World record speed for butt cook?


 
J

John VB

New member
Well, not really, but I did have an interesting experience on Saturday night. Fired the WSM Minion style for an overnite butt cook, lit the full 40 in the chimney, overnight lows in the single digits, and very breezy. I was trying out my new hot water heater blanket as well. The temp climbed nicely to about 270, and I had to fight like crazy to get it down to 255-265, where it stayed all night (top grate temp). Butts went on at 7 pm, and hit 195 internal (verified w/ another therm) at 6 a.m. That's about an hour per pound. The meat rested for three hours before pulling, and for the most part tasted like the slower butt cooks I've done. It seemed that there was a little more fat left though, maybe it blew through the stall a little too quick?

Anyone else ever have this happen? I guess the moral of the story is to back way off on the lit coals at the beginning, and keep the vents open just a sliver if you're using the blanket.
 
Yeah, way too many coals.

11 pound butt? Holy cow that was huge! Most are 6-7 pounds. 11 hours for a normal size butt is a on the faster side, but not fast.
 
If you hadn't said you verified the internal temp with another probe I would have guessed you had the probe on the bone. I've done fresh Ham in 9hrs but never that fast for a butt.
Congratulations I guess but....How are you gonna plan for the next one?
 
Well I have a gasser and most of smokes on butts have been in the hour per pound range. I usually run between to 230 and 250. Let rest for 4 hours then pull.
 
Since you said "butts", I am assuming you had two pieces roughly totalling 11 pounds. If that's the case, 11 hours for a 5.5 pound roast is normal. You estimate hours-per-pound by the weight of the individual piece, rather than the total of all pieces.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Doug D:
Since you said "butts", I am assuming you had two pieces roughly totalling 11 pounds. If that's the case, 11 hours for a 5.5 pound roast is normal. You estimate hours-per-pound by the weight of the individual piece, rather than the total of all pieces. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

18 lbs in cryovac, one was about 11, one was about 7.

Planning for the next cook, I will definitely light fewer coals, and have the vents open just a sliver. That, or try to figure out how to use the blanket as more of a "wind block" and less of a "jacket".
 
Once at a contest I had an 8 lb butt take 55 min per pound. The 8 lb butt next to it took 1.5 hours per pound. They were from the same supplier and were put on at the same time and side by side on the same grate! I was told by the team next to me that this happens to them about once per season. Beats me why this happens, but ut has only happened to me once. Regards.
 
If it tasted like the slow roasted, but just had a little more fat left over, are you going to keep doing them at the higher temps? I used to do mine at 225, but tried some higher temp smokes so I could get them done in time for work, and saw no difference in the results, other than the extra little bit of fat to take care of when pulling.
I just did 2 butts for work last week, and the temps only got to 180 on the one, 183 on the other. They rested for 4 hours. The guys at work said they were the best ones I had brought in. Go figure lol. Had a probe in each one, double checked with the Thermopen. They pulled just fine, and were very moist. Two boneless, total weight was around 18 pounds, so they were nice size. Temps were 265 at the lid.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob T.:
If it tasted like the slow roasted, but just had a little more fat left over, are you going to keep doing them at the higher temps? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bob - it tasted great, the only problem I have is that 10-12 hours of cooking is a bit of a conundrum - too short for an overnighter, and a bit too long to get up early in the morning and have done for dinner. If I had some small butts (5 lbs or so), I would think about a same-day cook, but the cryovacs I've been getting typically have one close to 10 lbs, and one in the 7-8 lb range. This 11 lb'er was a big guy, but not too far from what I usually get.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">the only problem I have is that 10-12 hours of cooking is a bit of a conundrum - too short for an overnighter, and a bit too long to get up early in the morning and have done for dinner. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I feel the same. I did a cook not long ago (I mentioned it in a post somewhere but I cannot find it) where, as I recall, the lowest temps were ~275 and much of the cook was ~300 (these temps are grate level). The butt was large enough to go through a halfway decent plateau in the 160s but it wasn't quite long enough to allow me to avoid significant fat removal when pulling. The meat was tasty though. I prefer a somewhat slow climb to grate temps of ~265 and then a reduction in cook temp to stretch the time a bit and allow more rendering. That I can do mid-late morning which pushes the finish closer to when I'd like it to be.
 
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