Firt time smoking Pork butt roast

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trapperx

Newbie
Original poster
May 25, 2015
10
10
I have been smoking meats for a few years now but never a pork butt roast.

Went through read all the great information on here and new it was going to take a LONG time.

I started at 8am at 220deg (it's a 9lbs roast) planned on doing the foil at 240deg last few hrs.

It is now 11:11pm lol and only at 174deg I wrapped it in double foil 5hrs ago. I also temped it in two different places to make sure,

Ok,my question is can I lower the temp down to 178 for the next 5 hrs then crank it back up?

I have to be back up then and although I am wide awake and could stay up probably not my best choice.

Hoping this is a ok way to do this and will look forward to responses.

Thanks and have a good night/morning
 
Once in foil you can do that personally I foil when it hits 160 then back into the smoker or even the oven if I want to stay inside the house
 
Well, I woke up at 4:30 turned it back up to 225deg and waiting for the magic 200deg to pull it out.

I am just worried that it sat at 178deg for the 4 1/2 hours and how will that affect it?
 
I've run out of propane 1/2 way through a butt and since I only check on it every 1 to 2 hours temp of the cooker had dropped well below 100*. I changed my tank out, fired it back up and everything completed just fine.
I've never foiled mine during the cook, as I've always worried it would harm my favorite part, the bark. If you are able to control your temperature as well as it sounds like you can, there's nearly NO fear of ruing a pork butt. I'm VERY good at wrecking things, ruined salmon once, brisket twice and ribs a couple times but I can't think of a single time I've ruined a butt. I think it's the most forgiving.
 
I've run out of propane 1/2 way through a butt and since I only check on it every 1 to 2 hours temp of the cooker had dropped well below 100*. I changed my tank out, fired it back up and everything completed just fine.
I've never foiled mine during the cook, as I've always worried it would harm my favorite part, the bark. If you are able to control your temperature as well as it sounds like you can, there's nearly NO fear of ruing a pork butt. I'm VERY good at wrecking things, ruined salmon once, brisket twice and ribs a couple times but I can't think of a single time I've ruined a butt. I think it's the most forgiving.
I ruined the biggest batch of smoked steelhead I ever tried..... ended up with steamed mush (temp issues and humidity issues, didn't keep my eye on them enough to realize what was going on).

made me sad that 40lbs of steelhead went to crap.... but live and learn. maybe this july i'll bang up the steelies again.
 
Everything went fine as far as I could tell, ran home at lunch was at 196 wrapped it up in towels and left it in the cooler.

My wife got home and said it was very warm still 165, but she said there wasn't much smoke taste.

This was my first pork butt and I love the rich hickory smoke but my daughter doesn't care for it much and I read that apple wood isn't as strong.

So I mostly did apple wood and a little hickory, it smelled great to me all yesterday. I smoked the first 6 hrs then nothing afterwards.

Wife says it is super moist but not much flavor, I will be home in about an hour.
 
 
I ruined the biggest batch of smoked steelhead I ever tried..... ended up with steamed mush (temp issues and humidity issues, didn't keep my eye on them enough to realize what was going on).

made me sad that 40lbs of steelhead went to crap.... but live and learn. maybe this july i'll bang up the steelies again.
Can't even imagine!

I know how hard (at least for me) to even catch steelhead or salmon.

I think I just learned a lesson that I didn't have to learn on my own, don't do all the fish at once ;)
 
Everything went fine as far as I could tell, ran home at lunch was at 196 wrapped it up in towels and left it in the cooler.
My wife got home and said it was very warm still 165, but she said there wasn't much smoke taste.

This was my first pork butt and I love the rich hickory smoke but my daughter doesn't care for it much and I read that apple wood isn't as strong.
So I mostly did apple wood and a little hickory, it smelled great to me all yesterday. I smoked the first 6 hrs then nothing afterwards.

Wife says it is super moist but not much flavor, I will be home in about an hour.

Since a pork butt is such a fat/thick cut of meat, there isn't a lot of surface area, so not a lot of bark to meat. It is the one cut (well also picnic ham cut) that I go full out on the smoke. I use hickory and mesquite and keep piling it in to keep the smoke going strong the first few hours. It's really hard to overpower pulled pork with smoke. Others may have had good luck with fruit woods on pulled pork, but I go for the stronger woods to get the smokey flavor with pulled pork.

I'm sure it will still be delicious tho, so no worries and enjoy!
 
Got home and tasted it, no flavor unfortunately but once mixed with BBQ sauce all will be good. 

Or is there a way to re-smoke it?
Since a pork butt is such a fat/thick cut of meat, there isn't a lot of surface area, so not a lot of bark to meat. It is the one cut (well also picnic ham cut) that I go full out on the smoke. I use hickory and mesquite and keep piling it in to keep the smoke going strong the first few hours. It's really hard to overpower pulled pork with smoke. Others may have had good luck with fruit woods on pulled pork, but I go for the stronger woods to get the smokey flavor with pulled pork.

I'm sure it will still be delicious tho, so no worries and enjoy!
I might be getting another one since it is on sale at $1.09lb and will be going with all hickory this time.
 
For sure...add that sauce and it will taste great. What style sauce you use?
LOL we have 4-5 different ones right now, but I have been favoring Sweet Baby Ray's original and I add a little of my wife's Grandfather's home-aid vinegar.
 
That sounds good. I am biased, but put some pork aside and google an eastern Carolina vinegar pepper sauce. Try it with some chopped up white cabbage in the same sauce on a Bulkie roll. I'm a Yankee who lived in nc for 5 years. I will never forget my first bite of a Carolina pulled pork sandwich. It sounds corny but for me, game changer
 
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I have eaten it with slaw before and although it was sloppy I did like it. 

Always up for new taste adventures and I will look it up.

Thanks
 
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