butts

Unknown

Could someone give me some insight into cooking butts? Temp. of my grill, hours per pound, etc. I just wondered if there was a rule of thumb. I've been doing some at temps around 180, and I didn't know if there was a range I could cook them at, INternal temp to shoot for and all that. Thanks in advance for any help

egghead2004

WarEggle,
For the most part, I shoot for 235 dome temp and cook until the butt reaches 200 internal. Then remove from the grill, wrap in foil, and place in a cooler with no ice in it to keep it warm for 1-3 hours. You can put it in the microwave to sit also. [p]As for time per pound, on average, @ 235 dome temp, my 7#-8# butts and picnics take 20-24 hours.[p]Take a look at soe posts from last week, some people are cooking at 275 for 8-10 hours and are getting great results that way too. I can't vouch for that, I have not tried it yet.[p]good luck!

WessB

WarEggle,
I just added a picumentary to my website 2 days ago detailing a pulled pork cook....If youd like to see it it`s in the "Cooks" section..HTH[p]Wess
[ul][li]WessB`s[/ul]

Unknown

egghead2004,
What about basting? I normally inject, do I need to keep spraying them, or can I just let them cook, without applying any moisture.

egghead2004

WarEggle,
ahh, everyone does this differently. It's a matter of personal taste. Some inject apple juice and other things. Others use a drip pan, some smother yellow mustard on it, but I don't think anyone sprays the butt while cooking, but nearly everyone puts a rub on it and lets it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator.[p]For me, it depends, for a picnic, I'll cut small openings in the roast and insert crushed garlic with salt/pepper and olive oil. Then again, sometimes I just load up on the Dizzy Pig all purpose coarse rub. I do always use a drip pan under neath with water and check on it every 5 -7 hours to make sure it still has water in it.[p]Don't worry about the moisture, Pork has plenty of ingredients built in to keep it moist. Read up on Wess B's, The Naked Whiz's, and other's web sites. Take note of the plateau period. This can be from 155-180 degrees internal. At this stage the fat and connective tissue breaks down which makes the meat so tender you can "pull" it when it is done. [p]Pork shoulders are the easiest type of low and slow and nearly always will get you the WOW from those who paetake.[p]

fishlessman

WarEggle,
under pork in the recipe section is elder wards pork butt section parts 1 and 2 and parts 3 and 4. very informative