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Two 8 lb butts

Good evening all, I live in central Fla so cold weather is not an issue. Im cooking two 8lb butts for my wife's Christmas office luncheon this Wednesday. Will you please share with me recommended dome temp and time required to be able to pull these? Big green egg is the size I am using Thanks in advance Shane

Comments

  • jbates67
    jbates67 Posts: 168
    Rub with your favorite rub of choice.....over the counter, I like Stubbs rib rub, wrap overnight in saran wrap, then foil. You'll need a plate setter or some way to cook indirect. I cook at 250 until the internal temp reaches 185. Take it off the grate, wrap each in foil tightly, wrap in a bath towel and put in an insulated plastic cooler that's not much larger than the butts for at least 90 minutes. Remove and pull to desired chunkiness.

    Strongly recommend you spend some time reading other posts, you'll find a ton of information regardless of whatever you cook. Enjoy your cook. If you're short on time, look up turbo butt, higher temp, shorter cook, many swear by it although I've never tried it yet.
  • ttexxan
    ttexxan Posts: 51
    edited December 2012
    Easy to do!!  Here is what I do and turns out fantastic every time!!  I first inject both butts with 
    1 cup apple Juice, 1/2 cup water, 2 TBS of Wishtishire sauce, 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup salt.  Mix real well and inject both Butts with this mixture.  I then COVER both with BUTT RUB!!  Best stuff ever!!  I mean CAKE it on!!  I then get BGE up to Approx 220 and cook until internal temp is 195.  Be sure to get double thermometer and place in both meets.  Cooking time for butts is about 1 hr per pound.  It can vary depending on the fat and meat.  Just be sure to watch your temp in the meat.  Meat temp is what matters when doing slow.  Once it gets to 195 I pull and wrap in Foil.  I let it sit for a bit prior to pulling, but slides right off the bone and JUICY!!!!  FYI lets say your butt gets done hours before luncheon ie 8am...Just wrapped the butt in foil and wrap in towel.  Place in oven and still will be warm when serving!!  
    I forgot to mention I use the plate setter upside down and put an pan under the butt with Apple Juice.  I then put the grade on and place meat directly on Grade.  I also add some Apple wood chunks prior
  • ttexxan
    ttexxan Posts: 51
    edited December 2012
    I just completed two butts this past week and EVERYONE commented stating the best they have had.  One guy even owned a BBQ restaurant!!  We served it up as pulled tacos!!  Oh yea two 8 lbs butts will yield a TON of meat!!  You should have no problem feeding the masses.  How many people at party.

    The temp of 220 has always been recorded near the Meat.
  • I also cook at 250 dome.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • I wouldn't pull off the grill at 185 or 220. The general consensus is 195-205. I find 200-205 to be perfect. Cooking at 250-275 indirect seems to be most common used range. I like a lot of smoke and generally use jack Daniels or hickory. A good rub. So inject, some don't. I do when I can bc mentally I think makes a diff but no one else can tell a difference. Really pork is by far the easiest thing and almost fool proof. Relax, enjoy, and be hungry.
    Boom
  • Very simple.

    Cover with ur fav rub

    Cook at 300 dome temp.

    Pull at 205 internal temp.
    Be careful, man! I've got a beverage here.
  • tulocay
    tulocay Posts: 1,737
    i just cooked a 9 lb. butt over the weekend. it was injected with italian dressing (minus the herbs), then slathered with yellow mustard and DP Red Eye express rub. cooked indirect at approx 275 dome and it took 17 1/2 hours to reach 202 internal (couldn't wait any more). it was fantastic, but took nearly 2 hours per lb
    LBGE, Marietta, GA
  • GrannyX4
    GrannyX4 Posts: 1,491
    Cul-de-sac-er, did you cook at the Orlando Eggstravaganza last year?
    Every day is a bonus day and every meal is a banquet in Winter Springs, Fl !
  • Thanks so much to all I feel like I'm ready to go. Granny x4 - no I did not cook in Orlando last year would love to what are the dates?
  • GrannyX4
    GrannyX4 Posts: 1,491
    The Orlando Eggstravaganza was November of 2011. As far as I know there wasn't one this year. Jerk Chicken got his egg there and it was a grand setting on the lake in Windermere. It was my first and only fest and I had a great time and I even cooked.
    Every day is a bonus day and every meal is a banquet in Winter Springs, Fl !
  • hmmm. I just did two 8 lb butts at 205 for 16 hours and then 250 for another 8 hours. I left the entire fat cap on this time and put the cap up.

