My first butt have questions.

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binnesman

Meat Mopper
Original poster
SMF Premier Member
May 23, 2021
180
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I am doing two butts about 8.5 lbs each on my new Camp Chef for my second smoke first was ribs turned out great. I am trying to have them ready by 5pm so was planning on trying to get them done by 2 pm so I can have a 3hr rest. I was planning on doing them on the high smoke setting on the Camp Chef Pellet smoker which is an average temp between 210 to 225 according to instructions till I reach the stall and nice color around 160 then plain on wrapping in foil and cranking heat to 225 till around 190 and then will start to poke for tendernes. When do you think I should start these butts so family not yelling at me to get them done was thinking 5:30 in morning. Any suggestions be great thanks.
 
If you want dinner at 5 with a 3 hr rest I'd start them the night before. Many usually do PP the day before they actually want to eat it. In my opinion PP is better if you let it sit and the flavors comingle in the fridge for a day or so before eating. I have done PP many times, and the only time I smoked it the same day I ate it was the first time. Big mistake. Butts can be stubborn and timing it for dinner is really tough. Especially your first time doing PP, you will feel under the gun to hit your mark if you tell people dinner is at 5.

My advice is to do them the day before. If you are planning a dinner for a Sunday, smoke them on Saturday. Then you can be patient and let them take as long as they need, and you'll probably have a better end product if you let it sit in your fridge until dinner time Sunday.

I just did a shoulder Saturday evening into Sunday morning that is for a party next weekend. Smoked, pulled, and seasoned yesterday - then threw it in the freezer. Will reheat and sauce next Sunday.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your PP! Make sure you post pics.
 
Welcome to the forum! There are many ways to smoke a butt and all will produce good eats! Butts are about the most forgiving meat one can smoke. See one method in the sig below.
 
Thanks but unable to do that since this was last minute and family coming over Tuesday may start earlier then may have to do a 12 am start and go low and slow all the way. If I do that at lower temps I don’t have to take it to 205 just watch tenderness. What’s the best way to keep them if they get done early?
 
At work so trying to type to fast but I won’t have to go to 205 is what I meant to say correct?
 
I'd make sure to go above 200 at a minimum, I like to got to ~203 and probe tender all over. If they get done early you can foil and keep in a cooler, cover with towels - it'll stay hot a while. You can also pull it and then hold at a safe temp in the oven.
 
My advice is to do them the day before. If you are planning a dinner for a Sunday smoke them on Saturday. Then you can be patient and let them take as long as they need, and you'll probably have a better end product if you let it sit in your fridge until dinner time Sunday.
 
If you try for the day of smoke, I'd increase the temp a bit. I usually go 275 and then wrap at 160 like you planned. Then I think you'll have to kick the temp higher to get the long rest time. Good luck, let us know the results.
 
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You're probably gonna need to shoot for 300-325*F to get them done in ~8hrs. Another option would be to piece them/slice them into 2-3lb pieces.

FWIW, I smoked a ~2lb butt chunk yesterday, 7hrs total cook time at ~250*F, last hour of that wrapped, and I finished the last 30min in the oven (still wrapped) at 325*F. It is not cut-and-dry, your butt wouldn't take anywhere near 4x that time (at ~250*F), but it may very well take 2x that.

I would consider throwing it in the oven and increasing the temp when you wrap it
 
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I try to always allow 3-4 hrs of wiggle room just in case. It it finishes early that =more(better) rest time for the juices to mingle !
 
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May just start a midnight and go to bed till 6 wake up once to give it a spray. I use a good thermaworks thermometer so I will set it for 160. If they get done early I will keep them in a cooler wrapped in a blanket. Wife gets mad she says I pay more attention too the meat then I do her 🤣😂🤣
 
I am doing two butts about 8.5 lbs each on my new Camp Chef for my second smoke first was ribs turned out great. I am trying to have them ready by 5pm so was planning on trying to get them done by 2 pm so I can have a 3hr rest. I was planning on doing them on the high smoke setting on the Camp Chef Pellet smoker which is an average temp between 210 to 225 according to instructions till I reach the stall and nice color around 160 then plain on wrapping in foil and cranking heat to 225 till around 190 and then will start to poke for tendernes. When do you think I should start these butts so family not yelling at me to get them done was thinking 5:30 in morning. Any suggestions be great thanks.

Hi there and welcome!!!

