smokin pork butts

beefy bill · May 22, 2015

I'll make one and eat it every day till its gone, the flavor gets better every day...

papabear7 · May 22, 2015

Thanks guys, I just read to foil to temp as it makes it more tender. Should I "shoot" liquids rubs in it tonight and have it sit overnight?

lawdawg72 · May 22, 2015

Smokin-Q said:
Put it in early, I have had them take 3 hours per pound. No need to foil, take it to internal temp of around 203* or when the bone gets very loose. IMHO, better bark without foiling.

lawdawg72 · May 22, 2015

I put mine in between 225 and 235 smoked it for 12 to 13-hrs. Internal temp got to about 170 to 180 then I wrapped them in foil until the temp got to 200 I took them out and they came out great.

james gordon · May 22, 2015

Smoking 6 Butts for An event tomorrow.This is 3 hours in. INT temp 120 on the one in the middle.How am I doin guys?

lawdawg72 · May 22, 2015

I think your doing ok. Im not a pro I do is simply because I love it. Remember slow and low thats what you want. I just done 8 butts and it took me three and a half days but I was only smoking two butts per smoking session at the above temps and times on my previous posts.I only have a Bradley six rack electric smoker.

papabear7 · May 22, 2015

lawdawg72 said:
I put mine in between 225 and 235 smoked it for 12 to 13-hrs. Internal temp got to about 170 to 180 then I wrapped them in foil until the temp got to 200 I took them out and they came out great.

What time to weight ration are you using? Mine is 6 lb butt bone in.

lawdawg72 · May 22, 2015

mine was between 9 to 10 lbs bone in.

lawdawg72 · May 22, 2015

PapaBear7 thats also fat side down.

dlwoody · Jul 27, 2015

Thanks for the pics on this thread guys. I just followed the process on the pork sticky of this forum with a few tweaks and the pork butt I did this weekend turned out fantastic. The following was my process:

- 12 hours pre-smoke - rinsed and patted dry. Rubbed with mustard and then rubbed generously with Memphis BBQ Company ultimate rub.(This stuff is awesome on ribs and butt)

- Sealed in plastic wrap and overnight in the fridge.

IMG_4953.JPG

dlwoody
Jul 27, 2015

- One hour pre-smoke - inject with a mixture of apple juice and brown sugar.

- On to the Lang 36" at 225 for the long haul. (Fat cap down) Sprayed down with apple juice mixture every hour.

- Several hours in:

IMG_4954.JPG

dlwoody
Jul 27, 2015

- I didn't mark the time that it hit 160 but it was probably about the 4th or 5th hour. Pulled it, wrapped in foil and dumped 8 to 12 oz of apple juice in with the butt.

- The butt plateaued at 172 for a while, probably 30 minutes or an hour.

- Pulled it when it hit 200 and let it rest in the foil for a little over an hour.

- Pulled it and tried not to eat it all while pulling it.

IMG_4957.JPG

dlwoody
Jul 27, 2015

- Finished with the Finishing Sauce recommended by SoFlaQuer

Thanks for the tips: meowey (Basic Pulled Pork Smoke found in the Pork Sticky) and SoFlaQuer for the Finishing Sauce also in the Pork Sticky.

twoalpha · Jul 27, 2015

DL

Nice looking butt on the Lang. Been thinking abouit a Lang. Did it hold steady on the temp? How often did you need to add fuel?

Larry

dlwoody · Jul 27, 2015

Thanks Larry. The Lang is a pro, I am not. This was my second official solo smoke and I have to say that starting my smoking with a Lang has been a blessing. This pit is three years old and I got it from a friend who has smoked regularly on it and was selling to upgrade to a 60" trailer based model to be able to compete. After my first smoke my comment to him was "this thing already knows what to do I pretty much just need to feed the fire and get out of the way". Of course, that's not exactly true but the Lang seems to be very consistent so far. I'm still on the learning curve of fire management with the Lang but the second time through was considerably better than the first. The first smoke I used charcoal to start and then fed it charcoal again halfway through to supplement. The second time I used charcoal only at the first and then wood all the way through. I would say it burns about a stick an hour depending on the size of the stick. I've discovered that if I start my fire deep in the box (closest to the body) it gives me plenty of room to begin working sticks into the box slowly to allow them to produce smoke, char up and then become fuel and embers without ever producing too much heat or smoke. It's kind of like a conveyor belt in the box. I usually have one log on the fire and one log near the door being prepared to be on the fire later. The box on the Lang is wide enough to accommodate normal length sticks sitting crossways at the door. If my temps ever rise too much and I can't control them by shutting down the dampers, I just pull the fire back a little in the box and that seems to do the trick. I also stack my wood on top of the fire box when I first build my fire and that gets the wood hot and ready to go into the box. This last smoke I even had some wood on top start smoldering and smoking!

Are you thinking of buying one new or used?

David

rc4u · Jul 27, 2015

I am doing j4 butts today and wondering jhow many wrap them at when...I did not wrap last two and they were good..jeff

dlwoody · Jul 27, 2015

I wrap them based on temp not time. I wrap at 160 in a heavy duty foil and dump about 8 or 10 ounces of an apple juice/brown sugar mixture in with them to braise the meat during the final stages of the cook. The one I cooked this weekend plateaued at 172 for a while after I wrapped it but then it began to climb again until it hit 200. It was super moist and tender. In all, it was on the pit for 10 hours.

David

thegreatmc · Jul 28, 2015

I don't wrap because I'm lazy. Smoking relaxes me and is about the only relaxation I have had this summer. I eliminate every step I possibly can. Rub the meat the night before, build a fire, stick it on, and drink a beer.

dlwoody · Jul 28, 2015

Thanks for the reply TheGreatMC. I can appreciate your desire to keep it simple.

Honestly I'm not sure how much benefit there is to the foil wrap on pork butts.. I think when used in the second half of your cooking cycle it probably aids in retaining moisture in the meat. Some say the bark isn't as good if you wrap the meat. Personally I thought the bark I got was great and the meat was super moist so I will continue to wrap meat. I think a lot of the benefit from foil wrapping is a function of the thickness of the cut. A good example might be the 11 lb brisket I did recently where the flat and the point differed in thickness by a fair margin. I wrapped it at the 5 hour mark without considering the temp and removed it at 195 after about 8 hours. The result was the slices were more dry at the edge of the flat and increased in moisture until they were quite nice under the point. Of course the fat content is higher in that area but the meat was also thicker there which held the moisture in better. I'm convinced that it would have been equally moist at the edge of the flat if I had wrapped it a little earlier in the smoke.

TheGreatMC, do you foil wrap brisket or any other cuts?

David

thegreatmc · Jul 28, 2015

Never done brisket. I don't foil ribs. Just throw them on for 5 to 6 hours and I know they're done by the bend. I have a remote thermometer and use it for a general idea but I don't pull any meat based on temp except Fatties. Pork butts/picnics I pull when the bone slides out.

Back to foil, I do wrap after the meat is done so it can rest. That's it. I'm an engineer turned math teacher and have a tendency to overthink things. Smoking is my way to shut that part of my brain down and relax. Remember, BBQ has been around for hundreds of years. They didn't have the technology then and still made great food.

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