Boston Butts In My new UDS

[calculus]

I just finished building a UDS. I have 2 9 pound butts I would like to smoke as a first smoke. Yesterday, I seasoned the smoker. I always made the butts by rubbing them, refrigerate overnight, then put in my GOSM until they hit about 150. Then I would foil them and finish in the oven. When I opened the foil, it was full of juice. I was told that after 150 degrees they don't really absorb any more smoke. Now, after watching TV shows with all kinds of smokers in restaurants, they always show the butts being pulled out of the smoker cooked without foil and falling apart. Has anyone tried both ways? If so, what difference did it make? It would be great to just leave them in the UDS until they hit 200-205 then take off. But I wonder if they would be drier or the same? I plan on sticking these in there in the morning with just rub and fat cap down. I am going to use Royal Oak Lump Coal. I have also read where people say spritzing just washes off the rub and should be avoided for a butt. Your thoughts? If this works good, anyone want to buy a small Block GOSM?

 

[fastfusion]

I usually foil my pork shoulders at 165 and take them to 205...but I know i have read on here , where some have tried it both ways. I'm interested to know as well.

 

[Dutch]

calculus-As long as the meat is in a smoky environment, it will take on smoke. It is the smoke ring that stops forming after the meat passes through the 140-150* internal temp range. If folks chose to wrap butts or ribs in foil, it's after the meat passes the 140-150* mark.

If you sprits, do it after the meat has been in the smoker for at least two hours. Spritzing is just a spray. Mopping with a BBQ mop will knock the bark off if you mop before the bark has had a chance to form and harden just a bit.

Remember that each time you lift the lid or open the door to the smoker your unit will lose heat and you smoker will have to come back up to temp (what we call recover). You just end up adding additional time to you smoke session everytime you spray or mop. Some units will recover faster than others because of design or the materials used. My GOSM takes longer to recover than my electric UDS and my Lang is faster than the UDS. THe Lang is contructed from 1/4 steel and really holds the heat.

 

[calculus]

Thanks, Dutch. Do you personally foil butts?

 

[ddave]

Just wanted to point out one thing about a charcoal-fired UDS. When you lift the lid to do something you give it extra air and you have to be careful so that the temp does not rise out of control. Before I lift the lid to do something, I close all the intakes for 3 minutes. Then I lift the lid, do what I need to do as quickly as possible and put the lid back on. Then I wait an additional 3 minutes to open the intakes to their previous position.

Recovery behavior in a charcoal-fired UDS usually involves a temp drop (because the heat is released when the lid is removed) followed by a temp spike when the lid is put back on (because heat is being trapped and the fire now has a big shot of oxygen to consume) followed by the UDS hopefully returning to the previous target temp as the excess oxygen is consumed.

I have done butts both ways on the drum. I found that wrapping them in foil at 165°, then taking them to 195° - 205° gives me a far juicier end product than leaving them naked the whole time. The drum is a very mosit cooking environment so when I am foiling I don't spritz.

The unfoiled ones weren't bad, they just weren't as juicy and that probably has a lot to do with the fact that the juices that normally would have gathered in the foil were not able to be captured.

So . . . they're good both ways, just have to try them and see which you like best. I liked them foiled best but some folks may like the firmer bark that comes from the non-foiled method.

Dave

 

[fire it up]

Exactly.
Whenever I do something like abrisket I wait 2 hours if spritzing and 3 hours if mopping before I begin to apply spritz/mop so the bark won't suffer.

You can leave your butts on until they hit the internal 200-205 and they will be perfectly fine.
I have done them both ways and the biggest reason I prefer to foil at 160-165 is the juices you are left with once they are done, it makes for some great pp to add back into the meat but it does cause the bark to become wet.
Give no foiling a try and see what you think, you won't be disappointed.

 

[mballi3011]

I also wait for a couple of hours or so to do anything to my butts when I smoke them too. Then I spritz and onward we go till we hit the 165 and into the foil with a nice amount of spritzing liquid and then I take it to 200-205 or so and then wrap it in foil sometimes a couple of layers and in the cooler to rest for atleast an hour but most of the time a couple of hours and then take it out and it's pure fall off the bone goodness is soon to be had by all.

 

[chisoxjim]

I never foil the butts when on the smoker, or put them in the oven to finish. I pull the butt @ about 195, foil, wrap in a towel, and toss in a cooler. A couple hours later, unwrap, and pull.