Getting ready for our end of summer bbq- 20lbs of Pork Butt- all at once?

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meddling kids

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Mar 14, 2011
176
13
Pasadena, MD
I will update these as I go along. We are having a yard completion/end of summer BBQ this weekend with about 40 guests. Yes, it took me all summer and then some to totally redo my yard. So first, a picture of the new back yard and new patio:

9a4f5bc1_yard.jpg


Now a Qpreview:

d3f3ea87_porkbutt.jpg


So I'm going to do all three of these pork butts. They are boneless (only ones available around here.) and about 7 lbs each. I want to do all three of these on my MES 30 but I've only done one at a time before. Any tips? Should I try to do them all at once of should I do each one separately? I have until Sunday at 4 to get them all done but I am also doing two or three briskets and 7 lbs of smoked bratwurst like these:

9021eb84_smokedbrats.jpg


So, any tips for the best way to do this? I just don't want to ruin a bunch of good meat by trying to take the easy way out and do them all at once.
 
Never done butts but I would do them all at once, if your smoker can fit them.
 
They will all fit inside but I'm not sure about how they will cook being at different levels in the smoker since mine is a fridge style smoker with the heating element down at the bottom.
 
You can do all the butts at once. The main thing is don't keep opening the door to look at them.

With that much meat in there the recovery time will be a lot longer each time you open the door.

They may take a little longer to cook than just 1 butt, but not much.

I would get the MES as hot as you can before you put them in, then back the temp down, also start with hot water in the pan.

Good luck!
 
1 butt or 10 butts, the smoker doesnt know the difference.. Just make sure "when" you open the door get all your temp readings as fast as you can.. And the Back Yard looks Great.. Good job on the Re-do
 
So far so good- tossed the butts in around 7:30pm and they are cooking away. I forgot to take a picture of #3 but here is a picture of two of them at the 5 hour mark. Current temp is 139. Just foiled for overnight and I will pull them out in the morning.

4843d4f4_butt1.jpg
a1f81d00_butt2.jpg
 
All done. Took about 21 hours to reach 195. Turned out super tender and tasty.

2c797540_done.jpg


Don't mind my taste there haha,

Here it is pulled:

e0692ab6_pulled.jpg
 
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