First butt on the MES

[olered]

Hey guys how ya doing just got a 40 inch MES with window over the weekend. Going to try for some pulled pork this weekend. Thinking of doing two butts around 7 pounds or so each. Question is when should I start? I read about an hour and a half per pound so around 11 hours or 190 IT. Should I start the night before or start really early the day of the smoke? How accurate is the probe on the MES? Already ordered a Maverick, but thought I might as well use the one on the MES. Thanks guys headed to Roll Call now.

 

[fourthwind]

If your going to pull them you want to go 195° to 205° internal.. check your probe with boiling water before trusting it. 212° at sea level and minus about 2° per thousand feet in altitude. Should give you a ballpark figure. Your on track with the cook time. I get up at 5 AM and get the MES warming up. I run mine about 245° for pork shoulders. While the MES is warming up, I get the roast out and let it start coming to room temp, and usually add a little more rub. At 6 AM I put the roast in and start smoking! Be careful not to add too much wood at once in the MES. always leave the vent wide open during the smoke. Keep adding small handfulls of wet wood until you hit 140° internal on the roast. Look forward to the Qview!

 

[olered]

Ok guys got two butts smoking away. Both about 7 pounds been in there for 3.5 hours one is 133 the other is 127. I hope they don't cook too fast got the temp at 215. Will the temps slow down here pretty soon?

 

[ecto1]

There gonna slow down you may or may not get a stall nut they will definatly slow down after you hit 150. I find my temp in the MES if about 15 degrees off.

 

[rdknb]

yeah you want them to get to 140 in less the 4 hours. If they cook faster then you want wrap in foil and a towel and place in a cooler. they will stay warm for hours

 

[olered]

Low and slow I'm at 165 on both of them hope to be eating at 7:30 y'all see that possible?

 

[olered]

Well I pulled them both at 180 and let them rest for about 30 minutes. I know I should have gone to 200, but everybody was starving. It was pretty chewy and I wasn't real crazy about the rub I used. Everybody seemed to enjoy it though, but to me it wasn't up to par. Oh well I guess there is always next weekend. Snapped a couple of pics this morning I will post later.

 

[skillet]

I couldn't agree more with RdKnB. I've got the exact same smoker, but just two weeks longer. Done pork butt in the past and been in the same spot you've been in. Hungry people and meat not quite where you want it to be.

Here's what I've found out, pulled is the easiest to do the day before, or over night. The only problem with over night is get up every hour to keep the smoke going.

Last time I did butts, I set my temp at 250*, my MES windowed 40" runs about 20-30 lower than what it's says. I've checked it with three different probes. So you really need to check it independently of setting.

If you're looking for that sliced pork then yeah go to 185* nice and slow, that may take 12-15 hours or longer.

I do mine to 200 (even to 205) but after they hit 165* I wrap them, and leave the temp alone and wait for them to hit 200. Then double wrap them in HD foil and put them in a cooler with lots of towels. Last time I got there in under 11 hours.

Then I went to bed and got them out at 9 hours later, still almost too hot to hold on too, and I will tell you they were the most juicy and tender butts I've smoked.

It's just what I do... and will keep doing. Just don't give up...

Here's one of my rubs (all measurements are approximate, change to your liking)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2-3 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp CBP
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp thyme powder
2 tsp sage
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp rosemary