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 Butt Smoke

Smoked-Moon
Smoked-Moon Posts: 20
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hey -

I'm a total rookie w/ my new egg and I'm spooling up for my first pork butt tomorrow for a Sunday lunch brew-ha-ha. :woohoo:

I have a BGE/pork mentor on speed dial and have done several grilling adventures with my egg.

If you could offer 1 piece of advise..... what do you got? ONE thought please, I will need to focus on my task (and rocks glass) in hand.

Smoked in Big Sky MT

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    250 degrees
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    Trust the egg. NO PEEKING
  • mojo
    mojo Posts: 220
    I did my first butt last weekend. From one newbie to another - it turned out AWESOME! My one piece of advice would be to make sure you put enough coals in the egg. I cooked a 10.5 pounder at 200-250* for 20 hours. The fire went out after 15 hr as I didn't insert enough coals to begin with. You didn't mention how big your butt is (haha) but if you plan on a really long cook, you'll want to fill the fire box all the way to the top, and maybe even fill the fire ring half way.
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    fill to within 1" of the top of the fire ring
  • Don't open the lid until it's done and make sure you have enuogh lump.
  • TXTriker
    TXTriker Posts: 1,177
    I cook to 195-200 internal before resting in foil with beef broth in the ice chest.
  • beef broth in the cooler? That's something I've never heard before... worth a try.
  • #1. Don't start adjusting your vents when the internal temp shoots up very quickly in the first few hours.

    #2. Don't start adjusting your vents when the internal doesn't move for the following 8 (or more) hours.
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Going over-night? Check the temp every 4 hours. Usually, everything is fine, but its nice to catch a fire dying from ash clogs before it goes out. Its nice to have a remote thermometer, so you just open your eyes briefly. Otherwise, keep your shoes and a flashlight handy.
  • Ribhead
    Ribhead Posts: 123
    Thats at least a case and a half of beer!
  • I'm a Makers Mark ambassador so it should keep be good and saucey.
  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
    All of the advice given so far has been good.

    One thing that I have been doing with great results is to make sure that I hand stack a few larger pieces of lump on the coal grate to help slow down the accumulation of ash. It still happens but not till much later in the cook.

    Once you get used to it you don't have to worry much on the over nights. Once my fire is stable, I am pretty comfortable sleeping for 6/7 hrs without worrying too much about the fire.
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    Trim your butt and coat in rub

    fill BGE up with lump...big pieces at the bottom....use pecan, cherry, apple and or hickory for smoking...just a couple of pieces

    go indirect with platesetter and drip pan..place meat on grid fat side down...insert remote thermometer and program to 192

    cook at 250 until the butt reaches 192...do not peak inside until done

    pull the butt at 192 and wrap in foil and a towel and put in the ice chest for 2-3 hours

    pull the butt and eat.... ;)

    just my opinion but do not put beef broth in with pork....
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    That's mean Pat.

    Kent
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Congratulations on getting an egg and welcome to the forum.

    Buy more lump and meat - well that's too obvious so it doesn't count.

    Cook enough food. For butt, take the number of people eating and divide by 2.4 for the number of pounds of butt to get.

    Pull the butt when the internal temperature is between 195° & 200° - make sure you do a fork test, that is insert a fork and twist. You will know if it is ready.

    Now this is if you are going for pulled pork.

    If you are going to slice the pork cook to 140° to 145° and let rest. When you cut the slices they will have nice and moist.

    Hard to go wrong with pork.

    GG
  • danny285
    danny285 Posts: 360
    My experience is to cook at 250 for 1 hr per lb avg that will be more than enough to get to 195-200 internal. then pull and rest until family cant wait any longer.
  • Thanks for all the great advise, should be a good session. We have a new puppy (10 weeks old) so I'm up 2 or 3 times a night anyways to check the remote thermometer.

    I'll let ya know!
  • Dad
    Dad Posts: 14
    On my first one too. Smaller butt (3.5 lbs)@ 220 began the cook at noon yesterday and we're at 220 in the med egg and 188 in the butt, about 20 hours later. Hope it finishes OK. No problems with fire. Using a Stoker and Wicked Good and Green Egg lump. Great thread! Thanks
  • Dad
    Dad Posts: 14
    Well we ran out of heat after 24 hours (med egg). Couldn't get the butt all the the way to 200 degrees, (195). Smells great, and letting it rest.
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    sounds like you will be fine ;)

    congrats

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • Dad
    Dad Posts: 14
    Well we ran out of heat after 24 hours (med egg). Couldn't get the butt all the the way to 200 degrees, (195). Smells great, and letting it rest.
  • Well we're 3 hours into the smoke.

    240 smoker and 118 meat.

    A touch of a scare when it spooled up to 272 and wouldn't come down below 258. Kind words from my mentor .... think credit card slit for a bottom draw!

    All is well, updates in the morning.
  • We were stable at 222 before bed, woke up at 4:15am to an alarm.

    Smoker was at 195 and meat at 162 (12 hours in) :blink: . Got it slowly rising and now we're back at 240.

    Looks like I survived my first overnight and have some lessons to take with me.

    Let you know how it finishes.
  • I'll put this one in the success column.

    Teo my helper got his first ever taste of smokey goodness.
  • mojo
    mojo Posts: 220
    vidalia1 wrote:
    ... go indirect with platesetter and drip pan..place meat on grid fat side down ...
    Just curious,vidalia1, why fat side down? I would have guessed fat side up so that the juices baste the meat as it cooks??