1st Pork Butt Questions (now with Qview)

[danlambskin]

need some advice from the experts

smoking a 9 lb pork shoulder/butt this Sunday...I was assuming 1 hr/lb but after some research I see it can be up to 1.5/lb

any idea which one it tends to be closer to?  FWIW I don't have the best smoker (offset smoker/grill combo) but I can generally get it in the 225-250F range and keep it there

also we'll only have 8-10 people, so I'm guessing that's more than enough pork...was thinking of maybe cutting it in half and just doing 5 lbs for a shorter cook time and then freezing the rest for another day down the road...any issues with this?  would a 5 lb butt be enough for that many people?

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

I'm no expert but I'll give ya my opinion on this subject ! To answer the first question, you'll be lookin closer to 1.5 a pound for a butt.... Ya gotta factor in the stall & if ya choose to let it go or wrap it ! If ya can as ya say keep the smoker consistently round 225-250 * that's great & will work awesome ! The last thing is with a butt, your gonna lose 40-45% if not a little more with your smoke, so I'd say just plan on your final product after smoking & pulling.... You'll end up with bout half of what ya started with cause you'll lose some more as ya pull it with getting the waste outta there as well ! By waste, I mean there are gonna be pieces as ya pull it that you'll wanna not eat, not much but a little ! I assume you'll have sides and snacks so that's up to you if ya think 5 lbs is enough for everyone, but yes I have froze it before and it's been just fine ! Just my 2 cents here, hope it helps !

Oh, one more important thing.... Maybe the most important is leaving a few hours for the butt to rest between getting it off the smoker & pulling it !

 

[raykar]

WaterinHoleBrew is spot on. I will brine my shoulder overnight using molasses, sea salt, pepper, sliced lemons and oranges, apple cider vinegar and water. Mix and boil concoction then let cool. Once it is cooled put all in a large ziplock bag and place it in a cooler with ice overnight. In the morning, take it out, pat dry and get ready for your rub. You can use either a mustard or olive oil base. Apply your rub then set aside. Get your coals stoked and your wood chunks/logs chopped and ready. 

I will smoke it fat side up (lots of discussion with this) for 3 hours then flipped it over. Total smoke time maybe 6-7 hours. Then I wrap it foil and stick it back in the smoker for another 2 hours. Your temp prior to wrapping should be at least 160deg. I find wrapping gets it through the stall. After this I prep my cooler by filling it with the hottest water you can get. Let the cooler sit with this hot water for about 20 minutes. Dump water and now your cooler is ready for the crutch. Take your wrapped shoulder and keep it all together and wrap in a towel. Place towel wrapped foil wrapped shoulder in your cooler to rest for 90 minutes. 

After an hour mix up your sauce and then get ready to pull the most delicious shoulder your friends will ever taste. Here is my full recipe. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/smoked-pork-shoulder-232387/

Enjoy, have fun and keep experimenting!

Ray

 

[seenred]

Hello DanLambskin,

You're getting good advice from the guys...I'll add only one thing.  It's hard to gauge the appetites of your guests...especially after they get a taste of your wonderful BBQ!  I know my Q is always a big hit, and my guests will always eat more than anticipated.  I would advise cooking the entire butt to make sure there is plenty.  You can still vac seal the leftovers and freeze for another day.  I usually keep a supply of frozen pulled pork in the freezer like this so we can enjoy any time, and it reheats very nicely.

Good luck!  Be sure to post some qview and let us know how it turns out!  

Red

 

[danlambskin]

so far so good...I got it on around 4:30 this morning (fat side up) and flipped it over around 7:30 (2nd picture).  using some beechwood for the smoke

fire is staying in the 250 degree range and it looks like the meat is up to 140 or so last I checked a few minutes ago

photo 1.JPG

• danlambskin
• Jun 15, 2014

photo 2.JPG

• danlambskin
• Jun 15, 2014