First Boston Butt

egghead43

I want to try my first Boston Butt tomorrow or Wednesday weather permitting.  My wife bought a small one that is right at 4 pounds.  I've read to cook around 250 degrees and wrap it in foil around an internal temp of 170 and it should be done between 195 and 205.  Rest it for around an hour after it's done.  Does that sound about right?  Any ideas on how long that will take so I have an idea of when to put it on?  Thanks!

1WVU

Time is typically 1 1/2 - 2 hrs per pound. Expect a stall around 165 degrees.  Wrapping in foil will push you through the stall quicker but isn't necessary.  Good luck!

bgebrent

@1WVU is spot on.  There's no need to wrap in foil unless your behind in your timing and need to speed things up. You can also run hotter, up to 350 with no ill effect and a shorter cook time.  Good luck!

SoCalTim

Oh, what a GREAT cook. One of my all time fav's ... don't be afraid (need be) to bump that baby up to 275 to as high as 350.

Good Luck!!

DaveRichardson

Yep, 1.5 to 2 hrs per pound at that cooking temp.  Stall will probably be a few hours in length as well.

I don't like to foil because I think it gets a little too mushy.  I like a crisp bark.

Question:  What's your smoke wood of choice?  Pecan is a good one, followed by Hickory are my favorites.

egghead43

DaveRichardson said:

Yep, 1.5 to 2 hrs per pound at that cooking temp.  Stall will probably be a few hours in length as well.

I don't like to foil because I think it gets a little too mushy.  I like a crisp bark.

Question:  What's your smoke wood of choice?  Pecan is a good one, followed by Hickory are my favorites.

I'm a brand new Egger who just joined the forum a week or so ago and have started several newbie threads.  I've never cooked on charcoal period before, so I have no favorite wood.  For this first cook, I was just going to coat the butt in a rub, and go with the BGE charcoal.  I like the advice that you can run it as high as 350, because it will probably be a challenge for me to settle in on the lower temps as a newbie.

1WVU

Pork butt is a great choice when you are new to smoking.  It's very forgiving and very hard to screw up.  As for woods, I've been using hickory lately but have also used apple in the past

DaveRichardson

You don't need much of a smoke wood to give you flavor.  3 fist-sized chunks is more than enough.  With chips, just toss in a handful or two.....

GuitarEC

Everyone has their own methods and "sure fire" recipes for pork butt.  But ultimately it's all about your personal preference.  What kind of flavors do you like, and how much time you have.

For me, I like to use a drip pan underneath my pork butt with a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and water and apple wood chunks mixed in with my lump.

Have fun with it, and experiment - you may surprise yourself with what you come up with.

Happy Egging,

Eric "GuitarEC"
Metro Atl., Ga.

lousubcap

Just keep some notes on your process and outcome, then change it up the next time to see what you like.  And most times the smaller butts seem to take longer/lb than larger ones.  So don't be worried if that happens.  Watch out for the real high temp cook (up around 350*F and more) if you have a lot of sugar in your rub.  It can burn...
Make sure you have an air-gapped drip pan to catch the renderings and enjoy the cook.

blasting

Welcome and good luck with your first cook.

Personally I try and keep things at 225-245.  It doesn't matter for butts as some have said, but it's good practice for those things where it does matter, like brisket.  For butts, I like pecan or applewood for smoke.

Rub butt in mustard, peach jam, or even olive oil and then apply rub - my choice is Dizzy Pig.  I cook to temp, and pull it at 203 degrees.

I only open the lid once during the cook, and this is to throw a tray of beans on the drip pan.  I do this once the butt hits about 180 degrees.

I don't foil, and I don't think it's necessary to let port butts rest, but they can be held for several hours in a cooler for timing purposes with no ill effects.

