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Adjusting cooking time for mulitple Boston Butts

BHFG
BHFG Posts: 17

My son is getting married in a couple of months and our new daughter-in-law said "yes" only if I would agree to do my pulled pork and sauces for the rehearsal dinner (she is gonna fit in just fine!).  Depending on how many extra BGE's I can get access to when it comes time, I may have to blow the dust off of my  (ugh!) electric smoker to help out.  Figuring 1/2 pound per person plus some left overs, I'll need around 6-8 butts. But my real question is adjusting cook times. 

From what I remember when cooking two butts, as long as I can keep an inch or more space between them, I can estimate the cook time the same as a single piece of meat.  Does the same hold true if there are 3 or 4 butts per BGE?  I'll be using my BBQ Gurus to get the temp right, just trying to plan the cook time and allow time for the meat to rest and get pulled before the dinner.

Any suggestions on figuring times would really be appreciated!

Comments

  • Following this thread.  I have two small butts in the freezer that I am cooking Sunday.  I had the same question.
  • You can jam them together. It doesn't affect cook time. 

    The recovery time from adding a lot of cold meat is what will add some time to it. But given the variables with just ONE butt, it's very hard to ascribe any sort of definitive "it adds x-hours per butt" rule to it all

    but even four crammed together with one on top won't slow things down. It is the five butts worth of meat. 

    I'd plan to be done sooner and allow for holding them in a cooler (without towels)
  • No different than if you were putting the butts in the kitchen oven ..... same amount of time as long as they are not touching each other.
    Morro Bay, CA
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,260
    Any chance you can cook them a few days or weeks earlier? That way you can cook them in the egg a few different times and won't need to worry about an additional egg, oven, or electric smoker. Once cooked and pulled you can vacuum seal it up and store in the freezer. Take a big pot and throw in the sealed pulled pork to thaw/cook the day of. Switch out to a roasting pan to keep warm and serve. I can guarantee that no one would tell that it was vacuumed sealed or frozen and taste just as good as if it came off the egg that day.

    A couple other eggheads and I are cooking for a town during the dog sled races up in northern Minnesota in January. We will be cooking all the pulled pork prior to the races. It will simplify everything and will busy with other cooks. Less stress and just as good
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • they. can. touch.

    (no problem, no issue, no extended cook time)
  • I've done six at a time crammed in the XL and it took no longer that when I've just done two.



    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • da87
    da87 Posts: 640
    Only thing I'd do vs. a smaller cook is to watch your dip pan with that many butts rendering, amazing how full it will get
    Doug
    Wayne, PA
    LBGE, Weber Kettle (gifted to my sister), Weber Gasser

    "Two things are infinite:  the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe"   Albert Einstein
  • da87 said:
    Only thing I'd do vs. a smaller cook is to watch your dip pan with that many butts rendering, amazing how full it will get
    This

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf