Couple of Questions 'bout smokin' multiple Butts

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jaguarken

Newbie
Original poster
May 24, 2012
23
11
Northeast Florida
We're having a college graduation party for my daughter this Saturday and she requested pulled pork  
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.  I have four smallish butts (bone-in) ranging from 3.7# to 4.5#.  These are my first bone-in butts, I've smoked a handful of boneless ones.  I only have one remote digital probe (love my Maverick!) and I'm guessing it is best to monitor the temp in the smallest butt first and kinda move up the line as they hit the IT I want.  Is this a good strategy or is there a better approach?  

Also, I know I need my probe in the thickest part of the butt, as long as I don't touch the bone.  I presume I can be close to it, however.  Is that a safe assumption?

Thanks in advance for the help.  I love this site!
 
I try not to have the prob too close to the bone because as the cook goes on it will absorb heat and cook the meat next to it differently. When ever I do a bone in pork but I tend to go by feel of the meat on the outside and how loose the bone is from the meat it is around, when done the bone will slide right out and be clean,
 
Yes the bone absorbs heat but does not conduct it well, think a Porterhouse Steak Grilled to a perfect Med/Rare but the meat against the bone will be very Rare or Raw, so the bone-in Butt will take slightly longer to cook to the desired IT, Time your cook to the heaviest Butt then starting with the smallest move the Probe up the line when the desired IT is reached. Foil and wrap the finished Butts in towels to rest in a cooler but don't forget to give the last one a good rest. The others will hold their heat a good long time...JJ
 
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I do my cooks like chef JimmyJ but I have  tired using the "force" here lately, and have been doing the by feel and like that method as well. Each meat always reacts differently so temps just get you close then its a matter of feel any way so I may just start skipping the temp probe and do more and more by feel.  But for now I am not as good as most yet so it will take more time and perfecting but I will still have a temp probe around as backup.
 
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