Boston butt 4# HELP!!!

[bobank03]

I use the Maverick ET-732 and I wouldn't run a smoker without it

 

[jmgreen]

Glad it worked out. All the advice above was spot on. Don't feel bad about using the oven. When I have to have butts and/or shoulders done by a certain time, I'll smoke them for 8 - 10 hours and then cover with foil, pour in a little beer and stick it in the oven. I'll also do them the day before just so I can pull the pork on the day of the feast. Happy eating.

 

[kennyp1114]

My MES30 sat at 225. Meats been in the smoker for 6hrs now. IT is @170. Looking to pull pork. IT should be 195-200. Right?

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I read in the in the Smoke and Spice book that it will stay around 161 degrees about 5 hours before spiking and that's exactly what mine did.

 

[kennyp1114]

Still sitting a tad over 170. Should I be concerned? 7.5hrs smoke.

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It tooke mine 12 hours at 220.

 

[worktogthr]

Turn up the heat... as high as your MES will go.
IMHO cooking at 225° is not worth the aggravation it causes.

I've learned from Cliff and agree whole heartedly! I had the same nightmares at 225. So now for the last year it so I have done all my butts around 300 with smoke the whole time and they come out great. No stall, no need to wrap, predictable at about an hour a pound and incredibly crispy candy bark. I've only done a couple in my MES but I am one of the lucky ones whose MES runs hot so my 275 according to the MES is actually 300 or thereabouts. Get a good therm and crank that baby up as high as it goes!

 

[kennyp1114]

I've learned from Cliff and agree whole heartedly! I had the same nightmares at 225. So now for the last year it so I have done all my butts around 300 with smoke the whole time and they come out great. No stall, no need to wrap, predictable at about an hour a pound and incredibly crispy candy bark. I've only done a couple in my MES but I am one of the lucky ones whose MES runs hot so my 275 according to the MES is actually 300 or thereabouts. Get a good therm and crank that baby up as high as it goes!

I've learned from Cliff and agree whole heartedly! I had the same nightmares at 225. So now for the last year it so I have done all my butts around 300 with smoke the whole time and they come out great. No stall, no need to wrap, predictable at about an hour a pound and incredibly crispy candy bark. I've only done a couple in my MES but I am one of the lucky ones whose MES runs hot so my 275 according to the MES is actually 300 or thereabouts. Get a good therm and crank that baby up as high as it goes!

What temp should i smoke a butt? I started at 225, but when it stalled i went to 270. It was black as a meteor but taste awesome. Total time was around 12 hrs. Thanks a lot, i don't know what i'd do without you folks! This is an awesome forum and Jeff's book is great.

 

[worktogthr]

What temp should i smoke a butt? I started at 225, but when it stalled i went to 270. It was black as a meteor but taste awesome. Total time was around 12 hrs. Thanks a lot, i don't know what i'd do without you folks! This is an awesome forum and Jeff's book is great.

What temp to smoke a butt at is all a matter of opinion. I have done it at 225, 250, 275, 300 and all numbers in between and have had good results with all of them. Try it a few different ways and see what you like. Me personally, 300 works because it's faster and more predictable which is important to me since I don't always have 15-20 hours when I want good bbq. If you want to stick to low and slow, I suggest cutting the butt in half. Cuts down significantly on time and you can even use two different rubs for some variety. I do that all the time. As long as you have thin blue smoke, doesn't matter how long it cooks or if it's at 225 or 300, you will get a juicy tasty butt. Black is not a bad thing. Check out most of pulled pork threads in this site and you'll see black bark everywhere! Good luck and enjoy the results.

 

[kennyp1114]

Great suggestion! I've been grilling my whole life, but started smoking a little when i had a cheap brinkman. I received the MES in the middle of Nov. and have been smoking a lot. My favorite is spare ribs, but i could never cook them right until i got a smoker. I made up for all the ribs i couldn't cook...hahaha