You never forget your first piece of pork butt

[WhiskerBiscuit]

After living in townhouses for the the past 20 years, I finally caved and bought a grill. Since I’m put it in the common area, I guess it’s a “community” grill, though no one else has bothered to give it a whirl. Their loss I suppose. Anyhoo, this is the first charcoal grill I’ve ever owned. We used to use them when I was a kid, but I guess my Dad didn’t like the mess. I don’t see what the big fuss is about, it’s pretty easy to use and clean, and with a chimney starter it’s easy to light too. So far I’ve just done burgers and a few steaks. The skirt steak was killer. Last week I was poking around the internet and was pleasantly surprised to discover the “snake” method for a low and slow cook, with the bonus of getting some smoke on. I did a rack of baby backs that came out to perfection. Buying a smoker is just not in the cards for me, primarily because of the lack of storage space. Even if I got the room, I doubt I would get one because I just love the versatility of the Weber 22. So we’ve got a music festival coming up in a few weeks, and I’d like to do a pork butt this weekend and freeze it.

I just called my grocery store and they are holding an 8lb shoulder for me. I didn’t care for the rub we used last week, because it was far too peppery. Can you suggest a home made rub?

I plan on doing 250-275. How many hours do you anticipate this will take? Yes, I plan on using a thermometer to check for 190, but I’d still like an idea of how long to expect this to take.

How many hours should I expect to smoke for? I read that for baby backs you only need to do the first hour or so. I’ve no idea if pork shoulders require more.

How often should I baste, and when or what temperature should I wrap the shoulder in foil?

For wood, I have hickory. Should I mix in some other wood, or is that good enough on its own.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

 

[oldsmokerdude]

Congrats on your new grill. I know you'll get lots of use out of it. As far as rubs go, you can find a ton of the on here but I heartily recommend Jeff's rub recipes. That taste great and it contributes to supporting the site.

An 8 lb butt at 250 should take 8 to 10 hours I would guess. But you're right, go by temperature and not the time.

The wood you use is personal preference. I'm a bit proponent of hickory, but apply works well with port as well.

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[zwiller]

Time is highly variable but the range is 1-2hr per lb. 16hours for me with MES but I bet you go faster. Tried a bunch of things but oak is by far my fave. Alot of guys like 50/50 apple/hickory. I find straight hickory is too "bacony". No wrap or baste. You want dark thick bark. 190F is low, pull at 205F IT but double check the bone wiggles easy. I find that the rub is not critical and and prefer to inject. Apple juice is a good start.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Apple is my favourite for doing a pork butt, and I generally run at 225f for mine.

If you got time, I wouldn't wrap or foil; pulled pork reheats super well..

For a Rub? SPOG works. <Salt. Pepper. Onion Powder. Garlic Powder>. I don't think a fancy rub on a pork butt is needed. Though if you find Weber's Honey Garlic Rub..it is -very- good. You'll taste the garlic in it, a bit sweet.

If you want a good finishing sauce; look up South Carolina Mustard sauce. I think it's perfect for pulled pork.

 

[WaterRat]

Since it's your first time doing a pork butt I thought I'd mention that you need to expect to lose 50% of the butt weight while cooking: moisture, fat, bone. You'll have around 4lbs of edible meat when finished - just something to keep in mind. Also, there is a great finishing sauce recipe in the pork sticky section: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/finishing-sauce-for-pulled-pork.49892/ Super easy to make (I double the amount of red pepper myself). If you do use it, do so at serving time not ahead of time as it's said the vinegar will turn the meat mushy after extended contact. Given your grill location/setup, if you need to you could pull it off once it hits 160°F IT pan/wrap and finish in the oven.

[edit] Pork butt is actually quite easy, maintain your temp and just let it cook and it's done when it's done! So relax and enjoy! :)

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

I’m gonna give the diners 3 sauce offerings. Sweet Baby Ray’s for the tomato base, a mustard base, and a vinegar base. The latter two are from Cooks Illustrated. A friend served those for his butt and they were delicious.

LEXINGTON VINEGAR BARBECUE SAUCE MAKES ABOUT 21⁄2 CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE INDOOR PULLED PORK 1 cup cider vinegar 1⁄2 cup ketchup 1⁄2 cup water 1 tablespoon sugar 3⁄4 teaspoon salt 3⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper Combine all ingredients in medium bowl with 1⁄2 cup defatted cooking liquid, reserved from step 5, and whisk to combine.

SOUTH CAROLINA MUSTARD BARBECUE SAUCE MAKES ABOUT 21⁄2 CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 1 RECIPE INDOOR PULLED PORK 1 cup yellow mustard 1⁄2 cup white vinegar 1⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar 1⁄4 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons hot sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper Combine all ingredients in medium bowl with 1⁄2 cup defatted cooking liquid, reserved from step 5, and whisk to combine.​

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

So I measured my butt (heh), and it looks like there will be plenty of room in the grill. Is there any reason why I wouldn’t want to do two butts at the same time (heh again)? I guess it might take a bit longer, especially in the beginning when the meat is still cold, and I might have to refuel, but if I keep the meat off the direct heat....

