Question about cooking time

[mplsbrewer]

So I picked up a cheap pork shoulder and it is the picnic cut with the bone in it.  Pretty new to this whole process but I think I have the basics done to pull this off and I've read an hour and half per pound of meat.  Mine is about 5.5lbs but has the bone in it still.  Do you cook it based off of that weight or try to estimate the bone weight and subtract.  I know I need to cook it as long as it takes to reach the correct IT but I'm just thinking for planning the day tomorrow.

 

[s2k9k]

I don't think you subtract the weight of the bone because it has to get hot too. !.5 hrs/lb is about right but I would add 2 hrs to that just as a cushion in case of a long stall. It is really hard to estimate times since they all cook differently. If it gets done early you can wrap in foil and put it in a cooler with some towels and it will stay hot for hours, but if it gets done late then you have hungry people staring at you!

 

[chef jimmyj]

I just did a 5.5 Lb Butt yesterday took 11 hours 15 minutes to get to 200*F. I kept the smoker between 225 and 235*F but did not Foil. Rested 30 mins and pulled it. 80% was fall apart tender but not mushy. There was one muscle group the size of a baseball that was very firm and could be pulled but was a struggle. The bulk of the fat had rendered and the Bark was the best I ever had. The whole deal could probably have stood another 30 minutes and a few degree climb before resting and pulling. I have totally abandoned the 1.5hr/lb guideline. I have not had one go under 2hr/lb ever...JJ

 

[oldschoolbbq]

I agree with you Jimmy, however (being anal as I am) , I figure 1.5/hr. and add time for stalls , this keeps me from opening my Smoker any more than I have to...

.

They tend to fall apart  when the bone comes out...

Have fun and...

 

[cliffcarter]

If you can keep your cooker around the 265°-275° range you should be able to get that 5.5lb done in about 5-6 hours, more or less, IMHO. If you want to be bold try to keep as close to 300° as you can and you will be done in 5 hours(or maybe less).

 

[nickyb]

Yeah I honestly want to find the guy that started the 1.5 hr and kick him in the shins.  I normally have it for at least 2 hr/lb if not a little more.  So yeah I agree with JimmyJ on the throwing 1.5 hr/lb out the window.  Unless you run consistently over 250 and more in the 265-275 range.  But I am a fan of low and slow and have even started experimenting with running it at 215.

Edit:  Just to note I am joking some people do get the 1.5 hr but I never seem to have.  I wouldn't actually kick anyone in the shins either... well not for that at least

 

[ecto1]

You can not cook to time unless you are talking ribs.  You cook to temp plain and simple.

 

[nickyb]

You can not cook to time unless you are talking ribs.  You cook to temp plain and simple.

We all now this and the OP even stated this but there are rough guide lines for cooking. I can reliably count on two hours per pound the way I do it. As we know there are some that finish quick and some that take longer.

 

[rtbbq2]

I find that each butt or shoulder is different depending on the amount of fat, how often you open the lid etc. They usually go 11-14 hours for me. Seems like the 6 pounders take as long as the 8 pound butts. The last two I did, the smaller butt took longer than the larger one...1-1/2 hours is a good gauge but God bless the almighty temp gauge....

 

[cliffcarter]

You can not cook to time unless you are talking ribs.  You cook to temp plain and simple.

I published times only ,figuring that cooking to pullable temperature is a given. Everyone that cooks regularly has a time frame established from experience and uses that as a guide to know when to check for doneness. I usually decide when my butts are done by the way the meat resists the insertion of the temp probe rather than the actual meat temp. I have had pullable pork at temps as low as 182° , although the 190°-195° range is more common.

 

[roller]

The only time that I think about time when smoking anything but ribs is WHAT TIME OF DAY I WILL START !!!!!