Smoke time for two half butts

[chad43]

I usually smoke an 8 pound boneless butt at 225 - 235 for 1.5 - 2 hours per pound and have had great results. My family cannot agree on which type of rub to use for the next one so I'm thinking of cutting it in half and smoking two 4 pound butts. Logically, it would seem like smoking two 4 pound butts should take half as long as smoking one 8 pound butt. Has anyone ever smoked two smaller butts at the same time who can share their experience as to how the smaller sizes affected the cook time?

Thanks!

 

[bdawg]

There's a great thread on here somewhere that someone else did (not me) that talks about how cook time should be based on thickness, not weight.

Found it!

How Long to Cook Brisket Or Misconception of the 1 to 1.5 hours per pound rule

It has been a long time since I posted this, we have a lot of Newbies and Folks Confused and Scared of Briskets This should help and useful How Long to Cook Brisket Or...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Hope this helps you figure out the time.
If it was me, as an estimate for planning purposes, I'd figure that it should only take roughly about 2/3 the time overall due to the smaller "radius" of the 2 halves vs. the 1 whole butt, but would rely on my thermometer to know exactly when to pull them.

 

[chad43]

There's a great thread on here somewhere that someone else did (not me) that talks about how cook time should be based on thickness, not weight.

Found it!

How Long to Cook Brisket Or Misconception of the 1 to 1.5 hours per pound rule

It has been a long time since I posted this, we have a lot of Newbies and Folks Confused and Scared of Briskets This should help and useful How Long to Cook Brisket Or...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

Hope this helps you figure out the time.
If it was me, as an estimate for planning purposes, I'd figure that it should only take roughly about 2/3 the time overall due to the smaller "radius" of the 2 halves vs. the 1 whole butt, but would rely on my thermometer to know exactly when to pull them.

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

 

[mfatty500]

A little off topic, when you wrap, does it have to be Peach colored butcher paper, or is white paper sufficient? I only ask because I use white for other purposes, that are not cooking related, therefore I have it on hand. And what would the difference be? Sorry, I meant to put this in the beef/brisket topic forum
Thanks!

 

[Hamdrew]

C chad43

You also need to take into account how you are splitting it. The blade bone end where the loin starts is much leaner than the opposite. deboning and then splitting it lengthwise (the way the blade bone runs) may be your best option for closest cook time/evenness. Then, you need to decide whether you are going to roll/tie them, or lay them out like a slab.

In any case, you have a good opportunity to learn a few things with this cook- take advantage of it!

 

[912smoker]

Hers's a great video from Jeff on the subject