Question on butts

[perryranch]

I want to get one while in town this Wed to cook for Thrus nights supper. But first I have a few questions. Can one be cooked in 11hrs? What size is best? What prep work before cooking.

I can get my pit started at between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning and we eat around 7:30 at night.

So please of masterful Qer advice this poor novice. LOL

Oh one more ? which do I get bone in or not?

[nascarchuck]

Great questions... I'm waiting on answers myself!

[JamesB]

Most of the butts I see around here are in the 6-9lb range. I prefer bone in. No real prep necessary. I just take out of the fridge, unwrap, give them a rinse in the sink to knock off any saw dust. Give'em a light coat of cheap yeller moosturd and rub... You can do this the night before or the minute before it hits the pit... I've never seen a difference in the end product.

Put on the pit and cook any where from 225° - 300° (butts do just fine at higher temps, but I usually cook butts around 235° - 250°) until you reach your desired internal temp. If you are wanting to pull it, take it to ~200° internal, to slice around 185° or so.

11hrs? Sure... What I would do in the scenario you have described is to plan on cooking a 7 or 8lber at around 275°. The butt will hit a plateau around 160° internal. It will set there for a good while before the internal temp starts to climb again. If you start to get within a couple hours of your time limit and it's still not close to getting done, wrap that butt tightly in foil and up the temp to 300° (at this point you can even use your oven 'cause smoke don't penetrate foil. You will lose your bark, but you will still get some good pulled pork...

Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions.

James.

[Burnt Food Dude]

I concur with James. Except I'd trim off the fat on the outside of the butt. There is enough fat to keep your butt lubricated.

In competition I will do a 6 to 9 pound butt in about 10 hours. I know this may sound strange but I've had bigger butts cook faster than smaller ones. I've had a 10 pounder cook in the same time as a 5 pounder. Hard to figure.

[copkid]

I'm pretty much with James as well. I think bone in adds extra flavor from the marrow. I always do my butts at higher temps around 325 on average and easily finish by supper time. The butts I get are usually 5-6 pounds.

[honu41]

Certainly great info James. As for trimming the fat layer, I go by a butt by butt basis since some butcher shops leave more fat than others.

In doing kalua pork, Hawaiian style pit bbq the temps are much higher and it takes about 5 hours to have the butt fall apart.

Must be the surface area of a larger piece of meat that absorbs the heat and smoke faster than a smaller piece. I have done "kalua" with 400 pounds of butts of different weights and they all cook the same.

Our Church did luaus and our "imu" can have 10 to 20 hogs that varied from a 200 pounder up to an old sow that weigh up to twice as large. But they all cooked the same. Doing large "cooks" with multiple hogs took up to 10 hours.

Perryranch, if you use the guidelines and info on this thread, you should not have problems.

malama pono a hui hou,

[JaCK2U2]

Good advice from everyone - you can always have a standby meat ready, just in case the butt doesn't get done. It happens....good luck and post how it turns out!

[DATsBBQ]

Stay away from those picnics.....although smaller those little b#%$*$%s take for ever