How long does smoke need to be present??

[id2nv2nj2ca]

I am currently smoking two bone-in Boston butts using my MES 40 and Amazen pellet smoker in a mailbox mod on the outside of my smoker.

Obviously, I want the smoke flavor when it's time to eat.  I also want it to be as juicy as it is tender when it hits 200 IT, so I am contemplating just having them in the smoker taking smoke for four hours (making sure the IT hits 140 at that time) and then putting them both in an aluminum pan and finishing them in the oven with all the juices not dripping away.

Thoughts?  

Does the smoke keep penetrating the meat after so many hours, or does it just look good coming out of the chimney? 

Will they finish getting to 200 IT faster than usual being in the covered pan in the oven vs just finishing the process in the smoker?

Am I nuts? 

 

 

[talls6]

Nope you are not nuts.

From what I can find there are a couple theories on meat and how long smoke will penetrate. I am sure someone will come along and break it down for us, but here is my experiance. I have also done what you contemplated. I will start my butts, ribs, etc on the smoker, let them smoke at a desired temp for either 3-5 hours. I then pull them off and finish in my oven, which happens to have a convection roast setting. It is helpful when I won't have the overall time to monitor a fire/smoker and gives just a bit more control at the finish line. I find the smoke flavor transfers very will to the final product. With the Pork butts you should have to worry about them drying out since they are typically have a lot of fat to keep them moist during the cooking process.

I hope this helped a little bit. For me it is what works.

Darren

 

[id2nv2nj2ca]

Nope you are not nuts.

From what I can find there are a couple theories on meat and how long smoke will penetrate. I am sure someone will come along and break it down for us, but here is my experiance. I have also done what you contemplated. I will start my butts, ribs, etc on the smoker, let them smoke at a desired temp for either 3-5 hours. I then pull them off and finish in my oven, which happens to have a convection roast setting. It is helpful when I won't have the overall time to monitor a fire/smoker and gives just a bit more control at the finish line. I find the smoke flavor transfers very will to the final product. With the Pork butts you should have to worry about them drying out since they are typically have a lot of fat to keep them moist during the cooking process.

I hope this helped a little bit. For me it is what works.

Darren

Thanks Darren.  Appreciate the feedback. :)

 

[drewed]

They are your butt, do with it what you like.  I have been known to finish butt in the over because of a time crunch.  You can also foil the butt and put it back in the MES. 

-OR- you can just let it go in the MES, perhaps with a pan under them to collect juices and keep the smoke going.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I smoke my butts un-foiled the entire time in the smoker on the grate. Never had a dry one in 20 years.