Pulled pork for the lazy man

[bassman]

You can do it about any way you want. A friend of mine does pork butts for 2 hours on the smoker, 1 hour on the grill and finish in the pressure cooker

Not saying it's right, just that it's how he does it.

 

[zug]

Thanks everyone I never figuered this would get so much attention, but I am glad to learn there is some time saving ideas here. Don't get me wrong I love to do this from start to finish on the smokers just some times the time is not there.

/Bow to everyone Thanks

Zug

 

[rons]

Interesting thread!

Can I do a quick temp hijack and ask a question on these exact lines?

First a quick rewind in time: Before I got my smoker, we always did pork roasts in the oven. Take a roasting pan, I'd put beef broth, onion, garlic, etc. in the juice and cook em till they were falling apart. Came out totally awesome. When I got my smoker a few weeks ago, I was having trouble getting the temps up (hadn't done the mods yet) so I cooked one on there for like 7 hours, still was only 140 F so we were hungry I said screw it and took it off the smoker, put it in a roaster with juice and seasonings in the oven and finished it. Came out awesome.

Now my question. Could a person use like a foil pan with no lid of course, put juice and stuff in it, but yet cook it on the smoker? Would the coals and wood smoke still 'get in' the roast just from it being in there, or does that have to drift from the bottom of the roast?

 

[ronp]

My standard method is this.

I usually sear on the Weber gas for a bit. Then into the smoker.
6 - 7 hours smoke at 225' with a drip pan below with some aujus and a few thinly sliced onions usually the temps are in the 160's. After that I put the meat in the pan and foil at 190' - 200' and go to bed. In the morning the bone is crying to be pulled and the meat can be seperated with a fork. If I didn't have the MES I would use the oven for the finish.

Works for me and has never been mushy.

 

[teleburst]

There's no problem with cooking at air temps up to 350 for the first 4 hours as long as you've taken the butt directly from the 'fridge. It doesn't dry out the outer layers before in inside is done. However, I wouldn't continue to cook at that temp after the 4 hour mark. At 4 hours, it's just starting to caramelize and blacken parts of the outside. Bark formation is just really getting started, even at 350.

However, it doesn't really speed things up that much. It just makes it easier not to worry about temperature spikes, especially if you're trying to cook on a Weber kettle as I do. I usually find that it still takes around 1.5 hrs per lb and sometimes it takes closer to 2. Depends on the butt.

One thing you can do if you'd like is to do what I did one day when I ended up having to go to work before a butt was finished. The butt was still only at around 170 and I had to be away for 8-9 hrs. I ended up foiling it and setting my oven at 175 (I think - maybe it was 170). When I got home, the butt was a tick over 200 and it was just fine. I guess there was a cumulative effect, although it seems counter-intuitive to someone not deeply versed in the laws of physics. You could cook the butt until it hits the plateau and then just stick it in the oven overnight at 170 while you sleep. Even if it's not quite done when you wake up, you could then crank it up to 220 to finish it.

Not sure about the details now, but I wrote about this in an earlier post. If time is your enemy, at least turn it to your advantage and slow it down to the point where you can safely leave it.

 

[teleburst]

Agreed. My standard temp for a 22 in. Weber kettle is about 350 for about an hour and a half before it starts to drop to the 250 -275 range. I then hit it with some fresh coals which drives the temps back up. I usually do this one more time before I take it to the oven (I hardly ever have the time to fuss with the Weber for 10 hours.

I don't worry about it being too hot, but I do put a fridge-cold butt on. This might make a difference in terms of using high heat. I don't not bring it to room temps first for safety reasons, but for convenience. But I don't think it hurts not to take chances with bringing meat to room temperature.

 

[alx]

I have done this alot with 3-5 pound brisket flats.You could use roast etc.I would smoke it few hours-without foil pan- then add liquid(on brisket i use low sodium beef broth,onions etc.) to a foil pan and cook until desired internal.This is similiar to braising and if you cover foil pan will speed up process and i believe tenderize tough cuts.I then make gravy from whats in pan.I use more wood when using foil pan to get more smoke into meat before putting in foil pan.

 

[rons]

oh ok, so smoke open first, then pan with juice, I'll try that, thanks

 

[firewillie77]

Im new to smoking and loving it, but you smoke until the temp hits 165 and then foil it up and throw it back in smoker until its 195? Wanna make sure Im understanding that correctly. Thanks

 

[ddave]

Yep.

