Boston Butt

Unknown · August 2004

Hi Folks, [p]This is my first post here. I have been a BGR owner for a few years now and am only now cooking my first Boston Butt. I mostly cook Tenderloins for pork. We have a 3-4 pounder, and am seeking some good instructions. What temp and length of time, and any other tidbits, would be preferred. [p]Thanks for your suggestions,[p]J

The Naked Whiz · August 2004

J-Bird,
Cooking a butt is not like roasting a pork loin. The butt is full of fat and connective tissue. The fat needs to be rendered out and the connective tissue needs to be converted from collagen into gelatin. Therefore, you need to cook it at a low temperature for a long period of time. You might try using a dome temperature of 250 or so for your first butt, but no higher. You will find that it takes 1.5 to 2.0 hours per pound. You will want to cook it to an internal temperature of 195-205 degrees. As you monitor the internal temperature, you will find that somewhere around 155 to 170 degrees, the butt will seem to stall. The internal temp will stop rising and it might even fall a little bit. This is known as the plateau and is normal. While the temp flattens out like this, the collagen is being converted to gelatin. This is a very good thing. That tough gnarly connective tissue is going to turn into tender moist gelatin. [p]Once the butt finally comes out of the plateau, if you need to, you can raise the cooker up to 300 to hurry things up, but you don't need to. When the temp reaches 195-205, you can take the butt off the cooker. You probably want to let it cool a bit before you pull it, since it will be so hot. Some folks wrap the butt in foil and put it in a cooler for several hours wrapped in blankets. I've done this and I've pulled it as soon as the butt came off the fire. I haven't really seen a difference.[p]If you want to slice the butt instead of pulling it, I've read that you should cook it to 180 degrees instead of 195-205. Good luck!!
TNW

Joder · August 2004

J-Bird,
I've been an Egghead for 3 months now. I've done a few butts, in fact that's the main thing I've done.[p]Be prepared for a long cook. 3-4 lbs is smallish but I don't know if the size has a lot to do with how long it takes. It could be from 20 to 24 hrs., so plan accordingly. [p]Elder Ward (his recipe is on the Naked Whiz's website, I believe) says to start at 11pm on the night before to eat at 5 pm the next day. I've been starting at more like 7 or 8, just to make sure. And it has paid off. Some have taken 24 hrs. Patience is key. You can't rush collagen breakdown. I believe the slower, the better. [p]The true test of patience is to not open the Egg for the entire time. Trust the Egg. Trust the Polder.[p]Might be a good idea to calibrate your dome thermometer by sticking it in boiling water to see if it reads 212. It's important to not be too hot or too cold. Mine was off after only 2 months of use; I might have messed it up by turning it in the dome. There is a nut on the back that you turn and it moves the needle to allow for adjustments. [p]I have just recently concluded that you should try to keep your dome at 230 to 250. It will be lower at the grate. I recently tried going lower and killed my fire. I think that a lot of messing with the vents will kill the fire. Read the Tao of Charcoal by the Naked Whiz.[p]Like the Whiz said, the plateau is important and it can be looooooooong. Like 10 hours.[p]Good cooking and good eating. I hope I didn't make it sound difficult because it really isn't. It's basically set it and forget it - for 24 hours (with a few checks every couple hours to ensure all is well).[p][p][p]Good luck and

yaB · August 2004

J-Bird,
I did one (boneless) about that size a couple of weeks ago, and it took a good 10 hours to get up to 195 degrees, with a dome temp of around 250 degrees. I did not think it would take anywhere near that long, so I missed the window of opportunity for supper by quite a bit.[p]Your mileage may vary; every butt is different. As the saying goes, it's done when it's done. But the above point of reference might be helpful. [p]Bob

Boston Butt

Comments

Categories