Featured Weekday Pork Butts

[duffman]

I am doing a few pork butts on my pellet smoker for the first time today, and the first time in a long time. This is one of the reasons I wanted a pellet smoker, the ease of use to set up quick for long smokes. I rubbed them down with mustard and a PitBoss pulled pork rub I had last night before bed and left them in the fridge over night. Got them on at about 5:30am this morning. I have never used a pan before but in Jeff's book he recommended that to catch all the juice in it so I thought I would give it a try. Hopefully things go well. I'm planning on freezing it all. I'm going to give she to my Dad for Father's Day and use some when my in-laws come over later this month for my wife's birthday.

Being up early has it's advantages, like a pretty sunrise.

 

[jaxgatorz]

Looks like you are off to a good start !!

 

[Newglide]

Looks like a good start to your day.
Haven't tried the pans either except for when I wrap, have to let us know how they turn out.

 

[duffman]

Four hours in and I probed both the butts. I have been running at 230 on the pellet smoker.

 

[bmudd14474]

Grab your popcorn and watch the show. Looking good so far.

 

[bmudd14474]

Id rotate the pans every 3-4 hours. When I use pans I do them strait on the grates for the first 4 to 5 hours then pan then to let bark form.

 

[duffman]

Id rotate the pans every 3-4 hours. When I use pans I do them strait on the grates for the first 4 to 5 hours then pan then to let bark form.

I will have to try that next time. They are sitting at 199 each right now after nine and a half hours.

 

[duffman]

At a little over 11 hours one probe was at 203 and one was at 206. I decided to use an instant temp to double check and both were at less than 200. The one at 206 was noticably not probe tender on the middle. I re adjusted my probes and locked them back up on the smoker for some more time. Here is what they looked like at that point.

 

[ajbert]

You won't regret putting them in pans. What I do is wrap the butts about six hours in, as in just put foil over them and crunch it down around the pan. When ready I pull them out of the smoker and into a towel and cooler for a couple or four hours. After the rest I put the butts on a couple of cutting boards for the pull, combine the juices from the pans into a bowl and into the fridge. By the time I'm done doing the pulling the fat has risen and coagulated. Then just use a spoon to scrape the fat off, reheat the juice and pour over the meat while mixing it in.

Any other way of doing it I can't get the juice. Even placing the pan on the lower shelf doesn't work as it gets burnt. Other may have had success but I never have. Let us know how it all goes!

 

[duffman]

I have never tried to capture the drippings before. In Jeff's book he suggested catching it in a pan and adding it back in like you suggested. I am excited to see how it adds to the flavor.

 

[duffman]

The butts are at 203 and 196 after a little over over 13 hours. I bumped the smoker temp to 260 at about the 12th hour.
While the butts are still going I grilled some chicken and potatoes for dinner. It was a very full delicious smelling patio this evening.

 

[duffman]

Well the tale of the day ends in disaster. The left pork bit was so soft it broke a part when I went to move it out of the pan it was smoked in to the pan it was going to rest in. I had both pork butts sitting on the frot shelf of the smoker and as I went to back to get on last piece of the left butt the front shelf, that folds down, collapsed and both butts ended up face first on the ground. So I cleaned it all up, washed the patio off and we will try again later this week. I learned a lot doing this on the pellet smoker, besides don't use the front shelf. I liked the way it was looking smoked in the pans so I think I will do that again on my second try. I am excited to try again and actually get to taste it next time.

Here is a shoot of the pork butts before the disaster struck.

 

[ajbert]

Wow! Sorry to hear that. At least you learned a bit about your smoker and are not out a big $$$.

 

[duffman]

I'm going to run it back and give this another shot tomorrow. After work, I’ll swing by the store to pick up a few fresh pork butts. I also need to grab some more rub since I ran out last time. Got any favorites you'd recommend?


I've learned a few things from the last round that I’m planning to change up this time. First off, rubbing down the pork butts in the pans I smoked them in was awkward and messy. This time, I’ll season them on a baking sheet and then transfer them to pans to rest overnight in the fridge. Much cleaner and easier.


Second, I liked the idea of tenting the pans during the smoke. I think I’ll try that around the 8-hour mark and see how it goes. Lastly, I’m definitely not placing both butts on the front shelf of the smoker again. That was a short-lived idea—next time, it’s one at a time, and only for a couple of minutes. Lesson learned. LOL


Wish me luck, and I’ll check back in tomorrow!

 

[jcam222]

I have never tried to capture the drippings before. In Jeff's book he suggested catching it in a pan and adding it back in like you suggested. I am excited to see how it adds to the flavor.

It's an essential step in great pulled pork in my book. I put 1-2 cups of doctored up extra strong chicken broth in each wrapped pan. That and the meat juice yield liquid gold. Fridge overnight and defat before mixing in.

 

[BigW.]

I won't use the word tragedy, but certainly sad. Glad you're ready to try again after learning a few things. If I'm using my pellet smoker I'm a fat side down guy. Since the heat is from the bottom it protects the meat a bit. The fat will usually stick a bit, but that is better than the meaty top sticking. Also protects bark on the topside. I will add to a pan when the temp is in the 175-180 range. Good luck on round 2.

 

[duffman]

If I'm using my pellet smoker I'm a fat side down guy. Since the heat is from the bottom it protects the meat a bit.

That is a good idea, I might try that. The only issue I had with the look last night was nit much of a bark because of the fat cap.

 

[BigW.]

That is a good idea, I might try that. The only issue I had with the look last night was nit much of a bark because of the fat cap.

I can see that. Fat cap on top and meat covered in juices probably equals no bark. I'll also usually make a big cut through most of the meat to get extra seasoning a surface area for bark. I watched a Blackie's BBQ video the other day and they split a pork butt in 4-5 pieces and smoke. To get more seasoning and bark. So that may be my next try.

 

[duffman]

Well, I'm back at it again. Picked up two pork butts this afternoon and got them rubbed down with some Joe's Kansas City Big Meat Seasoning. They are tucked in the fridge for the night and my alarm is seat for 5:15 am.

 

[ajbert]

Think about slathering the butts with mustard and then the rub. This helps keep the rub on the butt and that helps with the bark. As for what kind of rub, well, that is a personal choice. It may take a while to find the rub that is just right for you. You can also make your own rub (plenty of recipes on here) a tweak it to your taste.