Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

First overnighter coming up - Pork butt help

2

Comments

  • Budgeezer
    Budgeezer Posts: 669
    robnybbq said:
    My concern is the butts not being done in time or being done way too early.  I know I can turbo then if they are stalling but if they are done at 8 AM they will not be so good at 4 PM.

    I have FTC pork butts for over 6 hours and they were still too hot to pull.  Good luck however you decide to proceed.
    Edina, MN

  • smasch
    smasch Posts: 115
    When I cook for the whole neighborhood, I cook the butts the day before.  Pull them, and foil them up and reheat the next day.  Recently I had to cook for the fire station and turbo cooked the day prior.  Let it cool on the counter and put the whole butt in the refer overnight.  Reheated in a large crock pot the following day and it pulled flawlessly.  As has been stated before, if you don't over/under cook, butt is VERY forgiving.  
    Owner of LBGE, Antique Komodo Green in Color. Proud Career Firefighter. Johns Creek / South Forsyth GA
  • Hey don't ditch the idea.  Just enjoy it for what it is.  I did my first butt 2 weeks ago and was worried but really it was relatively easy.  I just put the butt on and then posted to ask questions along the way.  Everyone was really helpful. Just make sure you have a drink or two to enjoy.

    Cheers
  • Hillbilly-Hightech
    Hillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    edited August 2012
    robnybbq said:
    I need to leave home at noon to get to the party and planning on eating at 4.  I will not be able to light the Egg until 5 on Friday.  Then an hour to 1.5 hours to get it to settle in and burn off (This is what my egg takes) so the earliest I can put the meat on is 6:-6:30 if all goes as planned.  That gives me at most 18 hours of cooktime plus a lump reload in the morning sometime as I know I will run out - It just does.

    Maybe I should go for two 7 or 8 lbers and get some leftovers.
    an hour & a half for the grill to settle into temp?  holy cow that's a long time!!  FWIW, if it took me 1 1/2 hrs to get to the point where I could even start cooking, I'd never use the darn thing!! [-(

    Are you using a Big Green Egg?  Can you go through the steps you use to light it & get it to temp?

    FWIW, I can get my Egg lit & up to temp in about 15 minutes (+/- 5). 

    Also, there should be absolutely NO reason you would need to refill the lump.  I've done a 10+ hour cook b4, and STILL had lump left over the next day so I could cook on it again w/out adding new lump!!

    Please walk us through  your lighting process as something just isn't adding up here.  We can help you expedite the prep time.

    Finally, as far as the pork - put it on in the evening, and you'll be MORE THAN GOOD on timing (assuming your fire doesn't go out in the middle of the night).  If you don't have a remote monitor fan like a Guru or Stoker, you'll have to get up every couple hours to check on it.  Also, if  you set your dome temp to be about 275, your fire should NOT go out. 

    Looking forward to hearing your fire lighting & lump prepping procedure so we can help - in the meantime, relax, you'll get through this - it's not like you're attempting life-saving brain surgery on the Queen of England, you're just cooking BBQ ;)

    P.S.  Here's a link to my best pulled pork attempt:  http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1142291/my-best-pulled-pork-yet#latest

    This was actually a pretty darned easy cook, so that's why I said you'll get through it!!  :D  

    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • QDude said:
    I don't think it will take 2 hours per pound.  I usually do 2 ten pound butts at a time at around 260 degrees and they have never taken more than 14 hours to complete.  The last two only took 10 hours to be done.

    I agree with the above.

    It never takes more than this to smoke the same size butts.

  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    I fill the fire box to the bottom of the dire ring. I light one spot with a mapp torch and leave the top open for ~10 min and food smoke is coming out of the lump. I then close the lid with no dw and bottom vent wide open. One the temp is climbing past 175 I put the dw on with petals open and the bottom vent at 3/4 to 1 inch. I wait for the white/ blue smoke to clear then I can cook. With those vent Settings the egg will be at 250 275. In the past after a 5 hour rib cook play the burn off I did not have allot of lump left. That's why I will have to reload. I calibrated the dome thermometer and I just got a maverick.


    I got 2 x 8.5 lb shoulders that will go I
    On tomorrow evening. If the meat is cooked good then we go to the party. If not we stay home and order pizza in.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    You will be fine.  You are worrying too much about too many different things.
  • robnybbq said:
    I fill the fire box to the bottom of the dire ring. I light one spot with a mapp torch and leave the top open for ~10 min and food smoke is coming out of the lump. I then close the lid with no dw and bottom vent wide open. One the temp is climbing past 175 I put the dw on with petals open and the bottom vent at 3/4 to 1 inch. I wait for the white/ blue smoke to clear then I can cook. With those vent Settings the egg will be at 250 275. In the past after a 5 hour rib cook play the burn off I did not have allot of lump left. That's why I will have to reload. I calibrated the dome thermometer and I just got a maverick. I got 2 x 8.5 lb shoulders that will go I On tomorrow evening. If the meat is cooked good then we go to the party. If not we stay home and order pizza in.
    You can put more lump than that in.  Don't be afraid of filling it up the top of the fire box.  

