Fast cooked Butt with pictures

Granpdas Grub,[p]The differences between your thermopen vs. regular probe readings make sense. With the higher pit temp, the outer portion should be hotter than the core of the roast. Lower cooking temps allow for very even cooking of the meat throughout. Taken to an extreme, a hot enough cook could have the outside charred to ash with a core still cold and bloody.

Granpdas Grub,[p]I am sure I will be doing more Low and slow but this fast method sure is a good method.[p]Nice job on that. On your next test run, try resting at least 2 hours. Because of the high pit temps, I stay away from sugar based rubs, after pulling I will bump the pulled meat with some fresh rub before serving. I also defat the liquid from the foil and mix some of it into the pulled meat. Here is another tip, If you notice excess greasiness with this method, trim the surface fat close. At high temps the rendering process does not work as well as when using barbecuing temperatures.[p]~thirdeye~

Grandpas Grub,[p]By "bump" I meant add more dry rub to the pulled meat, a bump in flavor.[p]During a long rest the amount of liquid will equalize within the meat and the remainder will collect in the foil. You can always add some additional apple juice or broth before foiling, but I usually find that is not necessary.[p]If you did not have any grease issues, no need to trim excess fat. Just keep it in mind if you should get one with a heavy fat cap. Sometimes you don't realize just how much fat remains until you look in the pan of pulled meat which has been refrigerated overnight.[p]You will always get some really crunchy bark, which is not use-able. I like to chop some of the good bark to mix in for flavor. I let the color of the bark determine when I foil. I don't always wait for the butt to reach the target temperature. If it gets too dark I will tent or wrap in foil and return to the pit or oven to finish cooking.[p]~thirdeye~[p][p][p][p]

Granpdas Grub,
what was your egg setup and how did you build the fire? did you use any wood? what rub?

I've used the high heat method for both butts and briskets at times when either I didn't hace time to do a long cook or didn't want to be watching pit temps all night (this was pre-Egg ). Whenever I do a high temp cook I inject the meat to give it extra moisture. Also, I watch the bark color and foil based on color rather than meat temp. I've also gone to cooking butts with the fat cap down on high temp cooks to insulate the meat from the heat.

The porked looks great, GG! I think I like the flavor and texture of a low & slow butt better, but to me the difference isn't that dramatic. How did the flavor compare to a low & slow butt to you?

Rick,[p]Normal stacking of lump and mapp start. Plate setter with grid. I used some chunk hickory.[p]I had some Famous Daves which when uncooked has too much celery smell for me, but that is what I had at the time. It tasted good at the end.[p]The meat went in the egg at 43° and I foiled by time not look or temp.[p]Kent

Grandpas Grub,
thanks, gramps *L*

<p />Grandpas Grub,[p]With the exception of #5 below, I decide to foil based on color. Whether it's a butt or brisket (cooked fast or slow) or even a turkey for that matter, I want the best flavors from the bark. In these first pictures you can see the color when I foiled. If they make it without foil until they are done, great. But I foil anyway during the holding time (which is just as important as the cook time). No more bark will develop after foiling and the bark you have before foiling will soften during holding, which is fine because you are after flavor more than crunch. [p][p][p]These are not ready for foil.[p][p]
Here is the deal with foil; It can be used if:
1. Certain meats are coming out too smokey, foil can protect the flavor.
2. Your meat is getting too dark. A tent or a full wrap can protect the color you want.
3. Your meat is not as tender as you like it, or it is too dry. Very popular with ribs, braising in foil really works. I'll finish smaller brisket flats in foil to keep them moist and to add tenderness. I also make a "wet pastrami" which is finished in foil for the same reasons.
4. You need to hold meats. Foil is a convenient way to provide some insulation and keep the juices close to the meat while it's in a cooler.
5. You need to speed up your cook. Foiled meats cook faster than un-foiled meats.[p]~thirdeye~[p]

Grandpas Grub,[p]You bet, save the foil juices; defat them and they can be used as-is or used to thin your favorite sauce. I usually mix some of it into the pulled pork and the remainder can be served at the table.[p]Yes, butts and brisket both continue to cook during the time they are holding in a cooler. Depending on the type of insulation (crumpled newspaper, towels, etc.) the cooking goes on a while. That's why you have to be careful of the finish temp and the amount of time you plan on holding. A brisket for example pulled at 200° and held for 4 hours may in fact cook itself too tender for good slicing. The same brisket pulled at 190° may be just right.[p]As far as some of the things you have learned and the little things I pointed out, just keep good notes so you can tell what works best for you. I would vac seal a bag of this pulled pork to compare to the next batch.[p]We all love to cook traditional barbecue, myself included, and those methods are tried and true. Using different spices, temperatures, injections, foil, specific cookers, woods, Guru's etc., all have their place. I was talking to tjv before Christmas about backyard cookin' in general and I told him that the first cooker I used with a pit thermometer was my Egg. We both shared a chuckle about that.[p]I wouldn't get too carried away with high temps, or your results may nosedive. A fast cook usually requires a longer rest. BobbyQ mentioned the other day he has gone as high as 600° on butt cooks, but that some of the meat was not usable.[p]~thirdeye~