Recent Pork Butt Success

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husker3in4

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Feb 24, 2015
215
24
Ive been smoking butts for several years, but recently had added success, really by accident! Earlier this spring I was smoking a butt that was taking way too long to reach temp. The smoker read 250, but I was questioning weather or not it was that hot inside the smoker. I was running out of time so I wrapped the butt in several layers of foil and put it in the oven at 275 for a couple of hours until it hit temp. I let it rest for an hour before shredding/chopping. It was the best butt Ive ever had. I was so amazed I talked a friend of mine into trying it. I had to talk him into it because while he loves smoked food, he hasnt eaten  pulled pork for years because to him it looks like cadaver meat, haha. I took some to his house and the next day he said he and his wife tried it and it was the best he had ever had.

So for the last 3 times I have made butt (including this past weekend) I have done it this way. I leave it in the smoker with plenty of smoke going (AMNPS w/apple pellets) for 6 hrs or so, then wrap it with several layers of foil, put it on a cookie sheet and basically bake it at 275 until it hits 200. If it wont be eaten for a few hours I wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler (holds for up to 8 more hours!) or I will just let it rest on the counter for an hour, still wrapped.

Ive always been a guy who likes to "set it and forget it", letting the MES do all the work. But Ive been converted.

I rub it down with plain yellow mustard before using my own blend of a KC style rub, then stick it in the smoker.

The only issue ive had is the meat probe stopped working late into the smoke, I had to remove it to put a manual thermometer into the hole to get the temp, but wasnt smart enough to put the meat probe back in to plug the hole before wrapping in towels to rest and it seemed that alot of the juices leaked out. Do you guys keep your probe inserted no matter what, until its time to shred?
 
I don't understand why you just didn't crank the MES up to 275 instead of putting it in the oven.

Your MES is just like an oven, only it has a chip tray & it's outside.

Yes I keep the probe in the meat until it cools down.

Either way I'm very happy to hear you have perfected your PP.

Al
 
The point being is that I wrapped the butt instead of letting it sit in the smoker (unwrapped) the entire time. It only takes the smoke in for so long anyway. Finishing it in the oven is more of a convenience thing, as long as its not in the middle of summer.

Do you guys wrap yours at all?

Here I thought I might be smoking it at too high temperature at 250, I never thought of 275 the whole time.

I can say I love the Amazn smoker tray alot better once I got the mailbox mod hooked up. It never goes out and burns thru the 2 rows I fill it with.
 
I've been running my smoker anywhere from 285-325 when doing butts now. Same results as the lower temps, just takes less time.

I prefer to not wrap as we like really good bark.
 
I cook my butts at 240 until the stall and then wrap and crank the temp all the way up to 250    
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  until I get an IT of 205.  I'm never in that big a hurry so I don't smoke at the higher temps.  Just my personal preference.

Gary
 
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