In my smoker with a steady 275F smoker temp and I don't wrap, it takes me a little over an hour a pound. My experience is that two 8.5 butts may not take over 16 hrs but it will definitely take more than 9 hours.
I personally would plan for about a 17hr smoke at 275F in my smoker (again I don't wrap but I installed a convection fan).

If you want to eat at 5pm I would start 20hrs before (again I would do 275F) you plan to eat so you get your 3-hr rest time. If you plan to do 225F and lower you will have to extend your time out a good amount and I don't know what that time will be.
If you finish 4-6hrs early then awesome, tightly double wrap in foil. Then tightly wrap in 3 bath towels and set on the table/counter until time to serve. They will absolutely be piping/steaming hot when you are ready to serve.

If you finish way way early then do I as I mentioned and additionally put them in a cooler.
Alternatively you can tightly double wrap in foil and hold in the oven set to 160F oven temp but again I would only do this if I had to hold for like 6+hrs and didn't want to go the cooler route.

Pull and serve when read to eat.

Finally, pork butts, briskets, and ribs don't care what smoker temp you use as long as you are not burning the meat. I personally would abandon the 225F max smoker temp you are looking for and go way up since you are timeline sensitive. If you finish early you have ways to hold the meat. If you finish late... people may stab you with forks and knives and never come over for BBQ again hahaha.

I hope this info helps :)
 
Binnesman,
This will be my first post on this site, but man do I love smoking Pork Shoulders. Your plan to cook at 210 to 225 will have that 8 plus pound shoulder taken 15 to 20 hours to cook. Pork Shoulders can handle the higher heat. If you want to start the morning of and get it started 5 am ish (and that is the smoker is set, ready to go, meat prepped, and on the smoke around 5 am) and have it ready for a 5 pm dinner, then you want to keep your smoker at minimum temps of 275 to 300. You will want to make sure you foil wrap at 160 ish and once wrapped you will want to turn the heat up above 300, between 300 and 325 and let it go until 190 to195 and start to see if it is probe tender. This method has consistently placed my cook times between 8 and 10 hours (with one taking less and one taken more time). Quick note on Pork Shoulder tenderness, you may be worried that you will pull it too late and it will dry out, but actually if you pull to early it will still be tough because you need that time and temps for the fat to breakdown into goodness. It is that fat being fully broken down that gives pulled pork it's "juiciness" and "tenderness".
If you want to keep your smoke at lower temps, I think you will want to plan an over night cook start about 20 to 24 hours before the goal of dinner. Even if you go this route I still would not have the smoker any lower than 225, shooting for 235 with a window of 10 degrees plus or minus (i.e. 225 to 245) for me is as low as I will go.
If you have a cooler with towels, a Pork Shoulder can stay in that thing hot for HOURS!!! So I always air on the side of being done early rather than pushing it too close.
If you have heard and read all about this next item please disregard, but also make sure you are ready for the stall. The stall happens around that 160 internal temp mark and this is when you have cooked the meat to the point where it can start to break that fat down. If you are cooking at 225 that stall is going to be significantly longer and I mean significantly long than if you are cooking at a higher temp and/or if you wrap. The higher heat and the foil speed up this process tremendously. Make sure you are ready for this both in the time management and psychological. I know this seems funny, but you will be there and the cook will be going good and then it hits 161 and has only moved to 164 in 3 hours what is wrong?!?!?!?! Nothing! And even though I know this is coming, it still can freak me out, and makes me think something is wrong. Again, foil and higher heat greatly lessens this experience, but it is at it peak when cooking at 225!
Now make sure to keep some leftovers for yourself for the next day, because I 100% agree pulled pork is absolutely better the day(s) after it has been smoked.
Good Luck,
Mike
 
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My advice is to do them the day before. If you are planning a dinner for a Sunday smoke them on Saturday. Then you can be patient and let them take as long as they need, and you'll probably have a better end product if you let it sit in your fridge until dinner time Sunday.
If you're going to straight up copy/paste what I typed, at least like the original post! lol
 
Swiller did you wrap once you hit the stall?
 
What’s the best way to keep them if they get done early?
Keep it wrapped in the foil, place it in a cooler with one or two large towel on the bottom and one or two large towels on top. Wrap in up, close it and don't open it until about a half hour before you are ready to start pulling. This creates a homemade Cambro. This works really really well!
 
0 for 2 on spelling :emoji_laughing:

No wrap. I go for really dark bark and also opening up/taking out/foiling is gonna slow down the cook.
 
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