First overnight smoke - pork shoulder

[b-one]

Looks tasty, as your pit temp gets closer to your meat temp the cooking slows down give it more heat to finish if needed. My first butt was cooked on a gasser and I kept the temp down it took forever a late lunch turned into a 8:30-9:00 dinner.

 

[johnny b]

Reading this is making me nervous about the #18 butt I am cooking Saturday for my sister and how long it is going to take.  How long did you have it in by the end?

 

[smokesontuesday]

 
Reading this is making me nervous about the #18 butt I am cooking Saturday for my sister and how long it is going to take.  How long did you have it in by the end?

I'd split that into two 9 pounders and cook it at 275 or so. You're probably still looking at a 12-15 hour cook that way though.

 

[johnny b]

 
I'd split that into two 9 pounders and cook it at 275 or so. You're probably still looking at a 12-15 hour cook that way though.

I debated doing that, thank you for the tip!

 

[johnmeyer]

 
Reading this is making me nervous about the #18 butt I am cooking Saturday for my sister and how long it is going to take.  How long did you have it in by the end?

There is no hard and fast rule because there are so many variables: the weight of the meat; the cut of the meat (how thin or fat); the amount of fat; whether you inject it; the type of smoker you use; the temperature at which you smoke, and more.

On my MES 30 Gen 1, at 240 degrees, if I start at 7:00 in the morning, I usually hit the stall at about 2:00 p.m. In the several butts I have smoked, I have never gotten past  the stall in time for dinner, so I wrap the butt which is 100% guaranteed to beat the stall. It usually takes about three hours after the wrap before the meat is over 200 degrees (i.e., "finished").

So, if you need to have the meat finished by a certain time, and remembering that you ideally want it to rest (most people do this in a cooler) for at least an hour after you pull it from the smoker (so juices get reabsorbed), you can subtract four hours from the time at which you want to begin pulling the meat, and foil it at that time. This takes a lot of guesswork out of the cook. The only downside is that the bark will be softer.