pulled pork question

Unknown

getting ready to do pulled pork for a party of several. Is it better to do a large 10 to 12#, or two smaller, maybe 6# each? My inclination is to think the smaller ones will cook quicker. What is a good round number for cooking time with a grid cooking temp of 230°.[p]Thanx, ern

BigT

ern,[p]Two butts will give you more bark (umm...sweet sweet bark!). Since leftovers freeze well, might I humbly suggest two 7-8 lb butts.[p]Good round number is 1.5 - 2 hours / lb of the bigger butt.[p]hth[p]BigT

Unknown

ern,[p]Yes to what BigT says, my first couple of butts (4-6LBS) took 14 hours. Be patient! On your first it seems like it will never get there. Better have lots of beer!

mule

ern,
I have to agree with Big T - we love the bark!!![p] mule[p][p][p][p]

Unknown

BigT, thanx. So, if I go with your advice of 2 7-8 pound butts, would my cooking time be around 14 hours? I hope not double that! Ern

J Appledog

I find that 230° can be hard to maintain, ern. My large BGEs settle in better at 240-245°. We learned in Kyle & Stephs Slabs class that you can butterfly the butts to cut down on cook time and create more bark. JCA

ronbeaux

ern,
Yes to what the others said. Should finish in 12 to 14 hours, together. This one went on at 8:pm and will come off in the next 30 minutes for a total of14.5 hours. I am about 10 degrees less than what you are shooting for with 220 grid and 240 dome.

[p]

Unknown

J Appledog,
Thanx, loadz for your input! I learn so much on the forum. Butterflying sounds interesting. How do you do it? Ern

BigT

ern,
2 hrs/ lb of the biggest butt.[p]The cooked and foiled butts will hold 3+hrs in a towel-lined cooler- this also gives you some time should the butts cook slower than expected.[p]That's the beautiful / maddening thing about BBQ- it is done when it is done.[p]If you have not read Elder Ward's two part thesis on pulled pork in the recipe section of this site, then by all means do so.[p]BigT

BigT

J Appledog,[p]Saw the America's Test Kitchen folks do something similar- they made several vertical cuts halfway through the butt to give more surface area for seasoning.[p]BigT

EddieMac

The butterfly concepts are an interesting idea....and something worth trying......I will say that when it comes to Boston Butts....There's no reason why you can't smoke them at a Dome Temp of 275 - 280 dome with absolutely no consequence whatsoever....BBs are awfully tough to mess up thanks to fat content and connective tissue....Running 240 - 250 Dome is a "sexy" temp....But with BBs there's no reward for it....Jack up the temp...foil over the last two hours and eat sooner....[p]Ed McLean...eddiemac
Ft. Pierce, FL

J Appledog

ern, Just cut all the way around the bone and open it up like a book. JCA