Pork butt and spares...question on timing

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chs4

Newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2012
15
11
Dracut, MA
Received my Smokin-It Model #2 yesterday and will be christening it this weekend with a butt for pulled pork and a couple racks of spare ribs.  Have not purchased the meat yet, but will probably be looking at a 7.5-8lb. butt.  Would like to have all ready for dinner around 5pm Sunday night.  

Based on that I figure the butt should go on around 11pm Saturday.  Since I'm cooking to temp and not time I'm going to plan for 2 hrs/lb to be sure it's done in time, which means 14-16 hours of cook time plus a couple hours to rest should put me right around my 5pm goal.

Ribs will be 3-2-1, so the plan is to throw them on around 10am so that I can pull and rest them for a bit.

When I put the ribs on at 10am I'm going to need to add wood...I assume this won't be a problem since by then the butt will have absorbed about all the smoke it's going to take anyway...correct?  I don't want to "oversmoke" the butt.  Would I be better off starting the butt earlier on Saturday so that it reaches IT before the ribs need to go on, and cooler the butt for several hours until the ribs are done? (pulling right before serving)

I realize this is an inexact science and there are many variables that can't even be accounted for until I'm actually into the smoke and see how things are progressing, but I would appreciate any and all comments and suggestions nonetheless.

Thanks!

Q-View to follow... 
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chs,

Actually your timing and methods sound pretty spot on. Butts have a lot of leeway and are very forgiving when cooking, so I think your plan is well within the spectrum of success.

To address your main concern, no you will not oversmoke the butt when adding new wood for the ribs. In my novice days, I would smoke a butt for the whole cook time. I went through a lot of wood, but I guess in hindsight the compliments always seemed a little heavier then. In any case, nowadays I smoke for half the time, simply to save on wood chunks/chips, but for yours, don't worry you won't hurt it by smoking it twice.

As for the rest, sounds like you got it! When the butt is done, wrap it in foil, throw an old towel in a cooler, drop in the butt, the cover with another towel. Close the lid. Will keep for hours like this. Pull and serve when ready.
 
Thanks for the reply and for helping me confirm that I'll be actually putting into practice the many hours I've spent pouring over these forums.  :)  I'll be sure to post updates and the required Q-View over the weekend.  This first smoke could be a resounding success or an utter failure, but either way I'll take notes and learn a thing or two!
 
No problem. You will be fine. It takes a lot of negligence to make a pork butt a failure. While I agree a brisket would be challenging for a novice, I actually think pork butt is one of the easiest things to smoke for newbies.
 
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What ever number of hours you calculate for the butt add 2-3 to CYA...Goofy stuff happens and you don't need hungry people giving you the Stink Eye because the Butt ran over. The Cooler trick will keep the Butt hot for about 5 hours...JJ
 
What ever number of hours you calculate for the butt add 2-3 to CYA...Goofy stuff happens and you don't need hungry people giving you the Stink Eye because the Butt ran over. The Cooler trick will keep the Butt hot for about 5 hours...JJ
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  I was going to suggest the same thing.  You can never tell with a butt, they tend to have minds of their own. 

If you are worried about too much smoke, you could always foil the butt once the IT reaches about 165*.  This will also speed up the cook time somewhat, and if you wanted, after it was foiled it could finish in the oven.
 
Wanted to circle back with a little update.

Picked up a bone-in 7-3/4lb butt and a couple racks of spare ribs last night.  I'm going to put the butt on at 10:00pm Saturday night which should give me more than enough leeway should it go long.  I'll wrap it and cooler it until the ribs are about done, then pull it shortly before serving around 5:00pm Sunday.

Fingers crossed for a good maiden smoke.  I'll start another thread to document the weekend.  Should be interesting!
 
Wanted to circle back with a little update.

Picked up a bone-in 7-3/4lb butt and a couple racks of spare ribs last night.  I'm going to put the butt on at 10:00pm Saturday night which should give me more than enough leeway should it go long.  I'll wrap it and cooler it until the ribs are about done, then pull it shortly before serving around 5:00pm Sunday.

Fingers crossed for a good maiden smoke.  I'll start another thread to document the weekend.  Should be interesting!
I'll be watchin' for that thread...Good Luck!! 
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