Put some liquid in the foil. Most people use apple juice and eithr Captain Morgan Spice Rum or Jack Daniels.

Here's a thread with more detail.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=57139

Give it a try. You will love it!

Dave

 

[travcoman45]

Buy a smaller butt an smoke it at 250*. This is BBQ, done in a smoker, yall will like it mo better!

 

[teleburst]

It really doesn't make much, if any, difference in the end product.

It's not like people are recommending cooking it in a microwave. It's still BBQ whether you move it to an oven or cook it initially at high temperatures.

And yes, the higher temps work with 5 lb butts as well as 9 lb butts.

 

[travcoman45]

High temperture = BBQ? Ifin yall say so. High temperture generally says Grillin in these parts. Low an slow fer our Q, but ta each there own.

 

[teleburst]

Grilling to me means cooking a thinner piece of meat at direct high temps. Technically, cooking at 350 is roasting, but it doesn't seem to matter much. Looking at pictures of butts at 4 hours on smokers at 225 - 250 that have been posted here, the butts that I've done at 350 (indirect of course) look virtually the same at that point. And when they're finished at a lower temperature, they end up the same as Q that I've eaten using the 250 and no more method. It's still low and slow for the last half and the cook time isn't all that much different. I think the key is putting the butt on right out of a 37 degree 'fridge.

Like I say, it's not so much about speeding things up but not freaking out if the temps climb over 250. I think people put too much stock on keeping the temp at a constant lower temp. It's not a problem if you're using an electric smoker that can keep a constant temp but when you're using charcoal or wood, it can make life a lot easier knowing that you don't have to waste a lot of time and fuel trying to keep the temp at some arbitrary low temp. Heck, if you really want to go low and slow, as I said, you can actually go 170 for 8 hours after you've hit the butt with high temps. The butt has so much mass, you're not going to "overcook" it anytime soon, especially if the core temp is 37 degrees. And I've found that the outside doesn't overcook either.

But kudos for anyone that wants to keep it at 225 or 250. Fire management can be a big part of the fun. The thing is, it's just not necessarily necessary (if you catch my drift). When you use a Weber kettle, it's a lot of fuss over nothing because the temps will only hold steady for about an hour - then you've got to refresh the coals and open the hood and lose a lot of the heat that you already have. Plus, when you refresh the coals, I find that if you put the lid back on, even a small amount of new coals will kick the temps up to 300+. Then you've got to fiddle with the lid and all that. Too much drama when it's not really necessary.

For those who have nice big Lang rigs or any other larger unit, it's probably easier to keep a constant temp, so those folks don't need to worry about it. But for those of us who have smaller units, I say, hit it with whatever heat you've got for 4 hours because I've found that it doesn't really make any difference. Of course, it only stays at 350 for an hour and then it starts to drop. I usually don't refresh the coals until it hits between 200 - 225 so it's not llike I'm cooking at 350 the whole time. But at least I don't have to remove the lid or peek or anything. I only have to open it twice so it gets the full effect of the smoking.

Sorry for being typically too wordy...

 

[morkdach]

what he said i put it on and take it out when its done 225° for as long as it takes. no need to hurry .

 

[firewillie77]

Thanks DDave will give it a shot next time I smoke a butt

 

[mikey]

OF course, if you are a propane or electric smoker, I guess you can set it and forget it, but that's a whole other argument that I will chose never to get into ;-)

If it was that easy, everybody would be doin' it.

 

[capt dan]

Now I have my own opinions about how to correctly smoke pork butts,and they do NOT include crock pots, pressure cookers, or microwaves. You can save that stuff for "Betty Crocker, inovative cooking". If you are in a hurry to have genuine BBQ , hire it done or buy it. It's not an On demand type of product. It takes plans and effort to make good Q, starting with the type and quality of meat.I smoke my butts at a higher heat than most as high as 280 at times. Its all about what works for you and what taste you like, and what type of cooker you have.
I will say this though, and this isn't directed at anyone in particular, or meant in a negative manner, but there is no way an over at 170 will produce an internal temp of 200 an any amount of days or weeks. Sorry, aint buyin that!

I would suggest that your oven runs hotter than its dial says.

To the original author, I would suggest taking a day that you can plan on having 10-12 hrs of free time, maybe do some yard work or things around the house too, and fill your smoker to capacity and store and freeze what you can't eat in 3-4 days, then it will be available for the days you want it quick and easy. We all do that alot. fill that baby up. The butts are always better when they are cooking in company.