First Pork Butt

FaceDance

Happy NFL Conference Sunday!  To celebrate the occasion (in addition to a bday celebration for the MIL and SIL) I decided to attempt my first pork butt.  It's been a little over a month of egg ownership and I figured it's about time.

8.5lb bone in Boston Butt, scored, rubbed w/ a homemade rub (somewhat followed Elder Ward's recipe on Naked Whiz), egg set to 225 w/ platesetter legs up, drip pan w/ water, and some cherry and hickory chips.  I got up at 5am to light the fire and put the butt on around 5:30am.  It's been four hours and the IT is approx 130 degrees.  Going to pull at 195… hoping for about 12 hours in total so we can eat around 6:30pm.  So far so good…

Chris_Wang

Cool. Good luck.

Canugghead

Won't hurt to bump temp up to 250 or 275, or even 300, just to make sure it'll be ready for 6:30; if it finishes early you can FTC it.

Grillmagic

Good luck on the 6:30 eating time, you may have to crank it up a bit. it's been my experience that at 225 dome it takes close to 2 hours  a pound. I bet it will be good when it's done.

Charlesmaneri

Sounds great but I wouldn't necessarily pull at 195 I would 1st check if you can pull the bone out if not it needs more time 2nd I would check with a thermometer prob and see if the probe goes in like your poking butter then it's done

FaceDance

Mother nature has taken it up to 250ish.  We're just over the five hour mark and the IT is 147.  I'm scared to death of "THE STALL" but so far so good.

FaceDance

I'm almost at the five hour mark and my IT has already reached 165.  Should I be worried?  I do not want this thing ready at 3pm.  I'm trying to bring the temp down without choking it out.

EggoMatic

@facedance if your cook is finished before you are ready to eat, just wrap it up with foil, then towels, then put it in a cooler and let it hang out until you are ready to eat. It will be fine and it will stay hot. We promise!

JohnInCarolina

EggoMatic said:

@facedance if your cook is finished before you are ready to eat, just wrap it up with foil, then towels, then put it in a cooler and let it hang out until you are ready to eat. It will be fine and it will stay hot. We promise!

Seconded! In fact it may be slightly better given some time in the cooler.

Canugghead

What's the dome temp? I wouldn't start chasing or choking temp now if avoidable. I also think it's better with resting in cooler for an hour or two.

ShadowNick

At 165 you're going to hit the stall for a few hours, you still want to bump it to 250-275

Terrebandit

Mine usually stall in the upper 160s. Do not reduce the temp now. Also, I like to run mine into the lower 200's. It might not be done at 195.

FaceDance

We're at the 8.5 hour mark.  Dome temp is teetering between 230 - 240.  IT is 172.  "The Stall" appears to have happened at the 170ish mark.  I'm comfortable with the timing now.  Any guesses how much longer for 195 IT?  Ideally, i'll take it off around 4:30pm - 5pm and FTC it for an hour or two.  It'll give me some time to reload and make some ABTs.

chainsaw19

Personally I think you still might need to bump temperature up if you are set on it being done by 4:30

Canugghead

Like others said, 200 may be better than 195, take temp at multiple spots.

Also, after removing butt, if you see reasonably sufficient lump left, just stir and open vents to bump up temp for ABT's.  If you dump too much fresh lump over existing burning lumps, you could  risk choking the fire ... if you then open the vents fully, you may end up with an inferno ''below'' the fresh lump but not much heat above it... regardless you'll also have to wait for fresh VOC to dissipate.

ShadowNick

At 240, the stall could easily last 5 hours. Bump your temp.

FaceDance

I've got it up to 300 now. It has been at 172 for almost two hours now. "the Stall" is REAL!

buzd504

I can't wait to see how this turns out!

FaceDance

The IT is up to 191.  SO CLOSE!  Pull off and FTC at 195 or 200?  What says you?

Egghead_Daron

When it probes like butter. Closer to 200 than 195.

Canugghead

200, probe multiple spots.  more importantly, probe should have little/no resistance beyond the bark. there may be an isolated spot or two that are harder but that's okay, go with the overall feel.

FaceDance

Thanks for everyone's input.  Ended up pulling at IT of 200 or approx 13 hours later.  FTC'd it for 1/5 hours and shredded it like butter.  Couldn't get it off the Egg in one piece it was so tender.  Bone slid out with zero resistance.  It was EXCELLENT.  Did half as carnitas and half as sandwiches.  

Grillmagic

Nice, it looks good enough to eat. I'm making pulled pork for the Super Bowl

SmokeyPitt

Congrats on a perfect fist butt! 

FaceDance

Just had a pulled pork, onion, pepper, and cheese omelet for dinner.  DELICIOUS!!!