Smokin my first bone in butt

biggreenrookie

Any suggestions on temp, time, plate setter, etc for smoking my first butt?  Got an 11lb bone in that I want to try out.  Need some tips and advice for this rookie. Thanks! 

jtcBoynton

Keep it simple. Pork butt is very flexible on how it is cooked. Because of this you will see many different suggestions - realize that there is no best way - just many ways to get a great product.  

Fill the egg with lump all the way up to the top of the fire ring - make sure you have enough lump. Platesetter with legs up with a drip pan. Make sure to create an air gap between the plate setter and the drip pan (don't bother with liquid in drip pan). Cook until done. Pull. Eat. Be proud of your accomplishment. 

As for cooking time, there is a good amount of variability between individual pieces so take all times as rough.  

225º:  2 hours a pound

250º: 1.5 hours a pound

280º:  1 hour per pound

350º:  45 mins per pound

SGH

Cook that bad boy indirect (plate setter legs up then grid). If you don't use a drip pan I recommend at least wrapping your setter with foil. However I like to wrap the setter with foil and use a drip pan. Makes clean up a breeze. I don't always follow this rule as I'm very impatient but it's sound advice nonetheless. As far as temp, you have a wide range of options. If I'm not in a hurry I like 275 degrees. It cooks pretty fast, forms a great bark and renders down real well. A great all around temp for butts. If in a hurry I will turbo them. 325-375 degrees indirect. Works great but has a slight but noticeable difference in texture. However if you pull and mix the meat well, the average Joe will not be able to notice the difference. Last but certainly not least. Cook it until the bone freely pulls from the meat with little resistance. That's one thing I really like about bone in. It has its own built in done gauge. Again, pork butt is super forgiving. You can cook it anywhere from 215 all the way up to 375 degrees. You can even go higher if you keep a sharp eye out. Just depends on what you want and time constraints. Good luck and standing by for the finale. 

chrisc133

jtcBoynton said:

Keep it simple. Pork butt is very flexible on how it is cooked. Because of this you will see many different suggestions - realize that there is no best way - just many ways to get a great product.  

Fill the egg with lump all the way up to the top of the fire ring - make sure you have enough lump. Platesetter with legs up with a drip pan. Make sure to create an air gap between the plate setter and the drip pan (don't bother with liquid in drip pan). Cook until done. Pull. Eat. Be proud of your accomplishment. 

As for cooking time, there is a good amount of variability between individual pieces so take all times as rough.  

225º:  2 hours a pound

250º: 1.5 hours a pound

280º:  1 hour per pound

350º:  45 mins per pound

@jtcBoynton
Why do you make sure there is an air gap between the platesetter and drip pan? (Looking to do my first butt this weekend too)

jtcBoynton

if the drip pan is directly on the platesetter, it will get very hot and drippings will burn. Having an air gap keeps the drip pan cooler and the drippings will not burn as much. Burnt fat is not good eats. If the drippings are not burnt, you can add them back into the pulled pork if you want additional moisture.

biggreenrookie

Really appreciate it guys!  Right now 11lb pork butt is on at 250-275.  Legs up and low and slow.  It's been on the egg since 11am.  Added some hickory chips for a little flavor. I've got time so i will be checking on it around 10hrs.  Temp is holding steady. Didn't get much smoke though.  We will see.  I will keep you guys updated.  Thanks again. 

theyolksonyou

That monster isn't going to be done in 10 hrs.  You're looking at 16 at least.  You can always bump to 300-325 if you get in a crunch, or foil, or both. Won't hurt a thing. 

biggreenrookie

Haha!  Yeah I was wondering about that.  Go big or go home right?  I've got plenty of time and the egg is staying steady at 250.  When should I start checking?

theyolksonyou

You have a remote thermo?  Start checking for done ness at 190. Otherwise, I'd probably peek at 12-13 hrs just to get an idea. 

biggreenrookie

Thanks,  no electric thermometer.  First time all around. Egg temp is holding steady but no smoke    I will take a peek at about 12 hrs

DaveRichardson

Find a wireless thermo that suits you. Maverick or an iGrill. One is Bluetooth and the other is radio frequency so you can monitor temp without opening the dome. 

jtcBoynton

Do not worry about the smoke. No cook has been ruined by too little smoke. Too much will definitely ruin it.  If the finished product is not smokey enough, just add more wood next time. 

biggreenrookie

Thanks Again!  Well, after about 11hrs on the Egg and 205 internal temp I pulled it off.  The bone pulled right out and I have it in the cooler now. We will see how it taste tomorrow.  Appreciate the assistance. First of many I am sure! Have a great holiday guys! 

theyolksonyou

Wow, that cooked fast! Have you calibrated your dome thermo?

biggreenrookie

It's done. And turned out pretty good.  No complaints from any one so far.  Meat turned out moist and pulled apart easily.   Thanks for all the help guys!  

NPHuskerFL

Very forgiving cut. FWIW it's hard to ruin a butt. Some do em L&S and some are in the Turbo Camp. I'm a L&S Man myself. 235℉-275℉ PS legs up (PS wrapped in aluminum foil for ease of cleanup) w/out drip pan. Smoke until bone would pull out with ease. 

biggreenrookie

forgot to post the finished product. Thanks again and happy Memorial Day!

Jeepster47

biggreenrookie said:

... Egg temp is holding steady but no smoke ...

Just because you can't see the smoke doesn't mean it isn't there and adding flavor to the meat.  In fact, if you see lots of smoke rolling out the top, you're probably ruining the taste of the meat.