Pork Butt Questions 2nd smoke ever

[tmoney]

I am very new the the world of BBQ. I am going to be attemping my second smoke ever.  Last time i did a 9# butt and it disappeared very quickly once i got it to the dinner table.  This time i would like to do two 9-10# butts.  Does the 1.5 hour per pound rule apply to the total weight (20# = 30 hours of cook time) or does it apply per butt (10# each to so 15 hours of cook time.)  I know you can't rush good BBQ, but i want to know what time i need to get the butts on so that we can eat at a decent time.

Thanks for the help!!!!

 

[dumbwhiteperson]

It is just per butt, not total weight :)

 

[bruno994]

DWP is correct, each piece cooks independently.  Now, the size of your smoker can play apart in the time factor as well.  More mass of cold meat, may take more time for the smoker to rebound from the sudden burst of cold mass, but a simple higher preheat can take some of this out of play.

 

[seenred]

DWP and Bruno have you covered...just remember that times are estimates, and that if you are serving guests you should plan what Chef JJ calls "CYA" time.  The more meat you put in the cooker, the more CYA time you may need.  Its always best to have it done early...butts can rest in an ice chest for hours before serving.  And every butt seems to have a mind of its own.  The old adage, "its done when its done" definitely applies to smoking a butt.  There have been times when I smoked 2 butts at the same time and had one squat in the stall for hours while the other powered through.  This is a good reason to have accurate meat probes monitoring both butts' IT.

Good luck, and please post some Qview so we can drool!

Red

 

[tmoney]

Thanks everyone!  I have the Char-griller duo with the side firebox attachment.  It held the heat pretty well on my first smoke, but I will just plan on getting my starting temp a bit higher before I put these butts on.  Originally I was going to get up very early (like 2 or 3 AM) and get the butts on the grill, but I think now i will try to get them on by midnight the night before and have them done early.  Like you said they can rest in the cooler until we are ready to eat. 

Thanks again!

Tmoney

 

[pgsmoker64]

The guys got it right!  Though I would figure 2 hours per pound just to be safe, so at 225 you are looking at about 18 hours for a 9# butt.

Last time I cooked butts I cranked up the temp to 275 and it took less than 10 hours!

Good luck,

Bill

 

[snorkelinggirl]

Personally, I think that smoked food tastes better after resting for a day or two in the refrigerator. I've had great results with smoking my butts up to a week in advance, pulling them while warm after resting for an hour or so, and then reheating the pulled pork with finishing sauce when you are ready to serve it.  This also makes entertaining much less stressful.

Enjoy this addictive new hobby!

Clarissa