time frame for smoking butt cut in half

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I’ve pretty much abandoned low and slow for butts. I did 4 boneless butts about 40 lbs. total yesterday in about 7 hours. I wrapped at 165F and pulled them around 200F average. Completed for about 45 minutes. I believe these turbo butts come out every bit as good as when I’d do them at 225 or 250.
 
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I started my Butt a little late, at 7 am. 2.5 hours so far and it is at 154 degrees internal temp, cooking at 275 on my Masterbuilt Thermotemp smoker. Spritzing every hour, on hour with cranapple juice. I plan to pull at 195 so we can slice it more than pull it. My wife likes it better that way. View attachment 399699

Looking good so far.

Not sure how heavy that butt is but hopefully it will be ready by dinner time. Good thing is that you are slicing so 195F vs 205F will cut about an hour and a half or so off the total time is my guess.

As usual, you guys where correct. I hit the stall earlier on at around 150, and it stayed there for a hours. I just threw it in the oven an hour ago and raised the temp to bring it up before resting it. Soon!

Pork butts and briskets get to 150F deceivingly fast then you spend hours and hours getting to 180F. The rest of the way is not as slow but also not fast itself.

Don't be afraid to crank the oven up to 375F with the pork butt uncovered, at the end you could even do 400F but I wouldn't go there too long unless you decide to wrap it. At or over 400F you can start to get some over-crisping going.

You gave it a shot and learned a thing or 2 for the next attempt. It happens to us all from time to time. :emoji_blush:
 
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Not sure how heavy that butt is but hopefully it will be ready by dinner time. Good thing is that you are slicing so 195F vs 205F will cut about an hour and a half or so off the total time is my guess.


Pork butts and briskets get to 150F deceivingly fast then you spend hours and hours getting to 180F. The rest of the way is not as slow but also not fast itself.

Don't be afraid to crank the oven up to 375F with the pork butt uncovered, at the end you could even do 400F but I wouldn't go there too long unless you decide to wrap it. At or over 400F you can start to get some over-crisping going.

You gave it a shot and learned a thing or 2 for the next attempt. It happens to us all from time to time. :emoji_blush:

Thanks for the vote of confidence, and yes I learned a lot. It ended up taking about 9 hours. 6 1/2 in the smoker and the rest in the oven at between 315 and 375. I had wrapped it in butcher paper at 5ish hours and it worked well all the way to include the hour of rest time. It was a success and everyone loved it, so overall I am very happy with the outcome. I do however wonder if an extra hour or two would have made it more succulent and easy to pull apart.
 
Thanks for the vote of confidence, and yes I learned a lot. It ended up taking about 9 hours. 6 1/2 in the smoker and the rest in the oven at between 315 and 375. I had wrapped it in butcher paper at 5ish hours and it worked well all the way to include the hour of rest time. It was a success and everyone loved it, so overall I am very happy with the outcome. I do however wonder if an extra hour or two would have made it more succulent and easy to pull apart.

If it wasn't easy to pull apart then it likely didn't hit an Internal Temp (IT) that was high enough for long enough. I haven't met a butt yet that failed to be tender and pull apart at an accurate 205F (accurate meaning good temp probe placement).

Plan to finish hours early and hold the meat, and you should have the time you need to get the results you are looking for :emoji_blush:
 
The first part hit 200 and the second hit 195is, I think it was just to big of a slab of meat at point. But yes, if I had another 30 mins I think it would have been done. You live, you learn.
 
The first part hit 200 and the second hit 195is, I think it was just to big of a slab of meat at point. But yes, if I had another 30 mins I think it would have been done. You live, you learn.
Much like brisket advice the temp is not always the final measure. Probe and don’t pull until it goes in and out like hot butter. For pork alternatively put a fork in and twist. If it’s effortless you are ready to pull.
 
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The 1.5@225 and 1@275 are just guides. They aren't science. Butts and brisket are done when they are done. Weight is not the largest factor in cook time, but size and shape are. IE if your meat is 4" thick by 8” long and you cut it in half from long ways you now have 2 4"x4" pieces. They will probably still cook in about the same time. Maybe a bit less cook time, but not close half for sure.

That said splitting it in half will produce more bark and flavor as you now have more surface area. So never a bad idea to do that.

Don't rush it, give yourself plenty of time. Grab some beer and just enjoy the cook and the spoils of your labor.
 
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