Have fun and pics or it didn't happen.

egghead43

lousubcap said:

Just keep some notes on your process and outcome, then change it up the next time to see what you like.  And most times the smaller butts seem to take longer/lb than larger ones.  So don't be worried if that happens.  Watch out for the real high temp cook (up around 350*F and more) if you have a lot of sugar in your rub.  It can burn...
Make sure you have an air-gapped drip pan to catch the renderings and enjoy the cook.

Thanks!  I do plan on using a drip pan.  Looking forward to it and I'll try to maintain a lower temp.

DaveRichardson

If you use a drip pan, watch your temps....  It will run dry and you will then get a spike in temps.

egghead43

DaveRichardson said:

If you use a drip pan, watch your temps....  It will run dry and you will then get a spike in temps.

So should I not use a drip pan and just cover my cast iron platesetter in foil?

blasting

Dave was cautioning you about a drip pan filled with water.  If it runs dry you could get a heat spike.

I use a dry drip pan lined in foil.  This functions as an added heat barrier, as well as makes clean up really easy.

egghead43

blasting said:

Dave was cautioning you about a drip pan filled with water.  If it runs dry you could get a heat spike.

I use a dry drip pan lined in foil.  This functions as an added heat barrier, as well as makes clean up really easy.

Ok, I only plan on putting water in the pan.

blasting

most on the forum do not feel it's necessary to use a water pan, fyi

slovelad

Honestly, just turbo it at 350 or 375. Same great taste, same juicyness. Allot less time. But it is cool to smoke something for 15 hours, don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of both

DaveRichardson

Yep.  The egg is enough of a moist environment on its own.  Foil that platesetter, so you can clean it off easier. 

The one time I did a water pan, I forgot to take it out.... (late night after too many brewed and distilled beverages).  3 days later when it was time for burgers and hot dogs for the kids, I had more fuzz in the egg than in a science class petri dish!

egghead43

Cool, I'd rather not use the pan and turbo it.  We'll see how it goes!

DaveRichardson

And whatever drips onto the PS will harden to little chunks that can be scraped off pretty easily after the cook.

Then, like I did, go to make some burgers a few days later and flip the PS and put in in when you are done and let it run for a bit to "self-clean"!

egghead43

I just put it on about 10 minutes ago.  The temperature looks to have stabilized around 234.  Is that a good temp?  My boston butt is right at 4 pounds and I hope to have it ready in about 7 hours or so.  Crossing my fingers!

bgebrent

That's probably ok.  Wouldn't hurt to let it creep up another 25 degrees though.  It's easy to hold ftc'd if you finish early.

egghead43

bgebrent said:

That's probably ok.  Wouldn't hurt to let it creep up another 25 degrees though.  It's easy to hold ftc'd if you finish early.

It's actually kept creeping back up to around 250.  I'm trying to get it stable, but I might just let it go and see where it stabilizes.  Anywhere under 350 and I should be ok from what I've read though it won't get close to that. Currently at 246.

bgebrent

Butts are very forgiving brother.  It's gonna be great!

egghead43

bgebrent said:

Butts are very forgiving brother.  It's gonna be great!

I'm excited!  I'll post before and after pics.

egghead43

The pork has gone from 48-142 in a little over 3 hours.  The grate temp is pretty consistent around 235.

lousubcap

You will hit the stall soon and it could sit in the 160*F range for several hours before moving on.  And don't be surprised if you see a second stall in the high 180's-low 190's that can run for a couple of hours.  Every piggy is a unique cook.

egghead43

lousubcap said:

You will hit the stall soon and it could sit in the 160*F range for several hours before moving on.  And don't be surprised if you see a second stall in the high 180's-low 190's that can run for a couple of hours.  Every piggy is a unique cook.

Ok, I might need to amp it up then.  It's at 153 now and I'd like to eat in the next 3.5 hours or so.

egghead43

I completely mis-timed this thing.  It's at 167 now, having risen only 14 degrees in 2.5 hours.  

1WVU

You are either in a stall or close to it.  Mine almost always stall at 165-168. This is when you'd wrap since you are in a time crunch