First attempt: Pork Butt (HELP)

DrakeOrman

Hey Everyone,

I just got a green egg this week! I have successfully smoked some wings that were beyond delicious. I am looking to smoke a couple boston butts for my buddies engagement party. I have never attempted a boston butt, not to mention on a BGE. I have watched many videos and read some posts on here. Would anyone be willing to share with me your favorite rubs and cooking processes? Drip pan with liquid? I would really appreciate any help I can get!

Thanks!

fence0407

I use Bad Byrons Butt Rub. Smother it in mustard (don't worry you won't taste it) and throw a good helping of rub on it. Cook them indirect (platesetter with a drip pan - no liquid in the pan) anywhere from 250-300 degrees until the internal temp is near 190-200 and it feels like butter. Each butt is different and will have different stall times. If you get in a hurry, wrap them in foil when internal temp reaches 160 to help push through the stall. Smoking chips/chunks such as apple, cherry, or pecan (or any favorites) can be used as well. I'd allow enough time so that you can FTC (Foil, Towel, Cooler) them. You can let them rest in the cooler for a good while. Better to be early than having everyone standing around waiting to eat! Take pictures and share your journey. Good luck!

Legume

Listen to Fence.

one more thing - use something under the drip pan to create a little air gap from the platesetter - short stack of washers, copper elbows, or something like that.  It will prevent the drippings from burning - that can get nasty

DaveRichardson

Mustard is perfect for a binder.  I use peanut oil for competitions.

Bad Byrons is great!  Kinda salty IMHO.  I like Sweet Rub O' Mine that I get from Lowes.

Southern flavor here, so I go with pecan wood for my smoke.  Orange is good to.  Hickory is a great traditional smoke, too.

If you want low and slow, 250 is the sweet spot.  Expect 1.5 hrs of cooking time per pound of meat.  If doing multiple meat units, just go with the heaviest unit for guestimating time.  Try to keep the meat units from touching too much, otherwise it will increase time.

Do you have any type of remote thermo for monitoring temps? 

At 250 you WILL hit a stall; typically between 150-170.  It can last HOURS!!!!!!!

I have adopted the "Turbo" method of cooking at 350 to minimize the stall to next to nothing!

I don't foil thru the stall, I like the bark crunchy.  Foil will help speed it along if you go at 250, but it gets soft.

I cook to 201-202 degrees measured internally.  I use a remote thermo, the iGrill mini.  It has an alarm that sound off on my phone or ipad when temp is met.

Pull it off and place in several layers of foil and then in towels and place in a cooler.  Let it rest.  Don't wake the baby!!!!

After at least an hour, preferably 2-4, pull the meat from the cooler and foil and commence shredding.  The bone will pull out EASILY!

I like to then sprinkle a little more of the rub onto the pulled meat to kick the flavor up a little more.

SoCalTim

The butt is a great choice for your first 'real' cook. The pork butt is very forgiving. Not gonna chime in with advice as others already posted great tips.

Give wanna say, have fun ... the payoff on a butt is fantastic!

johnnyp

Both methods described above are fine.  

I like to use Dizzy Pig's Dizzy Dust ( coarse grind) on butts

johnnyp

And welcome 

logchief

Hey welcome.  You picked the right thing to start off with low and slow, butts are a very forgiving cook.  If you haven't do a practice run firing up the egg and practicing getting the temp settled in.  It's best to cut down the air flow before getting to your desired temp, cause it's a **** if you go too far over getting it back down.

Try the rub recipe at amazingrib.com called Memphis Dust, it's great on pork.  If you want to shorten your cooking time you can cut the butts in half and get more of the good outside bark.  A whole 8 lb'er will probably be around 1 hr. per lb. less as they get smaller

DrakeOrman

DaveRichardson said:

Mustard is perfect for a binder.  I use peanut oil for competitions.

Bad Byrons is great!  Kinda salty IMHO.  I like Sweet Rub O' Mine that I get from Lowes.

Southern flavor here, so I go with pecan wood for my smoke.  Orange is good to.  Hickory is a great traditional smoke, too.

If you want low and slow, 250 is the sweet spot.  Expect 1.5 hrs of cooking time per pound of meat.  If doing multiple meat units, just go with the heaviest unit for guestimating time.  Try to keep the meat units from touching too much, otherwise it will increase time.

Do you have any type of remote thermo for monitoring temps? 

At 250 you WILL hit a stall; typically between 150-170.  It can last HOURS!!!!!!!

I have adopted the "Turbo" method of cooking at 350 to minimize the stall to next to nothing!

I don't foil thru the stall, I like the bark crunchy.  Foil will help speed it along if you go at 250, but it gets soft.

I cook to 201-202 degrees measured internally.  I use a remote thermo, the iGrill mini.  It has an alarm that sound off on my phone or ipad when temp is met.

Pull it off and place in several layers of foil and then in towels and place in a cooler.  Let it rest.  Don't wake the baby!!!!

After at least an hour, preferably 2-4, pull the meat from the cooler and foil and commence shredding.  The bone will pull out EASILY!

I like to then sprinkle a little more of the rub onto the pulled meat to kick the flavor up a little more.

Dave, thanks for the great advise! I do not have a remote thermo yet, everything for the large egg set me back for a month. Figure some good weather and cold beer will take care of the monitoring. Thanks again, not smoking the butts until the end of the month. Trying out a pork tenderloin tonight!

lousubcap

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  As you can see from the above, the beauty of a BGE- many roads will get you there.  Pick one and run with it.  If the adult supervisory beverages allow, keep track of how the cook went then you can change it up the next time.  You will find a process that works for you while enjoying the cook. 

johnkitchens

Remember to post pics. 

