Boston Butt - Proper Temperature for Overnight

Unknown

I have an 8.5lb Boston Butt that I want to serve at 7pm tomorrow night. What time should I put it in the egg tonight? I have read a lot of postings regarding temperature & generally they seem to stay 220 to 250 degrees. Can it be smoked at a lower temperature, around 200, to prolong the smoke, or does that have some kind of negative effect?

Mark Backer

zippy,[p]Since you want to get the butt to 200 degrees, you'll need to cook it higher than 200 or it will never get to the desired temp. [p]I know there are people with gurus and such that can maintain a grid temp of 220 or so, but without the guru and having done a dozen or more butts this fall, I will tell you that I cook mine at 250 dome (which should be anywhere from 220-240 grid temp). Mine, cooked indirect, tend to take anywhere from 16 to 18 hours. I do typically turn up the dome temp to 300 once the internal reaches 190, but that's personal preference and obviously speeds cooking a little. My advice is to plan on 18 hours to cook and that 18 hours ending 3 hours before you want to eat. That way, if it's longer, you still have a cushion, and if it's right on or shorter, you simply wrap the butt in foil, then in a couple old towels and put it in an igloo cooler for a while until you're ready to pull it and serve.[p]I have left butts in a cooler five hours from finish to serving, and they're still too hot to handle bare handed and they are soft as a pillow. Well, a delicious and edible pillow, but you know what I mean.[p]Let us know how it goes...

jake42

Mark Backer,
Good advice Mark. Is your grid raised?

Smoked Signals

zippy,
Meat will creat a smoke ring until the temperature reaches 140F. So if you start smoking at a lower temp ... ie put he butt in the cooker at 180 as it comes up to temperature 240-250. Really push the smoke in the first couple of hours. After the meat goes through the plateau (internal of 175 or higher) you can crank up the temperature or wrap the meat in foil (will create a softer bark) to push it up to 196-200. I prefer to pull from the cooker at 196 - the meat will finish around 200 in post cooking.[p]Another option is to start with a colder piece of meat ... fresh from the bottom back of the fridge and direct to the cooker. This will also create a longer smoke absorbing period.[p]Eithere way you decide to go ... I don't generate intense smoke for my meat for more then a few hours. Just too (burp) smokey.[p]My 2 cents .... since you asked.
Doug

Unknown

zippy,[p]210 dome temp

egghead2004

zippy,
I've cooked 2 shoulders and 2 butts, not a lot of expereince, but I've always left the dome @225 until the internal reaches 185,190, or when it looks like it breaks through the plateau. Then I raise the dome to 250-275 til done @ 195-198 internal. I think the smoke only penetrates the meat for a coule hours, so smoking @ 200 might not he of any help. Plus you would want to get the outer part of the meat over 140 within 3 hours and having the dome sitting @ 200 might only get you @ 160 grill level, not something I would want to try.

Unknown

egghead2004,[p]40 degree difference btn dome and grill? Seems high.

egghead2004

Tony,
That's what I measured at the begining of my last 2 cooks. However, once the meat heats up the differnce dropped to 10-15 degrees by the time piggy gets to 170. It also could be that the drip pan was full of cooler liquid early on too. There are so many variables, but for mee, 200 dome on a shoulder seems a bit low. I feel better @ 225.

Unknown

Mark Backer, no wonder you and your are advancing so in ceramic cooking techique...cooking a dozen or so in such a short time would explain it, huh

Unknown

Smoked Signals,[p]So you only put in wood chunks during the first few hours? Once their gone, you don't add any more? I haven't yet done a pork shoulder or butt, but have been anxious to try. This is one thing I've ben wondering about though.[p]Also, I only have a small egg, will I be able to keep a burn going to 15+ hours without having to reload the firebox? Still learning a lot here obviously, but each time I fire up my egg for anything, I end up adding more charcoal. Granted, I usually cook at 350-400 dome. I hear of people saying that they can basically "set it and forget it" til their butt is done. I have been wondering if it was because of the smaller firebox in the small egg that I have to keep adding more lump or if it would in fact make it through a low and slow.

Elder Ward

zippy,
Start it at 11:00 pm at @250 degrees. you'll be fine.
If you got em smoke em.
Elder Ward

jwitheld

zippy,
the lower the better, what you are doing is rendering the fat and disolving colligens. so the longer you keep the temps under about 170 (seems to differ some) the better.
you will notice the temp will seem to stabilize around 160-170 once that starts to climb you have it. before it reaches that plateu you are rendering fat. the longer you can cook it the better untill that temp goes over 170 then you want to go quickly to your finnish temp, most say 200 I personaly use anything 180 up (depends on if wify is ready). I generally cook at 180 till meat goes over 170 then go to 225 or 250 to finnish up.
be aware that the lower temp cooks need attention, if you have a guru 180 is no problem. if not you will have to watch a 180 deg egg or cook at a higher temp like 250.
at 180 i can cook 20+ hrs at 180 depending on the meat quantity, quality, fat content ect ect.