Pork Butt Timing Question

[viper12161]

Hey folks,

Looking to smoke a butt to make some pulled pork for my wife's Bday party. Her party is about 3pm on Saturday.....trying to figure out if I should smoke it Friday and then shred it on Saturday....or make it Saturday. It's about 8lbs so I'm figuring on about 9 hours to cook. I'm a little worried doing it Saturday and then it not being done in time. Thoughts from the more experienced? Should I just suck it up, and get going for like 6 am Saturday morning?

 

[Drevnick]

I plan on 2hrs per lb. The last one I did was 9lbs and took 16hrs. Every piece of meat is different. When it is done, wrap it and place it in a cooler. It will stay nice and warm for hours.

 

[Nole4L]

Considering it's a party I would probably cook it late on Friday. I hate trying to time a cook. What works for me is to cook it with PLENTY of time to spare and then wrapping it in foil and towels and placing it in a cooler. You'll be surprised how hot it stays. I'd probably do that then shred it, put it in an aluminum pan and put it back in the smoker to warm, etc before guests get there. Starting a 9 hour cook at 6 and hoping I timed it perfect would be too much stress for me. Bonus is you can "pull it off the smoker" when your guests are there.

 

[viper12161]

That's exactly what I'm worried about. If I make it Friday, I'm assuming I can't let it sit in the cooler overnight. So if I shred and put in fridge, how long do you think I need to reheat in smoker later? Should I add wood when reheating it or just use the charcoal briquettes?

 

[motolife313]

Day before will make it much easier. I did 9 pounds in 10.5 hours last Sunday at 250-275 in my stick burner. That’s with putting the meat on the grill then lighting the fire

 

[Bearcarver]

Considering it's a party I would probably cook it late on Friday. I hate trying to time a cook. What works for me is to cook it with PLENTY of time to spare and then wrapping it in foil and towels and placing it in a cooler. You'll be surprised how hot it stays. I'd probably do that then shred it, put it in an aluminum pan and put it back in the smoker to warm, etc before guests get there. Starting a 9 hour cook at 6 and hoping I timed it perfect would be too much stress for me. Bonus is you can "pull it off the smoker" when your guests are there.

I agree with Nole,
I'd plan on getting it done between 1 and 4 or 5 hours early. Then into a cooler with towels until time to Pull it. It should stay above 140° that way. And you don't want to let it cool off before you Pull it. Pulls much better while it's hot.

Bear

 

[hardcookin]

You don't mention what temp your smoking at or what type of smoker your using.
You could smoke it on Friday. Myself I like pulling the butt after it is done. Then put it in a pan with some of the lean dripping. Put it in the fridge overnight and then reheat Saturday with a little apple juice.

Or you could get it on by 5am Sat. Smoke it at 275 - pan and cover @ 170 - finish smoking until you have good bone wiggle." Usually around 200-205" That should be cutting it close.

 

[viper12161]

Sorry...using a Charbroil Pro smoker and was planning on 250. I'm really leaning towards the friday. This way it can go as long as needed and I'm not freaking out lol. It's a surprise party so I have enough crap to deal with Saturday. I like the apple juice idea...how long do you usually reheat it for?

 

[motolife313]

I’d pulled apart couple hours after then toss it in the fridge. Put it on a baking sheet and spread it out and put the oven on 400 or so and it won’t take long stirring it up as you go to cook even. Maybe 20 minutes if that, I do it on broil myself and start it in the microwave for a minute then put it in the oven. I only cook for a few peeps tho. I use bbq sauce mixed in after it’s warm so it mixes good. Pulled pork butt is the most forgiving piece of meat

 

[JC in GB]

I would do it Friday, pull it, reserve some of the jus and reheat it covered in the oven with some of the jus.

 

[Jonok]

Stick it in Friday night after supper and check it in the morning. If it’s done, pull it and stick it in a crock pot on warm. Add some apple juice (or one of the suggested finishing sauces) if you need to keep it warm for more than a couple hours. It will stay delish for hours.
If it’s not done, crank the temp a bit and check again in an hour or two.

 

[hardcookin]

Sorry...using a Charbroil Pro smoker and was planning on 250. I'm really leaning towards the friday. This way it can go as long as needed and I'm not freaking out lol. It's a surprise party so I have enough crap to deal with Saturday. I like the apple juice idea...how long do you usually reheat it for?

You could put put it in the oven@300 or crock pot an check it every 30 minutes. I would think about an hour or 1.5 hours. I usually warm to 140.

 

[Jonok]

If it’s really in a smoker that is really at 250, it really weighs 7-10 pounds, and you really leave it in there without screwing around with it, it REALLY (and for sure) will be done in 12 hours....

The apple juice is just to keep it from drying out if you need to keep it warm for a few hours. I can assure you that it will be cooked if the above criteria have been met...