Gamecockeggman

Be careful with the tenderloin, it is a very lean cut and thus you want to pull no higher than 150.  Best of luck and don't forget the pics

DaveRichardson

The biggest thing is to no think too hard.  Remember your fire triangle.  You need fuel (lump), oxygen, and spark to get fire.  Once you get the lump rolling, all the platesetter, and start dialing it in.  Temp will drop when you ass the cold PS and then again when you add the meat unit.  It'll come back up to temp.

Also, when you get a change, go into the full website version of the forum and add in your location to the signature line.  We like to know where our fellow eggheads are!

DrakeOrman

Gamecockeggman said:

Be careful with the tenderloin, it is a very lean cut and thus you want to pull no higher than 150.  Best of luck and don't forget the pics

Go cocks! I graduated in 2013, go to all the home games. End of the Spurrier era...

DaveRichardson

OK, very good!  you are a neighbor. 

I HATE Brice Stadium and how it shakes and jukes when the place is hopping!  Fun place for games!

I played against Spurrier 1x back in college.  We were homecoming whipping boys for Florida......

DaveRichardson

and @Gamecockeggman is right about cooking those little skinny loins.  Take them to 150-ish and I like to chop them to bits instead of pulling.

DrakeOrman

@DaveRichardson Yes sir, Williams Brice is an incredible when we have something to cheer about. I'm thinking a quick 5 minute 400 degree sear on both sides of the loin and moving it to the edge until it hits 150. Don't know if that's the way to go or not but ill give it a go.

Ladeback69

Welcome and all great advice above and I done pork butts, L&S and turbo.  Both methods had great outcomes.  One thing not mentioned, but not necessary is injecting.  I mix in a 1/4 cup of my rub with 2 cups of apple juice.  This is enough to do 2 butts.  If you don't have a way to monitor the temp without lifting the lid, check it after about 4 or 5 hours if you are doing L&S.  The stall can last for a while so be ready for it, but once it is over say 180 it would fine to take it up over 300 to get it done.

  Good luck and have fun.

Gamecockeggman

I am a season ticket holder and love them.  It was a sad day but it is a step forward.  The HBC has left his mark.

DrakeOrman

Another question for you @DaveRichardson and @fence0407 how much lump charcoal do you put for the long smoke? All the way to the fire ring?

Jellyworm

Yes on adding lump all the way to the fire ring.

fence0407

DrakeOrman said:

Another question for you @DaveRichardson and @fence0407 how much lump charcoal do you put for the long smoke? All the way to the fire ring?

You can load it to the bottom of the platesetter and be ok. I did a 15 hour brisket and still had enough lump to go another 15. 

Gamecockeggman

Whatever you don't use for the butts can be saved and used later.  Save up for the kickash basket, it make the process easier.

Carolina Q

I have heard many say bad Byrons is VERY salty. I use a homebrew rub similar to elder wards recipe on naked whiz site. Sometimes just s&p. 

I will never understand why people waste a perfect good hot dog condiment on a butt. Mustard is simply not needed. 

Cook until a probe can be inserted with no resistance. Should be between 195-205*. 

Good luck. 

bgebrent

+1^^^^^.  Mustard is unnecessary.  Byrons is a bit salty.  Google Alton Browns pulled pork for a great homemade dry rub. Good luck!

DaveRichardson

I don't "lump dump".  I like to start with a clean egg, then I build the lump pile a few pieces at a time. I try to use the larger piece. Near the vent openings to ensure good flow. And I mix in my smoke wood as I go. I typically fill to the top of the ring - about 8 pounds worth for my large egg. Guesstimate based in almost using the full 10# bag of Forest Lumps that I've been playing with recently. 

DrakeOrman

Test run Boston butt 8.5 lb is on the egg as of 10 pm last night. It has stalled for the last two hours. Think it just pushed through at 181 degrees. I'll post the finished product in a couple of hours. 

Gamecockeggman

I am on blended knee...the suspense is killing me

Beavercreek_Smoker

i also have a large and I usually do at least 2 butts at a time. Takes the same amount of fuel to do one as 2 or more. It freezes well for later. 

As as a newbe, don't over think it. You will loose about 40% weight as it cooks. 8 pounders are about average size around here. I give myself 16 or more hours to cook at 225-250. If it finishes in 12 or 14 hours, I wrap them whole in foil, wrap it in a beach towel and put in a cooler to rest. I've kept them 6 hours like that and they come out steaming hot. Doing this you don't have to worry about timing and hungry guests, it's ready when your sides are...

as as far as rubs, there is so much meat to surface area ratio. It's not going to make a HUGE impact on finished product. To me it's about the smoke. I like fruit woods but that's just me. I use about 4 fist size chunks laid out in different areas on the surface of the charcoal. 

Butts are easy, very forgiving. Have over cooked once to 208 degree internal and it was still very juicy and tender.. I usually shoot for internal around 200. 

DrakeOrman

So i am up to 191 degrees on the butt. The grill is sitting at around 245 and i am scared that the charcoal has been exhausted. What should i do just let it sit and see if the temp of the egg stays up?
@Gamecockeggman
@DaveRichardson

DaveRichardson

Open those vents and get it running. If you have to add lump, pull the meat, add lump, let the vocs burn off, the pit the meat back on.

or finish it in the oven if SWMBO will allow!