Freezing Meet

Try to put butt, rub and all, into a big container and freeze like it is. Better start thawing in the fridge earlier than a night before.

I smoke butts during busy weekdays all the time. Prep the meat the night before and put it in the smoker around 10:00 or 11:00. Set the thermostat to 212 to 225, depending on how long your butts typically cook. You'll have pulled pork for dinner the next day.

I should add that my wife is home and can monitor temps on my Maverick. I set the Maverick's alarm and tell her to just turn off the smoker when the alarm goes off. The butt can remain in the warm smoker for 4-5 hours, but it will climb another 10 degrees after being turned off.

I buy butts at Sams and put them in the freezer. An 8 lb butt usually take 3 days ti thaw, and 15 hours in my 008 to 200 de internal.

This isn't an answer to the original question, but we don't thaw our pork before smoking.

Our freezers run at -20F and would take a week to thaw in the fridge.

We cook a few hundred pounds a week to sell at the farmers market, and catering as pulled pork and ribs.

We don't trim either. Our butcher bones them out, and we have them leave plenty of fat cover.

If we want to apply rub, we do that after an hour or two on smoke, other wise we just season the meat after it is pulled. Ribs are easier to thaw, and get rub before going on.

Our customers love them.

Good Luck! Roger

mnhogfarmer -- Very interesting concept! Just curious as to how long your smoking time are from freezer to finished product...? I am assuming that doing a few hundred pounds a week you aare not using the 08-09.

TIA for a reply!

We use whole, unnetted, boneless shoulders that go 12-14#

Smoke for a few hours till bedtime, 180F overnight and crank it up to 250F in the morning, 18 hrs total.

OR- Smoke a couple hours, then 250F overnight for a nooner. 15 hrs total.

We use an FE2000.