Smoking Three Butts At Once

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MO311fan

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 16, 2020
2
1
Hello All,

I have been smoking meats for a few years now, butt am trying something I have never tried before.
My son’s school is hosting a speech & debate tournament on Saturday, and I volunteered to bring in some smoked pork. I bought three butts, one six pound and two that are five pounds. Butt I’m not sure what to expect for a cook time.
I am using a Masterbuilt that runs on propane. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
 
time will vary on every pork butt you ever cook, but the time should only vary a little if you cook 1 or 15. If the pit temp is maintained with no wild swings due to how much cold meat you add then the same time it takes you to cook 1 will be the same as 3, but cook them to temp and each one will vary on how long it takes to get to the temp 198-205 target range that should be target range. Butts are very forgiving so if one gets pulled and wrapped and rested in a cooler an hour longer then the next one, not a big deal.

Hope this helps
 
I figure the total time based on the heaviest Butt. The smaller two would typically finish sooner. At 225, I figure 2 hours per pound plus a 2 hour cushion in case something goes wrong or the meat is stubborn. Use the IT as a guide to start probing for tenderness. Best play is to smoke the meat ahead, bag it and refer for up to 3-4 days or freeze if longer. Reheat and Hold it Hot, a big Crock Pot will work or Walmart Disposable Chafing Pan over simmering water...JJ
 
As long as you arrange the butts so there is room for heat to circulate around the butts, about the biggest factor you will have to account for is recovery time. That being the time your smoker takes to get back to your target temp after putting 16# of cold meat on. You might want to get the smoker 30° hotter than your target temp then after 30 or 40 minutes dial it back to where you want to cook.
 
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Hello All,

I have been smoking meats for a few years now, butt am trying something I have never tried before.
My son’s school is hosting a speech & debate tournament on Saturday, and I volunteered to bring in some smoked pork. I bought three butts, one six pound and two that are five pounds. Butt I’m not sure what to expect for a cook time.
I am using a Masterbuilt that runs on propane. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Hi there and welcome!

I find that at a constant smoker temp of 275F that pork butts (and briskets) take a little over an hour a pound. So if you load up 20 pounds of pork butt then expect a little over 20hrs a pound.

As suggested give yourself a good cushion of time to finish by. I always plan my cooks to finish 4-5 hours before time to eat. I usually hit this right on and I take the meat and wrap in 2 layers of foil, then wrap in 3 bath towels and 4-5 hours later it is piping hot and ready to pull/shred and eat.

I also like the suggestion of just doing them early and refrigerating them wrapped. When the day comes to eat you reheat them to about 170F and they will pull/shred. BBQ always tastes better a day or two after it is made as the flavors continue to develop so you lose nothing in finishing it a few days before and reheating.

I hope this info helps :)
 
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I agree with the above post. The only thing that I would add is get yourself a nice vinegar-based finishing sauce to add to the pork after you pull it after the cooler time.
 
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