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Boston Butt Question

EggHead09
EggHead09 Posts: 52
edited August 2011 in Forum List

     I am planning on smoking 2 boston butts this weekend on my Large BGE.  Both are bone in and one weighs 9.4lbs and the other weighs 9.6lbs.  I want to smoke them both at the same time at about 230 degrees.  I plan on brining them in apple/maple brine for about 16-18 hours prior to smoking them (unless that is to long).  I'm going to inject them with a burbon marinade before I smoke them and put some homemade rub on them to produce a nice bark.  I plan on using hickory and apple or hickory and maple for smoke.  Does anybody have any ideas about how long it will take to smoke them.  I plan on pulling them off at 195 degrees and wrapping them and letting them rest.  I am having a party at approximately 2pm on saturday with a bunch of hungry individuals.  I am open to any comments anybody has to offer.

Thanks!!!

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Comments

  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 16,209
    Just did my first BB this weekend.  My fire went out overnight so I can't give you a good time, but did want to give you this warning: after restarting my fire I got the butt up to 185 fairly quickly (245 Egg temp) but there it sat for over 4 hours!  Really took a long time to start going up in temp again.
    I pulled mine at 200, and if anything it could've cooked a bit longer, for my tastes.
    Good luck, and post pics!  
    ___________

    "When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."

    - Lin Yutang


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  • EggHead09
    EggHead09 Posts: 52

    BB usually go through a couple areas where the temperature stalls.  It has to do with the fat breaking down.  Or atleast that is the experience I have had.  Sometimes that is what will cause you fire to go out.  the butt will actually bring the temperature of your BGE smoker down or at least it did in my experience.

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  • Spoon
    Spoon Posts: 328
    It's usually around 2 hrs a pound, so you are looking at about 20 hrs. If you want to eat at 2p, I would put the meat on the fire at 4p the day before. That will give you a couple of hours to double wrap in HD foil, wrap in a towel and hold in a cooler till ready to pull. If they get done early they can stay in the cooler for a couple more hours. The cooler hold let's the juices redistribute back into the meat and makes for an easy pull.
    "Pork so tender you can pull it with a spoon." ~Spoon
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  • Misippi Egger
    Misippi Egger Posts: 5,095
    edited August 2011
    1 1/2 - 2 hr per pound sounds good.
    Not sure the brine will add much to your flavor since a butt is so thick. You won't need the brine to add moisture since you are now cooking on an Egg. The injection and rub will do the most good.
    If you are going to pull instead of slicing it, I have found that 200-205* internal works better for me.
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  • Eggspert
    Eggspert Posts: 142
    IMHO - I don't think a brine is necessary. The last BB I did I set it up at 250 dome after a rub and just waited for it to reach 195-200.
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  • Misippi Egger
    Misippi Egger Posts: 5,095
    @Eggspert,

    You're right - easy peasy, and the most forgiving cook!
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  • dunnharr
    dunnharr Posts: 45
    My mistake on the first BB was using too little lump.  I filled the fire box, but should have gone half way up the fire ring.  My fire died out after about 15 hours.
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 16,209
    My mistake on the first BB was using too little lump.  I filled the fire box, but should have gone half way up the fire ring.  My fire died out after about 15 hours.
    My mistake too; what's really embarrassing is, when I re-filled the Egg, I still didn't use enough lump, and had to refill again!
    I'm loading up the fire ring from now on.  
    ^:)^
    ___________

    "When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."

    - Lin Yutang


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  • UGAVET
    UGAVET Posts: 577
    I would not brine.  I rarely if ever have had a butt go 2 hours per pound but each one is different.  I too would pull at 195 as it is going to continue to cook and probably will reach 205 if you wrap it and put it in a cooler to rest.  As mentioned above, I fill my egg just about to the top of the fire ring for a long cook.  I have cooked for 23 hours on one load of lump once.  Good luck.  You will never buy pulled pork again. 
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  • EggHead09
    EggHead09 Posts: 52
    Okay, I will not brine the butts.  I will just inject them with my marinade.  I planned on filling the egg up pretty close to the top of the fire ring and mixing my wood throughout the lump.  I plan on taking pictures.  I went and took the shop vac to the egg today and got it all cleaned out for my cook this weekend.  You all have given great advice. 
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  • Salty Hogs BBQ
    Salty Hogs BBQ Posts: 171
    Butchers Brisket and Pork Competition injections are great. Many championship teams use them. I love their products.
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  • jaymag_87
    jaymag_87 Posts: 111
    I know I'm a little late here, but I have had success with brining Boston Butt. We use Alton Brown's Brine Recipe, off the Food Network Website.
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