 

[gmc2003]

Welcome to the site and congratulations on the new Kettle. No problem doing a butt in a kettle, two if you can fit them in is possible. Your cook times will be longer because of the time needed to recover with that mass of meat in your kettle. Also watch the portion of the butt that will be directly over the lit coals during some time in the snake method you may need to rotate the grate. Let us know if you have any questions and how it turns it out.

One thing that worries me about your kettle. You said that it's in a common area and free to use by any other people living there. Hopefully someone doesn't take you up on the offer and use lighter fluid in it to start the coals. That's one smell that's hard to get out of the grill. Nasty stuff.

Chris

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

The chimney starter is there. I’m not too worried.

As for the butts, when I did a rack of babies, I just twisted the grate so the meat was never over the coals. I’m keeping records of my bbq so I can get estimates of how fast the fuse burns.

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

So I’ve decided not to do a foil wrap, mostly because it’s essier. But I have a question about the smoke. I’ve read that the smoke mostly needs to be done in the first hour or so, and everything after that doesn’t make a difference. Is that true? I’d prefer not to smoke my neighbors out for 12 hours if possible.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

So I’ve decided not to do a foil wrap, mostly because it’s essier. But I have a question about the smoke. I’ve read that the smoke mostly needs to be done in the first hour or so, and everything after that doesn’t make a difference. Is that true? I’d prefer not to smoke my neighbors out for 12 hours if possible.

I've really only heard one guy claim that and his knowledge is severely lacking, as he advocates very unsafe food practices. I roll 6 hours on a pork butt. Longer for briskets. If you got TBS, your neighbors aren't even likely to notice.

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

Since I’m using a kettle and the snake method, any suggestions on getting a TBS? Soak the wood?

Also, since I’m using a snake, the temperature gauge is opposite of the top vents, which puts the gauge always over the hot coals. This is because I’m always spinning the kettle to keep the vents on the opposite side of the gauge to make the smoke cross the meat instead of going straight up. This makes the gauge unreliable. What I did my last (and first smoke) was hang a thermocouple on my multimeter in one of the vent slots. I hope that is the “right” spot to measure my temps. Does that make sense?

I just got thermapro TP7. I wish I got the version with multiple probes, as I could use that to monitor the meat and the heat.

 

[WaterRat]

So I’ve decided not to do a foil wrap, mostly because it’s essier. But I have a question about the smoke. I’ve read that the smoke mostly needs to be done in the first hour or so, and everything after that doesn’t make a difference. Is that true? I’d prefer not to smoke my neighbors out for 12 hours if possible.

In theory, once the meat hits 150-160°F it "closes up" and no longer allows smoke in so that's why the smoke is most important in the first hours. It's also why that is the temp where people who are going to wrap often do so and also where some stop adding wood (if they're using charcoal for heat).

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

Butt is on! Been about an hour so far. Kettle temp is kind of stabilizing at 256. Internal is at 76. Alarm is set for 165. Any reason I shouldn’t just leave things as is? No need to take off the lid to spritz with juice until 165?

I must say, having the dual probe Thermapro is making a big difference. I’m just getting a small amount of smoke escaping. Is it blue? I dunno.

ETA: From the side the smoke is the same color of my nads on Prom night!

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Butt is on! Been about an hour so far. Kettle temp is kind of stabilizing at 256. Internal is at 76. Alarm is set for 165. Any reason I shouldn’t just leave things as is? No need to take off the lid to spritz with juice until 165?

I must say, having the dual probe Thermapro is making a big difference. I’m just getting a small amount of smoke escaping. Is it blue? I dunno.

ETA: From the side the smoke is the same color of my nads on Prom night!

Sounds like it's going well so far. Just sit back and relax. Watch the temp and enjoy the deliciousness that is pulled pork after about 10 or 12 hours. When you get a chance make sure to share some pics.

George

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

At the 4 hour mark (144F) I noticed the smoke and temp dropping. So I took a peek and realized I needed some more wood. I also slid the butt back some so it won’t be over direct heat. I’ll probably have to add some more charcoal. Once I hit 160F, since there is no need to keep using wood, would it be ok to just put a pile of coals in 8-12 o’clock area instead of rebuilding the snake? All I would have to do is watch the temperature and adjust accordingly? I might go up to 275 just to save an hour or so. Seems a lot of people here do that.

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

And the smoke looks pretty good.

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!
I can't help with the snake questions BUT I can tell you that at a consistent 275F a pork but will go about an hour a pound or just over. Feel free to roll with 275F, I would.

Your smoke looks perfect!
I would also roll smoke as long as you like since you may not know where all of the meat temp is at so it doesn't hurt unless you are burning through a lot of wood.

Keep it up!

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

I’ve found the wood is a bit tricky because once it burns off there is a big temp drop. It took me about 30 minutes to get back to temp again with a TBS.

 

[WhiskerBiscuit]

Hit 165, took a look at my coals and decided to start the snake over and transfer the hot coals to continue. Added some more wood. I probably don’t need nearly this much but I don’t want to have to build it again. Sprayed with apple juice and water combo.