Smoking 2- 8.3lb Boston Butts

[awfireman]

Hi Folks,

I will be smoking 2 -8.3lb Butts on my Grilla Alpha pellet smoker. I have never smoked B. Butts before (experience with ribs, brisket and chicken) so looking for some recommendations for running temps and estimated cook times. I want to eat around 2pm on the 4th and planned on running my smoker around 260. How long do you think the smoke will take? I plan be wrapping at the stall to decrease cook time. Also, I read a lot about smoking butts @ 225...any benefit to running this low vs. 260ish? My main concern, if I plan on eating around 2pm, is when I need to start smoking. I have 20 guests coming and told them we would be eating around 2pm. Thanks for any advice.

-Fireman

 

[DougE]

Best advice I have is get them cooked and pulled tomorrow, and reheat on the 4th. It'll make your life a whole lot easier, and nobody eating it will know it was cooked ahead. And I generally run at 275° for butts and brisket. There's nothing to be gained by running at 225°.

 

[chopsaw]

Doug has you covered . Cook ahead and reheat for sure .

 

[DougE]

And I generally run at 275° for butts and brisket. There's nothing to be gained by running at 225°.

Let me add to that. If you're cooking on a pellet grill, run the first couple hours at the lowest setting to maximize smoke flavor, then bump it on up to 275°. Once you have hit the stall, and wrapped it, you can push it up to 300° or so.

 

[DougE]

Another option:

Fillet of Pork Butt

So lately I’ve been boning out butts or buying boneless and filleting out the meat to about 1 1/2” thick then season and smoke. In this way I get substantially more surface area for seasoning and smoke. I’m cooking these in my offset rolling at 250-275F and getting probe tender in about 4-5...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Pork butts are very forgiving. You should have no issue running even at 275*. if your planning on eating at 2 I would defiantly cook the day before. If you have a vacuum sealer. You can cook it the day before, pull it and vacuum seal it, then Heat it up the next day in the bag with boiling water. I think pulled pork tastes better the next day anyway. If you don’t have a vacuum sealer you can pull it the day before also and just keep it in Tupperware and reheat with some of jj’s (rest in peace bbq genius) finishing sauce mixed in. To this day I have done. probably 30-40 pork butts and use his recipe for finishing sauce no matter when I eat it. Link will be posted below. But if your looking to cook it the same day and eat at 2pm I’d plan to have it on the smoker at 3am and wrap it at 160* ish and let it rest in a cooler wrapped in towels as long as you can. I use to go by the 225* for pork butts but honestly now I usually run them hotter and the only difference I’ve noticed is that it takes less time. Happy 4th and be sure to post pics.