Another first time butt cooker here with questions

500

Now I know you are all probably tired of repeating the same answers over and over again, but I am gearing up for a Pork Butt cook here and I need some assurance that I'm doing it right. I'm looking to do 2 - 6.5# Boston Butts for a party Friday night. I've got a Large Egg, I'll stack the lump teepee style as best I can, got the plate setter, gonna rub the butts the night before. Is the word around here still that it takes about 2 hours per pound? So my time frame would be to wake up at 4am to start the fire, butts on a stabilized 225 Egg at 5am. Cook for 13 hours which makes it now 6pm. Off the Egg at 200 degrees Thermapen, wrap in foil and place in the cooler to rest for one hour. Pull it at 7pm (got these cool Bear Claw pullers); cole slaw, homemade BBQ sauce on white buns. I don't have a guru to help out. Am I going about it right, or is there somewhere I can tweak it? Are my times accurate? A little nervous about this one since I'm a virgin here. Had many successful cooks but never attempted one this long. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

BayouMark

It's pretty hard to screw up a couple of butts. I prefer 250 dome and allow bout 1.5 hr per pound of meat. So if you have a 6 lb butt it should take appx 9 hrs cooking. However, things do vary. I would start checking the smaller of the two butts after about 7 hrs cooking. The more you open the lid the more heat you have to replace when you close it. I pull my butts at 200, foil, and let rest in a cold oven for an hr. I separate the fat from the juice and save it for the pull.

Build your fire to the top of the fire ring and use chunks of lump. I have had lots of problems with the lump at the end of a bag because it's small and has a tendency to clog up the air holes. Use a platesetter and drip pan.

Good luck. Act like you've done it a hundred times and you'll be the hit of the party. :woohoo: :woohoo:

gdenby

Because you are cooking thru the day, you will be able to avoid the worst hazard, which if the fire going out, or the less common fire getting way to hot. It should work well, just don't peek too much.

Don't get nervous. They can sit in the plateau seemingly forever. But once they break 180 - 185, the temp comes up pretty fast.

I usually find the cook is somewhat less than 2 hrs/lb. This is not a problem. A good sized butt at 200 degrees can be held for many hours, foiled, towel rapped, and resting in a "cooler." I've gone 5 hours with a bottle of hot water in the cooler, and the butt was still 165. So if you are running early nor problem.

Crimsongator

I would do 225 if you are measuring grid temp. If you mean 225 dome, you will be too low. Bump the dome temp to 250 or 275. Even if you are done early, butts will hold for 3 hours easy in foil and a cooler. No need to push the time limit when you can start earlier or go hotter and not sweat it.

Little Steven

500,

250*. Look at Elder Ward's firebuilding technique in recipes under pulled pork. Get the lump burning in four places and you will be fine. Butt will hold a long time wrapped in foil in a cooler with towels or newspaper if you are done early.

Steve

Bacchus

In my opinion, dont be intent on reaching an exact temperature. All eggs are different as are all fires. If she settles in at 230dome, let her ride. Or 275, or anywhere in between. Dont fight her, stablity is more important than preciseness. While 197-200 internal is ideal, you can pull the butts off at 190-195 wrap in foil and they will be fine for hours before you pull them.

otisdog

Check the fire building tech. mentioned above and, if you don't have a therm. with probe to monitor meat temp, buy some piece of mind and get one. Mavrick seems to be the choice here, but u can get a cheapie for $15 at walmart, target etc.

bryansj

I would give yourself more time. It would be better for it to be in the cooler longer than expected than sitting in the Egg cooking because you underestimated. Plus you are doing two butts which will take more time to pull. However, if you do go long at least you could put your guests to work pulling.

I finished mine an hour or so ahead of schedule last weekend so I just wrapped the pulled pork plate with foil and put it in my oven at 150 degrees.

500

I have a Polder type themometer, I'll use that too. I'll shoot for 250 dome temp. I think my biggest concerns are two things;

1. How can I best maximize my time so I can sleep as long as possible. I know the answer is likely a DigiGuru. I know though I need to make sacrifices for good Que. But I want to be able sleep so I can be up for the party. So that's why I'm trying to figure out the timimg thing.

2. Every other time I cook I let the coals burn off the first black charcoal soot until it is going at a good clean burn with a little white smoke, not black smoke. With the only-light-a-small-batch-of-lump method, won't you be lighting new lump throughout the cook and therefor the meat will have that black charcoal taste to it? I cooked some veggies once without letting the lump cook off some and they were unedible. Thoughts here?

Gator

Remember to stabilize the temp before putting anything in the egg. Once you put 13 lbs of meat, platesetter, drip pan, etc in, your temp will fall and you'll end up making the mistake I made.

fishlessman

everything sounds right except the cook temp, 250 is better. check internals around 3 oclock, if it still has a long ways to go, wrap it in foil and bump the temps up 300/325, you should be good to go. if its done earlier than expected you have the cooler.

Bacchus

Its also quite possible to put too much thought into it. One could dump the lump to the fire ring straight from the bag, throw in a lit cube, wait 20 min then on with ps, drip pan, and grid, 20 more min with the butts, all with bottom vent open 1/4 inch and daisy small holes open.

Celtic Wolf

Pulled Pork

Now stop worrying...

fishlessman

it really is an easy cook but intimidating for some on their first try. for me it was my first cook on the egg and the first time i had ever even seen pulled pork let alone eat the stuff. elder wards writeup is what i needed, i wanted details because i didnt even know what i was going to be eating. :laugh: now, im a dump the lump, hit it with the weedburner, wait til it hits two hundred, set the vents to where mine wants to run at 250 and put the meat on. i dont even think it really needs to be burning clean with a pulled pork cook, meats on when the black cloud starts to diminish.

NoVA Bill

If you're relying on time you're bound to be surprise. Butts are cooked until they are done or reach in the neighborhood of 200 degrees. Some of my butts took 13+ hrs and some take 15+ hrs. That's why I've resorted to overnight cooks and without the dodads well at least until my ET-73 gets here Make sure to set temp at around 250 like mentioned - I used to bbq at 225 and it ended up in looooong cooks so now it's 250 dome.

Just like always everyone has given you great advise, to quote CW - Pulled pork, stop worrying.

Good luck!