Oven-finishing Boston Butts?

GuinnessGuy

A friend is asking me if I can make 2 10lb butts for him this week to use at a party he is throwing. These usually take about 20 hours so no matter how I work it I invariably end up standing at the egg at 4am in my boxers fiddling with vents. I always get a solid 6-8 hours of rock solid temps, but then I seem to have to make some adjustments after that. I hope to get a digi-Q soon so I can get a good night sleep when doing these cooks, but that's another story...

I have been told that the meat picks up most of its smoke flavor in the first couple of hours. So what I'm wondering is, can I put them on the egg and do the first 6 hours or so out there, then pull them off when I go to bed and do the last 14 hours in the oven? If so, is there anything special I need to do when I put them in the oven? I was planning to put a water pan on the bottom rack and the butts a few inches above on the top racks.

I know this wouldn't be quite as good as using the egg for the whole deal. But if I can get 95% of the results and actually sleep through the night, then it's worth it in this case (I'm giving the darn things away anyway!)

Thanks,
Jeff

fishlessman

that smoke thing is a myth, confusion thats been going around for years. the first few hours you get the smoke ring, smoke flavor happens the whole cook. are you shaking the grate with an ash tool when changing the settings, and ash tool poked thru the lower vent into the holes in the lower grate helps alot

GuinnessGuy

Are you saying to hit the grate in the middle of a cook? I haven't done that. Anytime I do a long cook I completely empty the egg, remove all ash, clean all holes, and build the lump mound back up with big pieces on the bottom working towards smaller pieces on top. But then once the cook is going all I do is mess with the top and bottom vents.

civil eggineer

I have a medium and generally experience trouble free temps for 8 hours after lighting then it begins to slowly drop due to ash build-up. Usually only takes some poking from the air vent hole to clear up the ash buildup and return to normal temps.

I cooked some butts a few days ago at 275 to 300 dome instead of my normal 230. They finished in around 12 hours instead of the normal 16 average. I have finished many butts in the oven on loooong cooks without any drop in quality. Wrap them in a foil tent in the oven so you maintain a moist cooking environment.

Mickey

Jeff you will want to follow Fishlessman (well over 10 thousand post)on this.

BananaChipz

get a DigiQ....

Yes they are expensive....

No, it's probably not the advice you wanted to hear....

But man, I sleep like a baby now . I've cooked around 15 butts since getting my digiQ, and never once had temps get away from me.

fishlessman

i use a bent coathanger and give it a good poke and shake about ten hours or so in, works better than chasing it.

GuinnessGuy

So when you did them in the oven, did you still put a water pan below them? And by "tent" are you saying just to lay it over the top? Or is the butt wrapped all the way around? If it was completely wrapped I'm guessing the water pan would be pointless, but if the bottom is exposed then I think the water pan would still be good.

fishlessman

this will give you a better idea on how to build your own or buy one

http://thirdeyebbq.com/WiggleRods.aspx

Grilling Away in ?

I will endorse the digiQ for getting better sleep on long cooks.

GuinnessGuy

Excellent, thanks for all the info!

Bacchus

I have never used a wiggle rod or coathanger or anything else regarding my grate mid cook. As long as it is clean when you start, you should be fine.
There is no harm in oven finishing, but it is sort of a PITA.

fishlessman

lately i havent had any problems with dropping temps, but ive had pallets of lump that didnt burn as well and shaking seemed to help, temps would start dropping after 8 or so hours. he wants to cook those butts for 14 hours in the oven :ermm: not just finish them up