Skip to main content

18 replies

Need help...

FM Former Member
My test butt (3lb boneless Boston) two weeks ago came out good. Rubbed butt with yellow mustard and my own rub. It took approx 7 hours @ 240* and I used soaked hickory chips. Made Smokin Okies vinegar mop and added to pulled pork which my wife and I loved but it might be too spicy for some of the older folks that will be at my house on Sat. Thanks for all the tips\recipes...

Like I said in my 1st thread, I have about 12-14 adults (no kids) coming over Sat night. I mentioned to them last weekend that I was considering making a PB and they are all looking forward to it, so now I have no choice :0) I will also be grilling some boneless chicken breasts. Serving slaw, baked beans, two salads, fruit platter, etc... not counting appetizers, so there will be plenty of food.

Still concerned when to start cooking. I plan to buy 2 boneless Boston butts approx 4-5lbs each. That should give me enough meat to make at least 16-20 pulled sammies (1/4lb per). I am now leaning towards adding to grill at 5-6am on Sat morning and they should be done by 4-5pm (hopefully). I know they are done when they are done so if they go til 6pm no big deal. My gas grill stayed around 240* average last time. I also thought about starting at 10pm Fri night and then figuring they would be done by 9-10am Sat then wrapping in foil and towel and placing in cooler but not sure they will maintain safe temp for 6-7 hours before I would pull that evening.

If I want to just make one sauce will Smokin Okies Pork Baste and Serving Sauce be good for adding to pulled pork and putting in a bottle for people to add extra sauce to their sammie? Just seems like it would be less spicy than the moppin sauce. I plan to double the batch.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

P pagsMember
The last two times I smoked a pork butt they took over 2 hrs/lb. I'd start 5 pounders at 1:00 AM then FTC them for a couple hours. You can also start them out at 200-210* to prolong the cook, then raise to 240* mid-morning. Try to buy 6 pounders. That'll help. Leftovers freeze well and make a great dinner for another time.

Smokin's Baste and Serving Sauce is perfect for what you want to do. My daughter is disappointed when I don't have some on the side for her to squirt onto her "sammie".
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by Pags:
The last two times I smoked a pork butt they took over 2 hrs/lb. I'd start 5 pounders at 1:00 AM then FTC them for a couple hours. You can also start them out at 200-210* to prolong the cook, then raise to 240* mid-morning. Try to buy 6 pounders. That'll help. Leftovers freeze well and make a great dinner for another time.


Pags, I may be missing your logic, and I'd like to understand. It sounds to me like boltsfan wants two 4 to 5 pounders ready to pull by 05:00 PM, and it's ok if they slide to 06:00 PM. Now I like to FTC for a couple of hours at least before pulling, but even so, starting two five pound butts at 06:00 AM should allow plenty enough time at the extreme of 2 hours per pound to allow for one or two hours FTC. That's assuming 5 pound butts. I'd back up to 04:00 AM for 6 pounders.

So what were your thoughts on recommending a start time of 01:00 AM? If he does that, they could be cooked as early as 9 or 10 AM, and that is a long time to hold for a 5 PM dinner. Matter of fact, they could be done even earlier. I've had butts cook in 1.25 hours per pound. Even if they take a full 2 hours per pound, he'd have to FTC them for four or five hours.
FM Former Member
boltsfan, aside from the starting time question, I'm with Pags on upping the size of the butts. I'd go with two six pounders in this case, and I'll tell you why.

There is a certain amount of unpredictability involved in cooking butts. Some have higher fat content and they render out more, leaving less meat. There has been a time or two when I let my heat get away from me and I ended up with bark that was closer to Mr. Black than Mr. Brown, too hard to eat. That was early in my smoking days when I was cooking butts on a Weber Kettle, but I haven't forgotten it. Also, when cooking for crowds, I like to err on the bountiful side. It gives me frazzled nerves if I suspect I'm going to run out of food. I'd rather give away or freeze leftovers than not have enough. I'm sure I'd lose money if I were a caterer. Just my 2 cents.
T tim-in-azMember
Boltsfan -- Just I thought for you.
I did a 10 lb bone in last week.
Started 9 pm sat night at 210 degrees.
Went to bed.
Was planning to eat at 3 pm Sunday.

At 11 am Sunday internal temp was at 186 --kicked the temp up to 255.
Reached 198 at 2:30 pm
FTC and ate at 4 pm

I was close to my time and could have sped it up if I kicked up the temp earlier in the morning. It would have just been wrapped in the cooler longer is all.
P pagsMember
OK. Here's the logic. My last 3 pork butts took well over 2 hrs/lb. Now, I started them lower for both better bark and longer cook time. I'd rather start them later the night before than get up at 4:00 AM the same day. Start slow, get it partially cooked, kick it up to 235*. Like others say, you can go higher also. Also, another reason why I suggested a couple 6 pounders.

So, a slower start, a couple 6 pounders (or more), start at 1:00 AM (unless the butts are bigger). Figure on roughly 15 hrs. 4:00 pm finish give or take. FTC. There are other methods, but this has turned out great pork butt and gives me some flexibility by adjusting the cook temp. I also find the longer, slower cook times renders the fat better. Works for me. Thought I'd share.

