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My first Pork Butt

Dave in Florida
Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Ok, did my first pork butt. 9.5 lbs, 19 hour indirect cook, with drip pan at 225 to hit target meat temp of 185. Hickory and Cherry wood, mustard and Texas Pig Rub. Doubled foil for 2 hours in cooler with towel. Flavor was very good but I thought parts were dry, others were very moist. Wife said she loved it.

Tips, suggestions, comments to keep my next one moist?

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Coming off the EGG


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Dinner is served
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Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!

Comments

  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Bump the temp to 250 and it will cut down on the cooking time, should come out less dry.
  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    Also, I forgot to mention, I did cut off the fat cap. Will it change if I leave the fat cap on the next one? And do I cook it with the fat cap up, down, or rotate the meat between fat cap up and fat cap down? How often should I rotate it if that is what needs to be done?

    I always thought lower and slower meant tender and juicy? But this newbie is willing to learn.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    Also, I forgot to mention, I did cut off the fat cap. Will it change if I leave the fat cap on the next one? And do I cook it with the fat cap up, down, or rotate the meat between fat cap up and fat cap down? How often should I rotate it if that is what needs to be done?

    I always thought lower and slower meant tender and juicy? But this newbie is willing to learn.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • 2Fategghead
    2Fategghead Posts: 9,624
    Thats a great first butt cook. You got it done and your wife liked it. :)

    I generally smoke my butts at 250F dome and cook till 195F to 205F internal temp. :)
  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    I placed the leftovers in the seal a meal and into the freezer. How long do you suspect it will hold frozen and still be good?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • 2Fategghead
    2Fategghead Posts: 9,624
    If you food savered it I think it could keep a long time. Maybe a year not sure. We often cook up a couple big butts and food saver all of it after we eat our fill in small portions. Tim :)
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    can't speak for the fat cap gone I never trim it and cook fat down. Seems to provide an extra barrier at least in my mind :whistle::lol:
  • elzbth
    elzbth Posts: 2,075
    I can't say what to do differently....it looks pretty darned good to me. ;)
  • Firetruck
    Firetruck Posts: 2,679
    Like others have said, 250 to a range near 200 internal. Butts are done when they are done. Some 195 some 205. My last ones were right on at 205 and they were some of the best ones I've ever done. That blade bone should be loose and pull free and clean. ;)
  • tacodawg
    tacodawg Posts: 335
    It looks great. I did my first but and took it off at 195. You can always sauce it up to make it a little more moist if needed. I thought I was going to have a lot of left overs, there is just two of us but it is almost all gone. Just keep trying they are all good just some better..
  • Judy Mayberry
    Judy Mayberry Posts: 2,015
    Great cook, Dave! I can tell you this: I took my first butt off at 200° internal, and it was dry just like you described. Since then I've taken them off at 190° to 195° internal and they are perfect.

    I use Coke to moisten them up after they're pulled, along with Scott's BBQ Sauce, and my family loves that. Pulled pork is one of the joys of life!
    Judy in San Diego
  • As others have said, bump the temp up to 250 and to answer your other question LEAVE THE FAT CAP ALONE!! I always cook mine with the fat cap intact and it DOES make the pork more tender and juicy!!
  • Egg Juju
    Egg Juju Posts: 658
    Grats on the first butt... looks mighty tasty.
    Large and Small BGE * www.quelfood.com
  • ron4fish
    ron4fish Posts: 144
    I cut of the majority if not all the fat cap on my Pork Butts this weekend. They came out real juicy. I had left the apple juice at the store so I mixed water and honey and filled the drip pan with that. Came out moist and delicious. Cooked until about 195, double wrapped in heavy duty foil and it sat in a cooler covered in towels for about 5 hrs. When I took it out to pull it was real hot to the touch.
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    Pulled:
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  • Lobicho
    Lobicho Posts: 557
    I guess it won't be you last...
    looks awesome!!!
    great job...
    congrats