks follow a timeline they have developed based on their experiences. If the sanctioning body is KCBS, turn-in times are very specific and 30 minutes apart. If a cook misses their timeline, it throws all their times off with the possibility of turning in meat that is not cooked to their liking. Foiling is just one tool they use to better stay on-time.
 
I always wrap, but I have changed my process a little over the years. I keep my WSM on the low side (about 220) until the butt gets to more than 140, then I will raise the WSM temp up to about 250-260...and if it goes to 275 that is fine too. At around 160 I check the butt to see if bark is set...it usually is, but if not I let it go little longer until the bark is set. Once set, I remove the butts, put in pans and cover with foil....and I don't put any liguid in the pans. I use pans now since I want all the juices and wrapping can have disasterous consequences with losing the juices due to one minor snag or tear.

I keep the temp low in beginning to allow more time for smoke absorption plus I usually I put the butts on late at night (around 10-11pm) and the lower temp works out well timing wise for me so that by the time I get up in the morning the temp is usually 140-160. So I adjust the WSM temp and then wrap the butt if the bark is set.

The main reason I wrap is for the juices. I make a modified #5 sauce for a finishing sauce and the juices make all the difference in that sauce....they are like gold to me. Even though I don't use water in the pan, I still don't get nearly as many juices if I just rely on the pan to catch the drippings. Plus wrapping does speed the cook up so I can plan my day better....3 kids in sports makes for a busy schedule.

This works for me. YMMV.
Kg
 
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