Here is a post that some may find useful, about finishing a bunch of butts with limited time.
I have used it before ,successfully.
About three weeks ago we had a cater for a few hundred and the butts got started late.
It was all that saved our "butts".
This originally came a few years ago from Ray Basso's forum.
Try this method from Steve in KC insteadinstead.
Re: Pork Butt Question (10/3/2003 12:27:52 PM by Steve in KC)
you could always score it instead of cutting in half...
one one side, make cuts 1/3 the way through the butt about 1 1/2" to 2" apart. Turn the butt 90� and repeat. Flip the butt over to the other side and repeat.
What you're left with is a bunch of 'cubes' of meat all connected to the middle 1/3 of the butt. This allows more surface area for rub (and bark) but also allows the heat to reach the middle of the meat where you need it to speed up the cooking time.
Apply your rub to all the cuts and put on the cooker.
When the internal temp reaches 150, wrap the entire butt in plastic wrap heavily so it's sealed. Then wrap entirely in foil and roll down the edges to seal.
Put it back in the cooker and in no time it will blow through the 160-170 plateau and you'll have a fully cooked and extremely juicy product in much less time.
I've done this to several hundred butts and have experienced cook times of as little as 5-6 hrs vs. 10-15.
You can pull them once they hit 200 and put in a dry empty cooler where they'll continue to cook for a while and stay warm.
When done, unwrap the foil and then cut the now sealed plastic pouch of meat and juice open while retaining all the juice in your pan. The bone should then fall out and the meat will shred effortlessly.
To quote the rainmaker... 'easy peasy'
Matt
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