Overnight Butt Cook

[nymjk]

So...first time butt (8 pounder) went on last Saturday @ 5:30 a.m.  Silly me thought that @ 1.5 hours/lb it would come off at 5:30 p.m., rest for an hour and a half and be ready to pull and eat @ 7ish.  Came off @ 10:30 p.m. when IT reached (finally!) 195F.  Waited an hour to pull it and refrigerated for Sunday dinner.  The Boss was very happy.  Whew!

But I want to be smarter this time.  What I want do is put it on from about 8 PM til midnight under smoke in the 225F - 235F range; hopefully, it should be @ 150F IT.  The plan is to pan and foil it into the oven set at 200F, then off to bed.  Figured that I will pull it from the oven when it reaches 195F or so IT.  I can bump the temp back to 225F in the morning depending on where it is at then.  Once it is at temp, it can go on to the grill off-set at 225F or so to dry out the bark, say for about an hour.  Then re-wrap, towel, and rest for 2 - 4 hours in a cambro.  Then pull. 

Thoughts?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

What kind of smoker are you using and what type of thermometers are you using?

I would smoke it the entire time in the smoker.  Putting it in and letting it ride in the smoker even with worst case scenario starting at 8 you should be done by noon or one. Also try taking it to an internal temp of 205* the fat renders out better. I actually prefer to do day smokes on butts a day or two in advance of when I am serving. I put them on around 5am and I am usually pulling them by 8pm. I typically run my smoker at 265* and apply smoke the entire time, no foiling until they hit 205* and then its pull off foiled and rest for at least a hour before pulling.  I put the pulled pork into a foil pan apply my finishing sauce and into the fridge to meld. Re-heat in a 200* oven covered, serve. IMHO pulled pork is better after it has rested and had time to meld with the other flavors. This also removes the stress involved when serving for large gatherings.

 

[chef jimmyj]

At 225-235*F a Butt will take a min of 2 hrs/lb. Your choice to put it in a 150*F is not really necessary. Even if you chose not to run the smoker overnight or your smoker needs to be constantly monitored or fed fuel, the optimum Oven temp would be 200*F. This will finish the cook safely, without over cooking and give the bark you desire. There would be no further messing around needed...JJ

 

[nymjk]

dirtsailor,

First, thanks so much for the advice. I do like the idea of letting it ride all the way up to 205F nekked, as that will give me the best possible bark.  

To your questions: I'm using a Landmann propane unit, the one with the two drawers under the cooking chamber.  That's why I'm afraid to let it run overnight unattended.  Also have the Mav ET732, which wold ordinarily give me the proper alarm if the flame goes out but I'm not at all confident that the signal will reach to my bedroom.

Plus, there is what I call the Boss Factor.  Hey, I KNOW who gives the order around here, and it ain't me. At least I get to go to work and have people listen to me there.  

ChefJimmy,

Forgive me but I'm unclear as to what you are saying: pull the butt from the cooker @ 150F and finish it all the way in the oven @ 200F?  then just wrap and rest?  and I'll get bark I'm looking for?

I mean, heck, I'm game.  I'll give it a try and see what I wind up with; how bad can it be?

 

[chef jimmyj]

YEP! Once you get amount of smoke you want or need some sleep and need to shut down the smoker, go in the oven. 200-225*F in an Oven will give just as much Bark as the smoker just less smoke compared to smoking it the entire time. When it comes to bark it is all about temp and time. It don't matter what heating unit you use to get there...JJ

 

[nymjk]

Ok, I'm in!  Thanks for the advice.  One other thought: when in the oven, do I wrap the butt (or pan and cover with foil as I like to do) in a braise or continue without any covering (on a sheet pan)?

 

[chef jimmyj]

I usually use a disposable pan uncovered. The meat will still be rendering Fat and Juices. You need something to catch them. Also unless you have a convection oven the higher rack placement will give a better bark...JJ

 

[nymjk]

Will do. Thanks again.  Do you recommend convection or just plain bake and let it go?

 

[themule69]

I'm late to the party. It will work fine in convection or regular oven.

Looking forward to see some Qview

Happy smoken.

David

 

[chef jimmyj]

Convection would be my first choice but as the Mule pointed out, either will get the job done...JJ

 

[nymjk]

I'll give it a try next weekend when we get home and post pix.

Thanks again.