My first butt!

Gosh, Bobby, I really need to get a life. When I saw your header, "My first butt", well..........

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This is my first CS pork butt, so I have some questions: Is there an advantage to cook a butt with bone-in vs no bone?

We cook them with bone in. When that bone easily twists, the butt is done. Or, just take it to 200 internal and it's done. Maybe it's like chicken, because many old-timers wouldn't consider cooking without the bone it. Only done bone out once (bought the wrong thing in a hurry) and it came out just as well.

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I like to pull some, and slice some- so, I plan to let it cook to about 190 internal. Does this sound right?

Without meaning to sound trite..if that's good for you, go with it. We take them to between 200-205 because we find they are totally juicy and pull apart with no effort.

Slicing is a different ballgame. Are you going to slice hot or cold? If you're going to slice cold, we'd shoot for the 200+ mark. If slicing hot, We don't have a clue what the compromise temp might be, other than making thick slices, because we don't slice our butts.

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Also, for this cook, I did not plan to mop. Is this a no-no in CS butt cooking?

Our opinion...we don't find it necessary to mop with CS, offset, nor direct. Have compared mopping and no mopping on same batch of food in offset and direct (but, not with CS) and there were zero differences in juciness. If your intentions are to mop in order to add a flavor, that's another subject.

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Is the plateau reached at around 165 degrees like a brisket?

Been a while for us, but 167 comes to mind. Seems like the butts we cooked got stuck at that temp.

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Is a bigger butt likely to cook up better then this small one?

We know this doesn't directly answer your question, however, we were told a long time ago, that it's pretty difficult to mess up when smoking a butt. Thus, we were always advising beginners to start with butts.

Seeing what a CS can do for a brisket tells us that butts have got to be absolutely foolproof in the CS. About your only variables are going to be how much smoke do you want, and how juicy do you want them.

Regards, Mike

Thanks Mike-

I think I'll shoot for 200 degrees and then see how my butt looks and feels.

Your advice on mopping is well put. I guess there's moppers and non-moppers. Seems to me that leaving the butt alone until it reaches a certain temp might be the way to go for ease of cooking, and I wonder if a mop affects the bark in any way?

I think I read something by Smokin that implied less cooking temp for a small butt than a big butt?

I will see the effect of 200 degrees on slicing this small butt. I do the Atkins diet which precludes a lot of bread for sanwiches! Being a carnivore sure fits in with the BBQ lifestyle.

I will take your advice and go for butts with bones for future cooks.

BTW, I found some mullet that were caught last night in Tampa bay, and plan to smoke them in the morning!

Hey,Bobby Que.....You may well hit the plateau 10� earlier than you planned....It could ride as long as 4 hrs.,but probably not at that size.....I like to stay up around 7 lbs. with the bone-in....IMHO it just seems to do the things it is supposed to do easier than if it has been boned and tied.I have friends bring by boneless and they work fine ,though....Like Mike says,I like to wiggle that bone and at 200�-205� it self-pulls. The Q franchises here i.e. Sonny's,Woody's, and Fatboy's go to about 170� and then slice....IMHO it is like eating an overdone pork loin. If you want to mop for flavor , you can always spray your mist bottle of apple juice + whatever down through the vent hole onto the butt...I'm watching your weather and waiting for it to hit over here at the beach.....So far just gentle rain....I skipped smoking today,because of the threat....Albertson's is running those 8-12 count freshwater prawns for $ 8.00/lb. this weekend,so a few pounds go in at lunch tomorrow before the rains.....I saw Smokin' had 102� and heat index of 113�..Luckily , he likes homebrew.

Hi Tom-

We had a nice heavy rain earlier, and it still looks like some more is lurking out there.

My little butt has been on for 5 hours, and just in the past 20 minutes the temp seems to be rising a little from 165. I'm in no hurry. I sure don't want this to come out like Sonny's quelike proteins! Maybe, I should let it go to 205 degrees?

Our local Publix and K&K seem to only pack boneless butts. I got this one at Albertson's, and picked a small one because it was my first on the CS, and my wife and dinner partner is up North for the weekend. However, my sister called, and when I told her how good this smelled, she said she would be glad to come over and try it!

We need the rain over here, so I won't complain about it getting on my new que-machine.

Bobby, ask the butcher for bone in. They start out that way.

Regards, Mike

Well- Here is my first CS butt.

I waited until 6.5 hours at 225 degrees, and the butt was up to 170 internal. Got a little ancy, and bumped the CS temp up to 250 for 30 minutes. Remember, I planned to get it up to 200 degrees internal. When the Polder read 178, i decided to take it out. Here is what it looked like:



The butt rested covered with foil for 15 minutes. It looked great with a wonderful aroma, nice bark, and it was falling off the bone, and mostly easy to pull. The meat pulled Ok, but was drier inside than I would have liked. All in all very nice.

If I had waited for an internal temp of 200, it would have been toast. This must be where art replaces science in Queing? Maybe next time, I will use a mop? Also, I will check my Polder again for accuracy? Perhaps, size does matter?

BobbyQue,

Make sure to check out my Pork Butt 101, there are photos and images to help out.

Those little ones, bone in or out, a lot of times will have too much of the fat trimmed out of them so they will dry out like you experienced. I buy a lot of IBP stuff at Sam's and usually you get a pair and they are about 6 to 7 lbs each.

I agree with the sentiments here. Mop for flavor, not for moisture. A good butt will have plenty of fat (I can hear Michael laughing now).

The bone, in theory, actually transmits heat at a different rate than without. Think about the bone in ribs and how they cook. With or without won't really matter.

Lots of people have had good comments to say about the sauces I posted in the 101, so check those out to add flavor.

In butts, there WILL be a plateau that you usually hit in the 160s. And I've seen butts sit at the plateau for hours without rising.

Remember, in meat, it's the collagen that has to help break down via slow cooking that helps to tenderize the meat it is in. Collagen won't break down until somewhere in the 170s and 180s I believe, so I've never pulled a pork before 180.

I'm not a huge fan of sliced pork butt, butt (haha) when I do, I prefer sliced shoulder.

Honestly, a 7lb butt, cooking around 225 until it hits around 200 internal is absolutely fool proof in a CS. I recommend that to many for their first cook.

Florida is too close to Pulled Pork country, I'm sure you'll find the right butcher for the right product. The gang in FL will come to your rescue.

Good Luck pulling your pork.

Smokin'

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I buy a lot of IBP stuff at Sam's and usually you get a pair and they are about 6 to 7 lbs each

Smokin', brilliant minds must think alike. Been buying the same as you for a couple of years or so. Have tried others from butcher shop, supermarket chains, etc. None seem to offer much of an overall difference. Sam's 2 pk is consistantly good. BTW, buying by the case from Sam's doesn't save enough to justify the discount...merely a convenience, as they tend to run out of product at various times.

On another note...bone in vs bone out...as we twist the bone for doneness, regardless of the internal temp, we only buy bone in. Someone told us a long time ago that they taste better, too. We can't tell the difference. But, twisting the bone seems to be infallable.

Regards, Mike