Any advice for my first Pork Butt

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meridianman

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jul 2, 2013
53
11
Greenville, SC
Hey there SMF'ers!

This is my first time doing an overnight smoke or a Pork Butt for New Years so would love any advice. I purchased a Maverick ET-732 thermo (for my Christmas present of course :D) and picked up a 10lb butt. I have a Brinkmann Pitmaster Deluxe (side firebox style) and after researching the Minion Method, picked up a couple 17lb bags of Royal Oak Lump Charcoal (previously I have been running charcoal briquettes). 

Get home from work about 4pm on NYE, start the fire should get the butt in by 5pm, so hoping to be ready to eat by about 1pm on New Years day. Does that sound good?

Any recommendations on the rub? Also, to mop or not to mop?

Thanks all!

10Lb butt should be good for about 8 people right?
 
10 lbs is plenty for 8. Of course you won't get 10 lbs finished. But it'll be plenty.

I would not mop. But that's me. I like Bad Byron Butt Rub doctored up a bit. Other good ones are Chris Lilly's and Renowned Mr Brown.

I would also not do an overnighter. If I had to I'd cut it in halve to shorten the time. But again, that's just me.
 
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I followed bearcarvers procedure as far as times and upping the temp. And foiling it. You should have enough time. I used a store bought pork rub on my first ones, and spritzed with a mix of 16 oz. Apple juice and 2 Tablespoons of worcestershire sauce every hour until I foiled it. Pure 2 ozs. Of apple juice in the foil when I wrapped (160 internal temp., pulled at 199.) Took 15 hours but where really great.
 
I've seen the debate of preference between foiling or not foiling for the bark, but couldn't you foil it midway and then pull the foil and smoke for another few hours and have the bark still exist or would that not work?
 
Thanks for the rub references!
10 lbs is plenty for 8. Of course you won't get 10 lbs finished. But it'll be plenty.

I would not mop. But that's me. I like Bad Byron Butt Rub doctored up a bit. Other good ones are Chris Lilly's and Renowned Mr Brown.

I would also not do an overnighter. If I had to I'd cut it in halve to shorten the time. But again, that's just me.
 
I used Mccormick and a rub called porky dix. I'm on the hunt for new ones I really liked the porky dix. Salt based, but very good. The Mccormick s taste like most pork stuff. Kinda sweet, little spicy.
 
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There are hundred of threads about pork butt so have fun reading.  You've got time.

Whatever you do, use Chef JJ's finishing sauce.  It makes the meat flavor "POP" and folks can control how much they add to their meat. Just use the search bar and it pops right up.

BBQ sauce?  I'll add a little once it is pulled, but not much, preferring to serve it on the side for folks who want sauce.  I like to taste the meat.

Coating it with rub the night before, wrapping with plastic wrap, and letting it sit in the fridge overnight can pull rub flavors into the meat.  That is a popular way to do it.  I rub it just before it goes on the smoker.

Woods?  That's a personal preference all the way.  I like hickory and cherry together, but apple and pecan are popular choices too.  Since you are using lump charcoal don't sweat it if your smoker wants to run hotter. 

A pork butt is one of the most forgiving and tolerant cuts of meat you can stick on your smoker.  It handles everything from low and slow to hot and fast then still comes out tasting wonderful.  Heck, just for grins and giggles, one time loaded the meat on the smoker at 225F, over the next several hours the chamber temp climbed as high as 310, then over a few more hours it fell back to about 250.  Still came out delicious.  Bottom line, don't sweat the temps. You'll get a TON of answers on the temps people prefer to use to smoke roast their butts.  The pork butt likes them all! 

An overnight smoke can be an issue on a smoker that isn't set and forget.  The last thing you want is the smoker going cold while you're snoozing so plan on just napping and set an alarm every couple hours.  If you want it done more quickly you could easily crank the temp on the smoker up to 275-300F, smoke it until it reaches an IT of 165-180F, wrap it until 203-205F IT, and be done in roughly 7-9 hours.  Or like Bama BBQ said, cut it in half.  More bark, less time.

I've smoked butts a variety of ways.  My current preference is liberally dry rub (no mustard or EVOO) and smoke at 225F with hickory and cherry to an IT of around 180F, then wrap it with a little apple cider and crank the temp up on the smoker to 300F+ so it finishes quickly.  I get a great bark and can save the jus in the wrappings to use on the meat.  I don't spritz butts.         

At the end of the smoke taste the meat once it is pulled.  If it needs a little more flavor throw on a little additional rub to give the meat a little more flavor depth.  You can add the jus too. 

And don't forget Chef JJ's finishing sauce!  
 
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For sure!I picked through all the threads and picked out things I liked and went with it. Just learned a few more things! This site is an outstanding group of people and unbelievable amount of info!
 
 
There are hundred of threads about pork butt so have fun reading.  You've got time.

Whatever you do, use Chef JJ's finishing sauce.  It makes the meat flavor "POP" and folks can control how much they add to their meat. Just use the search bar and it pops right up.

BBQ sauce?  I'll add a little once it is pulled, but not much, preferring to serve it on the side for folks who want sauce.  I like to taste the meat.

Coating it with rub the night before, wrapping with plastic wrap, and letting it sit in the fridge overnight can pull rub flavors into the meat.  That is a popular way to do it.  I rub it just before it goes on the smoker.

Woods?  That's a personal preference all the way.  I like hickory and cherry together, but apple and pecan are popular choices too.  Since you are using lump charcoal don't sweat it if your smoker wants to run hotter. 

A pork butt is one of the most forgiving and tolerant cuts of meat you can stick on your smoker.  It handles everything from low and slow to hot and fast then still comes out tasting wonderful.  Heck, just for grins and giggles, one time loaded the meat on the smoker at 225F, over the next several hours the chamber temp climbed as high as 310, then over a few more hours it fell back to about 250.  Still came out delicious.  Bottom line, don't sweat the temps. You'll get a TON of answers on the temps people prefer to use to smoke roast their butts.  The pork butt likes them all! 

An overnight smoke can be an issue on a smoker that isn't set and forget.  The last thing you want is the smoker going cold while you're snoozing so plan on just napping and set an alarm every couple hours.  If you want it done more quickly you could easily crank the temp on the smoker up to 275-300F, smoke it until it reaches an IT of 165-180F, wrap it until 203-205F IT, and be done in roughly 7-9 hours.  Or like Bama BBQ said, cut it in half.  More bark, less time.

I've smoked butts a variety of ways.  My current preference is liberally dry rub (no mustard or EVOO) and smoke at 225F with hickory and cherry to an IT of around 180F, then wrap it with a little apple cider and crank the temp up on the smoker to 300F+ so it finishes quickly.  I get a great bark and can save the jus in the wrappings to use on the meat.  I don't spritz butts.         

At the end of the smoke taste the meat once it is pulled.  If it needs a little more flavor throw on a little additional rub to give the meat a little more flavor depth.  You can add the jus too. 

And don't forget Chef JJ's finishing sauce!  
Thanks for the info! Will def prep some of the finishing sauce. Where you at in Sac Town? Born and raised in Carmichael, graduated from Sac State.
 
 
Thanks for the info! Will def prep some of the finishing sauce. Where you at in Sac Town? Born and raised in Carmichael, graduated from Sac State.
Wow MM, I see you are now on the opposite side of the country.  We moved to SAC area (Citrus Heights) in 1987 when I left the Navy.  Been in Roseville since 1993.    
 
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