Posted: 5/4/2015 9:56:39 PM EDT
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This is not a dinner pic thread, but more of a smoke thread. I was at Costco and saw they had pork butt for sale. I picked up a 14 pounder for around $29.99 and stopped by Sportsman's Warehouse for some applewood chips. I searched the archives for pork butt recipes and cooking methods for several days. Having never smoked a pork butt I was looking forward to it after reading all the threads on ARFcom and some of the advice and photos on a couple of BBQing sites. I rubbed the pork in mustard and applied Famous Dave's Pork Rub. I sealed it in a vacuumed sealed bag and put it in the refrigerator for 2 days. Yesterday at 8:30 pm I loaded the pork butt into the smoker and set it on 215 degrees for 20 hours. I had to keep adding water and a couple of times the water pan was dry when I checked. I was shooting for an internal temp, as recommended by numerous people, of 205 degrees. After all this time I could only get the internal temp up to 172 degrees. As I had people coming over to try out the pulled pork, I decided to take it out and let it rest for about and hour and a half. In retrospect, I would have allowed more time for cooking so I could get to the 205 degree mark. At 172 degrees, the pork pulled apart, but it wasn't like a falling off the bone tenderness. It was still very good. So, here is my first time smoking one of these things. Any advice or tips is appreciated as this was my maiden voyage. Out of the smoker and wrapped up  After resting in a cooler for 1.5 hours, it's on the counter  Peel the towel away  Pork goodness  Pulled apart fairly easy..  |
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Quoted: Oh yea. OP, so what kind of sauce will be added? Quoted: Quoted: I would like to eat that. All of that. OP, so what kind of sauce will be added? I looked in the pantry and I had Stubbs and Sweet Baby Rays. I'll have to work on a BBQ sauce recipe next time. |
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185 is the temp to shoot for, not 205. Everything else looked great though except your smoke temp. You want to smoke at 225 and I think the 10 degree difference over the 20hr is why you were only able to get to 170s. You did better than my first attempt, great job. And keep in mind 1.5 hr per lb at 225 for butt.
ETA: NJ on the feaux cambro for an hour. That is an important step and missed by many |
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Quoted:
I looked in the pantry and I had Stubbs and Sweet Baby Rays. I'll have to work on a BBQ sauce recipe next time. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would like to eat that. All of that. OP, so what kind of sauce will be added? I looked in the pantry and I had Stubbs and Sweet Baby Rays. I'll have to work on a BBQ sauce recipe next time. pork needs a mustard based sauce |
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Agree. 215 is too low, 250 is a good temp to shoot for in the smoker.
Check water pan more frequently. If you're at a temp plateau and really in a pickle for time, foil it and throw it back on the smoker. 
I don't bother measuring meat temps any more. Just smoke until the shoulder blade feels right. Wiggley, jiggly, but a little firm. 
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Quoted: 185 is the temp to shoot for, not 205. Everything else looked great though except your smoke temp. You want to smoke at 225 and I think the 10 degree difference over the 20hr is why you were only able to get to 170s. You did better than my first attempt, great job. And keep in mind 1.5 hr per lb at 225 for butt. Thanks! |
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Quoted:
I read in the archives that some people smoke at the higher temps and they claim it didn't make a difference. Quoted:
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215 degrees seems like a pretty low temp to me. I do about 250 to 275 I read in the archives that some people smoke at the higher temps and they claim it didn't make a difference. Really you want the smoke temp as close to the final product temp as you can. But it takes much longer for it to reach that temp and most people don't have 20 hours to dick around cooking 215 is fine so long as the internal temps are good |
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Quoted: 185 is the temp to shoot for, not 205. Everything else looked great though except your smoke temp. You want to smoke at 225 and I think the 10 degree difference over the 20hr is why you were only able to get to 170s. You did better than my first attempt, great job. And keep in mind 1.5 hr per lb at 225 for butt. ETA: NJ on the feaux cambro for an hour. That is an important step and missed by many I don't know what this means. Explain it for the noob please  |
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Pork butt is loaded with fat, and as a result is crazy forgiving. 275-300 is fine. I cannot fathom a pork butt worth waiting 20 hours for. 275-300 gets it done in 8 hours. As for final temp, I aim for 205, but don't cry a single tear when it only makes 195-200. |
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Quoted: I had it out on the counter for about 20 minutes, but I didn't know about bringing it to room temp. Quoted: Quoted: You also don't say but take the pork butt out of the fridge a few hours prior to smoking and let it come to room temp be for putting it on the smoker I had it out on the counter for about 20 minutes, but I didn't know about bringing it to room temp. It doesn't speed cooking. It just allows bacteria to grow like mad. Sure, the cooking kills it all, but with no benefit why would anyone want a several pound Germ factory in their house. |
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Quoted:
pork needs a mustard vinegar based sauce Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I would like to eat that. All of that. OP, so what kind of sauce will be added? I looked in the pantry and I had Stubbs and Sweet Baby Rays. I'll have to work on a BBQ sauce recipe next time. pork needs a mustard vinegar based sauce Fixt
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What kind of smoker are you using? If it is a Weber Smokey Mountain type, with the built in water pan, do yourself a favor and ditch the water and wrap the pan in foil for ease of cleanup. Water adds no real moisture, as if pork butt even needed it, and doesn't control temp any better than tending a good fire. |
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Quoted: I don't know what this means. Explain it for the noob please Quoted: Quoted: 185 is the temp to shoot for, not 205. Everything else looked great though except your smoke temp. You want to smoke at 225 and I think the 10 degree difference over the 20hr is why you were only able to get to 170s. You did better than my first attempt, great job. And keep in mind 1.5 hr per lb at 225 for butt. ETA: NJ on the feaux cambro for an hour. That is an important step and missed by many I don't know what this means. Explain it for the noob please Cambris are used to hold hot food in commercial kitchens. They cost a crap ton, and are basically coolers with a door on the front in order to slide hotel pans in and out. It is common among BBQ fans to rest meat wrapped in foil and aa towel in a cooler to allow the meat to rest in a moist, warm environment. I don't do it, but it is one of the BBQ tips commonly offered that I have no problem with. In particular, it is a useful technique for smoking for a meal. Aim to be done a few hours early, and let it rest. If it isn't going well, you've got yourself an extra two hours to get your smoke done. It buys time. |