    I went to 195 on both. Yummy.

    image
  • my cyberQ pit probe is clipped to the dome thermo. I put the butts on at 205 dome at 9 pm. At 1 pm I was still at 165 meat temp. I cranked to 250 and I pulled the first butt at 9pm.

    I never once opened the dome until I pulled them off. Great texture, great bark...just tasty, tasty Q.

    Now, will I go that route again? No.

    We ended up eating right at normal bedtime for the kids. S.T.U.P.I.D.

    I have done something like 20 butts by now.

    Now that I have the cyberQ and I can hold a really low dome temp for over 24 hours without even peeking, I decided to try a really low and slow. Verdict:

    Changes nothing.

    From now on I am going back to my normal routine:

    Pat dry
    slather with yellow mustard
    coat liberally with competition rub from oakridge bbq
    fill egg to middle of fire ring with chunks throughout (apple and cherry)
    stabilize dome at 250 for at least 20 minutes.
    put in the butts around midnight and head to bed
    pull butts at 200-205 and FTC until ready to pull and serve.

    This 24+ hour cook stuff is all for nothing (imho) on this cut of meat. The key is 200-205 temp, not the length of the cook.

    I am just always fiddling and trying to perfect my cooks...no more with pork butts. I am finally satisfied that I have tried every method and found one that works best for me.

    Any fiddling with your standard run of the mill pulled pork sandwiches will from now on be with finding the BBQ sauce I like best.

    Next up for me is trying this: Triple D pulled pork
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    jimreed777 - excellent analytical analysis.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Anybody else putt the shoulder on there naked? I haven't experimented with a rub but love the simple smoke flavor. I do serve with an eastern carolina vinegar-based sauce though. Just curious how much flavor a rub would contribute to the naturally bold flavors. I guess I'll just need to try it my self. 

  • Anybody else putt the shoulder on there naked? I haven't experimented with a rub but love the simple smoke flavor. I do serve with an eastern carolina vinegar-based sauce though. Just curious how much flavor a rub would contribute to the naturally bold flavors. I guess I'll just need to try it my self. 
    I've cooked a bunch with nothing on them. When I do them for myself I like a little salt and pepper but when we cook them at church we cook about 60 butts or shoulders and there is no time for rubbing or injecting. Still get great smoke flavor and folks seem to love them. I think when you are cooking for yourself on the Egg you are looking for different flavor profiles. Some people like hot and spicy and others like to put sugar on. It's a personal preference.
    LBGE
    Go Dawgs! - Marietta, GA
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102

    Anybody else putt the shoulder on there naked? I haven't experimented with a rub but love the simple smoke flavor. I do serve with an eastern carolina vinegar-based sauce though. Just curious how much flavor a rub would contribute to the naturally bold flavors. I guess I'll just need to try it my self. 
    I've cooked a bunch with nothing on them. When I do them for myself I like a little salt and pepper but when we cook them at church we cook about 60 butts or shoulders and there is no time for rubbing or injecting. Still get great smoke flavor and folks seem to love them. I think when you are cooking for yourself on the Egg you are looking for different flavor profiles. Some people like hot and spicy and others like to put sugar on. It's a personal preference.
    (From my restaurant cooking days) - if you're doing a large number, like 60 butts, you can make a large batch of Salt n Pepper, or rub, put it in a large bin or bucket, and quickly throw your meat in it and roll it around.  Takes very little time.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • Thanks for the input What's estimated cook time for turbo butt - two 8 lb butts on LBGE Temp 350?
  • I have always clipped my probes nearest the meat. If you do a dome temp of 200 the area around the meat is going to be different. Isn't it better to have the temp nearest the meat
  • At 350 going to cut cook time by about 5-6 hours I would think. Again need to go off meat probe. If not hitting near desired temp couple hours before wrap in foil and put back out. Thinking on it too much