I smoke larger cuts and always make more than I can possibly use. I want the longer smoke time (1:00 AM) and leftovers. Foodsaver bags, freeze, and have them for another time. Got 2 bags with Smokin's Finishing Sauce in the simmering water now. Pulled pork sandwiches for dinner.
FM Former Member
Hey guys,

Thanks for the great tips... I will up to two 6 pounders to ensure I have enough meat in the event I get an extra fatty butt. This is why I am also grilling some bbq chicken.

Problem is I am taking the family to the beach on Sat (11am-3pm) for a few hours. So if I start at 1am Sat, I will not be home to take PBs off at 1-2pm. I figured if I started Fri night at 10pm I could get Sat morning and crank up heat (if necessary) take off on Sat morning at 10-11am and then FTC for 6 hours and it would stay safe. Or is that too long to FTC to maintain a safe temp?

Maybe best bet is to start at 4am on Sat so they will be done close to 4-5pm. Then I can let rest for an hour then pull.

If they go til 6pm no big deal but I just can't afford chance they'll need to go til 7-8pm.
rlwinstonrlwinstonMember
I usually fiqure 1 lb. per person, reason being is I hope for some left overs but usually don't have any. Sounds like your in the ball park with 2-7 pounders. Plus you have plenty of sides and chicken and appetizers as well. We always make sure we have some kind of dessert also, because you won't have any leftovers anyway, no matter how hard you try to have some. Even with all of the side dishes.

I also make sure that the pork is done well ahead of time, if it is done early, you can always re heat then put in a warming pan for serving. I have in the past not allowed enough time and people are waiting, it is not worth the look you get, you know the one with arms crossed, foot tapping, you are in the dog house look. And yes use Smokin's finishing sauce, it keeps the pork moist and everyone seems to like it best, for all around those that like spicy or not, I usually have bbq sauce as well, but it hardly ever gets used.
FM Former Member
I picked up a 14+ PB package from Costco yesterday afternoon. I assume there are two 7 PB (approx) PBs in the sealed package.

My plan for now is to start cooking them around midnight on Friday night so they will hopefully be done around 2-3pm the next day then I can FTC for a few hours as we will eat dinner around 6-7pm on Sat.
FM Former Member
Yes I have always gotten good results from the Costco PBs. I buy them all the time. I also buy the ones from Sam's with the bone in from time to time, and I have great results with those too.

The only PBs I've ever been disappointed in were some that were from Kroger that were "enhanced" with some sort of solution. They had a mushy texture and off flavor.

Your start time seems right to me. I'd start at 215 degrees, then bump to 250 around noon if it seemed like they needed a boost to get 'em done.
FM Former Member
Forgot to post my 1st PB results from the 4th of July. AMAZING... Everyone loved the PB!

I put two 7lb PBs on at just after midnight and took them off when temp reached 195-200* at approx 1pm. I FTC until about 3pm and then shredded the PB and put into a crock pot on low temp. Added more spice rub, Smokins basting sauce and some apple juice. The PB stayed super moist and flavorful until we ate around 6pm. I also make Smokins mustard sauce and it was a bit hit.

Thank you to everyone for all the feedback and tips!
FM Former Member
quote:
Originally posted by boltsfan:
My test butt (3lb boneless Boston) two weeks ago came out good. Rubbed butt with yellow mustard and my own rub. It took approx 7 hours @ 240* and I used soaked hickory chips. Made Smokin Okies vinegar mop and added to pulled pork which my wife and I loved but it might be too spicy for some of the older folks that will be at my house on Sat. Thanks for all the tips\recipes...

Like I said in my 1st thread, I have about 12-14 adults (no kids) coming over Sat night. I mentioned to them last weekend that I was considering making a PB and they are all looking forward to it, so now I have no choice :0) I will also be grilling some boneless chicken breasts. Serving slaw, baked beans, two salads, fruit platter, etc... not counting appetizers, so there will be plenty of food.

Still concerned when to start cooking. I plan to buy 2 boneless Boston butts approx 4-5lbs each. That should give me enough meat to make at least 16-20 pulled sammies (1/4lb per). I am now leaning towards adding to grill at 5-6am on Sat morning and they should be done by 4-5pm (hopefully). I know they are done when they are done so if they go til 6pm no big deal. My gas grill stayed around 240* average last time. I also thought about starting at 10pm Fri night and then figuring they would be done by 9-10am Sat then wrapping in foil and towel and placing in cooler but not sure they will maintain safe temp for 6-7 hours before I would pull that evening.

If I want to just make one sauce will Smokin Okies Pork Baste and Serving Sauce be good for adding to pulled pork and putting in a bottle for people to add extra sauce to their sammie? Just seems like it would be less spicy than the moppin sauce. I plan to double the batch.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions...


I like the Eastern North Carolina Vinegar sauce myself, but Western South Carolina Sauce is really good as well. I made 4 different sauces and took the leftovers to work a few times, and without fail, that sauce is always the first one finished. Its a thicker ketchup based sauce, but it has a nice kick to it as well.

Add Reply

Post

Membership Required

We're sorry. You must be signed in to continue. Sign In or Register
×
Are you sure you want to remove from your Block List?
×
Loading...
×
When you block a person, they can no longer invite you to a private message or post to your profile wall. Replies and comments they make will be collapsed/hidden by default. Finally, you'll never receive email notifications about content they create or likes they designate for your content.
Note: if you proceed, you will no longer be following .
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×