pulled boston butt questions

newsense

I'm about to cook my first butt (7.5 pounds) low and slow for the holiday cookout. Several questions:[p]1. I have some good rub ideas, but am open to suggestions.
2. My plan is to invert the cooking plate and set the grate on top of the inverted legs, then take the V-rack and put astride a drip pan. I will cook at 225 for about 2 hours per pound -- until I get an internal temp of 180. Does this time and temp and doneness sound right, or will the cook plate increase the cook time dramatically? Also, is it possible to achieve a constant temp without a daisy wheel?
3. Finally, the dumbest question of all... pulled pork? How do I "pull" and serve to my guests?[p]Thanks in advance for all your advice; everyone's been very helpful and receptive to my newbie questions so far.[p]Scott

Painter

newsense, You can possibly adjust temps with just lower vent, but I have not on a long cook as a butt. I would like to be around to watch temps and not be sleeping when I do all nighters.Your time and temps sound good to go. Check out GFW's link below.
Painter

Painter

Painter,

[ul][li]butt[/ul]

Mike Oelrich

newsense,[p] A couple things. With the plate setter inverted and the grid on top, it's just as easy to put the drip pan on top of the plate setter (and under the grid). That way you can just put the pork right on the grid. Your way will work fine, too.[p] 225F sounds good to me, but you can afford to go a little higher when you're cooking direct. I still do it at 225F, but others here go to 250 w/o any trouble. Plate setter shouldn't dramatically increase the cooking time as long as you preheat it in the BGE while your getting the fire going. If you do go ahead at 225F with the plate setter, I'd recommend cranking the heat up to around 275F once the internal temperature gets through the plateau (normally, the internal temperature will "stall out" somwhere around 160F for a while (sometimes a few hours), then start to go up again) or around 170F. This'll give you a nice crust on the outside.[p] 180F probably won't be done enough, but you can tell by doing a "fork test" on the meat or wiggling the bone. I usually try to ge to at least 185F. Normally it's good anywhere frm 185-200F but your mileage may vary.[p] You can achieve a constant temp w/o the daisy wheel (are you talking no top at all?), but I find it a little harder to do it that way. Others are better at it than I am.[p] The classic method of pulling pork is to use two forks to shred the meat. I prefer to use my neoprene fireman's gloves and just tear into it manually![p]MikeO

Spin

newsense,[p]The link below will help answer your questions.[p]Cooking reliably without the a top vent is limited to temps above 240°F (IMHO). At this temp, breezes do tend to affect the fire and temperature regulation can then become a problem. Since your cook is a long one and this is your first attempt, I would recommend using the daisey also.[p]Your setup will work fine with no worries about the setter adding to the cooking time. You could cook it on the v-rack set in the drip pan directly on the grill with no difference.[p]The cook is a long one and well worth it. Temperature spikes and dips will actually have little effect on the end result. Best of luck and enjoy the reward.[p]Spin

[ul][li]NC Pulled Pork[/ul]

Smokey

newsense,[p]You're headed down the right path. The advice given by others is good! I find myself cooking a butt every three or four weeks! I like to coat with mustard, then rub (24 hrs before cook time). As far as pulling, let it rest for an hour wrapped in foil, the use 2 forks and pull/shred it! GOOOOOD stuff![p]Smokey

Huck

newsense,
A few things from me: I like to keep the dome temp at 200 until the last hour or two after it "breaks through" the plateau. It will hang somewhere in the 160s for several hours. When I see it break, I get the dome temp up to 250 to get the meat to 195-200 degrees. It's sooooo tender by then. For a few more things: Try stabbing the butt in several places, not all the way through, and filling the slits with chopped onions and a little garlic. Yup, it's as good as it sounds![p]Go ahead and smoke an extra butt. Make spread/pate out of it with your food processor. Take the butt, while it's warm, and chunk about a cup into your processor (food, not Pentium 4!) toss about a handful of chopped sweet vidalia onions in there. Start the processor and squeeze your favorite bottled BBQ sauce in there, stopping and checking the taste frequently (my favorite part) to taste. I'm telling you, this is the absolutely best sandwich spread/chip dip you've ever had. You can hit it with a wee bit of tabasco or pepper powder to spice it up but I haven't found that to our liking. If you try this, let me know what you think. It was just a goofy idea I came up with when the processor parts were drying after I mixed up a batch of dry rub. The stuff is great for snackin' before dinner with chips or veggies. See if they can guess what it is!