    Also, you can light in more than 1 spot.  I light in 3 spots, then give it a few minutes, then I stir the coals to get the fire distributed all over.  Then give it a few more minutes, then close the lid & start adjusting vents.  

    If you start w/ a clean Egg (ie, make sure there is no ash in the bottom, nor ash that has fallen behind the fire box), and make sure you have good lump (not a bunch of small pieces), then I don't see any reason why you'd need to refill the lump.

    Good luck & let us know how it goes!!
    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • robnybbq said:
    I fill the fire box to the bottom of the dire ring. I light one spot with a mapp torch and leave the top open for ~10 min and food smoke is coming out of the lump. I then close the lid with no dw and bottom vent wide open. One the temp is climbing past 175 I put the dw on with petals open and the bottom vent at 3/4 to 1 inch. I wait for the white/ blue smoke to clear then I can cook. With those vent Settings the egg will be at 250 275. In the past after a 5 hour rib cook play the burn off I did not have allot of lump left. That's why I will have to reload. I calibrated the dome thermometer and I just got a maverick. I got 2 x 8.5 lb shoulders that will go I On tomorrow evening. If the meat is cooked good then we go to the party. If not we stay home and order pizza in.
    Let us know how it turns out. 

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    OK I will go higher with the lump.  I am planning on mixing in some Apple adn cherry chunks in the lump as well.

    I am going to put the maverick in one of them and at what temp should I start checking for doneness on either butt?  I believe 195 should be the final temp?

    I am going to put Butt rub on both meats.  May or may not use mustard.

    I still may inject one of them with Stubbs Texas Butter mixed with some "Butt Rub"  to so see how it comes out compared to one not injected.

    I got a bottle of Tito's standing buy to relax the mood while the cook begins.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    robnybbq said:
    Pork butt or pork shoulder?
    Sorta the same thing. Butts are cut from the shoulder.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
    Definitely go higher with your lump. 
    No final temp. that's BBQ. Done when it's done. (It wants to fall apart). I start cheking around 185, but never pulled before 195.
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • This probably goes without saying, but make sure you put the probe in the smaller of the two butts.  I screwed that up the first time. 

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    @robnybbq- I may have missed it but are these bone-in?  If so, then when the bone pulls with no resistance you are finished-if not then as noted by taz.  Gonna be fine-just let the Tito's help the journey!
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    They are Bone in.



    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Fat side uP or down or cut off?

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    robnybbq said:
    Fat side uP or down or cut off?

    Other than don't cut off a matter of preference-no difference in finish taste one way other other-I prefer fat down so if anything sticks to the grid it's the fat -but that's just my way of solving the choice.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    robnybbq said:

    Fat side uP or down or cut off?

    Prrsonally I do mine fat side down. Do not cut off any fat, just trim any loose bits but otherwise leave her be.

    Don't overthink it bud.. You'll come out just fine.
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Butts on since 6:30. They barely fit. Had I keep maneuvering them around but got it I think. Egg got up to 320 having the lid open. Settling back down to 279 now with a target of ~250 grate. Wil update as the Tito's get stronger.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Tito's vodka. Good stuff. And cheaper than most high end vodkas

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • gotcha.....I'm not a vodka drinker, so that explains why i never heard of Tito's.

    Good luck with the cook....and the Tito's too!
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    3.5 hours in butt at 171. Egg rock steady at 250. I hope there is a loooong stall coming or I will be pulling them at 3 am. I lowed the egg a little. Hopefully to 225-230.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    +1 on Tito's - best vodka out there.   I'm in the same condition as you @robnybbq.  Brisket stalled at 150 and hoping for a long enough stall to make it til 8 AM.  
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • robnybbq
    robnybbq Posts: 1,911
    Btw. Sitting outside enjoying the night but the aromas coming from the egg are amazing and making me hungry.

    _______________________________________________________________
    LBGE, Adjustable Rig, Spider, High-Que grate, maverick ET-732, Thermapen,


    Garnerville, NY
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Same here. Beautiful blue moon, scent of Jack Daniels oak filling the neighborhood. Sipping Tito's. Life is good.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • Okay. Newbie here- what is FTC'D? Im feeling dumb
    Green Eggin' in Lafayette, Louisiana
  • JWBurns
    JWBurns Posts: 344
    Foil, Towel, Cooler.

    Tito's is decent on the cheap. Hard to beat Ketel and Belvedere on the quality.
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    rabdogg said:
    Okay. Newbie here- what is FTC'D? Im feeling dumb

    FTC is foil, towels, cooler. If your cook is done early (especially pork butt or brisket) you can wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil (HDAF)' and place it in a pre warmed (fill with hot water for 10 minutes then empty) cooler, surrounded with towels. F= foil, T = Towels, C= cooler). It will stay hot for several hours. Always better to finish early and FTC than to have everyone waiting to eat.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • brycos
    brycos Posts: 137
    Tj your post are always informative.  How long you been eggin'?