First Butt for 2016's Last Day

[sonnyseattle]

My adventure into smoking meat continues. For the last day of 2016 I'm taking on my first pork butt, well butts actually since I found two wrapped inside the Costco plastic. Total starting weight is 13.88 lbs, and they look about evenly sized. Kicking things off last night at 2200, I hit 'em with a dry rub over a yellow mustard base. Covered in plastic wrap, they slept in the fridge until 0500.

The Masterbuilt 44' Sportsman Elite got fired up and the meat hit the grates right at 0600 over hickory and alder chunks and an aluminum pan of water. The chip mix is simply because that was the last of the hickory I have on hand. An hour into the smoke the chamber temp is holding at 250 degrees.

I wouldn't have attempted this without the information gleaned from the Basic Pulled Pork sticky (started in 2007!).  The finishing sauce will be courtesy of SoFlaQuer's sticky (posted 11 years ago!). Good information is timeless.

Many hours to go. Wish me luck.

Pork butt 1.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Dec 31, 2016

Pork butt 3.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Dec 31, 2016

Pork butt 4.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Dec 31, 2016

 

[win l]

Can't wait to see the process and the finished product!

 

[sonnyseattle]

Can't wait to see the process and the finished product!

You and me both! 

 

[carolinadoug]

Great start!  Looks like a lot of us have pork butts going.  Neighbor across the street has one in today as well.  Cul de Sac smell likes pork, apple wood and ocean breeze!

 

[beardedgeego]

CD that sounds like something from a dream. Maybe that's what heaven will be like!

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks like a great start!

Al

 

[sonnyseattle]

Four hours into the smoke. So far, so good. Spritzing with apple juice. I haven't checked the IT yet, but chamber temp has been holding in the 225-250 range.

Pork butt 5.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Dec 31, 2016

 

[hardcookin]

Looks like you got a good start. Thumbs Up

 

[sonnyseattle]

Seven hours in and the IT is a few ticks below 160F. Smells great, and even Household 6 (aka SWMBO) likes how everything is shaping up.

 

[sonnyseattle]

The two butts were stalled for about three hours. A three hour stall? That had me humming the Gilligan's Island theme song. You're trying to recall the words, aren't you? Finally, they got moving again but it's been almost 14 hours now. 

Pork butt 6.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Dec 31, 2016

Good thing I"m not on a deadline.

 

[disco]

You are doing great and are very wise for allowing a lot of time for a butt. I have had the same size butts take hours difference.

You are going to love SoFlaqer's finishing sauce. There is a reason it is a classic. 

I am looking forward to the finished pork!

Disco

 

[sonnyseattle]

I suppose I should finally close this smoke out. Shortly after my last post, and not knowing how much fuel I had remaining, I decided to pull the butts and finish them in the oven. Imagine my surprise when the smaller butt started coming apart when I took it out! The IT was only showing at about 185 on a kitchen type meat therometer. The second, and larger, butt was reading 170.

Back in the house, butt #2 is foiled and goes in the oven at 250. The smaller butt is foild and put in a cooler to rest for an hour. After the rest it came right apart and was incredibly moist and tasty. I hit it with SoFlaquer's finishing sauce and let it sit a spell before pulling it further.

Pork butt 7.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Jan 2, 2017

Butt #1 just after pulling.

After two hours in the oven, for a total 16-hours on heat, butt number two comes out of the oven with a 180 IT and goes in the cooler for a couple of hours. Out of the cooler it was still pretty hot to the touch. It also pulled apart easily and was every bit as good as #1.

Pork butt 8.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Jan 2, 2017

Butt #2 after the rest. Look at that bark!

So, why after 14 hours for #1 and 16 hours for #2 did the IT never reach 190? Why did they pull apart so easily at that lower IT when everything I've read here tells me it should reach a higher IT? Is it possible the meat therometer reads too low and in fact the meat was hot enough? I have not done the boil test to check for accuracy, but the will be a next step. Of course, I think this is really a good justification to get a really sweet internal probe, wireless thermometer.

Overall, this was a successful first effort with pork buts. The meat was a hit, and we actually got to each before midnight (barely!). However, I do have a heck of a lot to learn which means I will be doing a lot more reading here.

 

[disco]

 
I suppose I should finally close this smoke out. Shortly after my last post, and not knowing how much fuel I had remaining, I decided to pull the butts and finish them in the oven. Imagine my surprise when the smaller butt started coming apart when I took it out! The IT was only showing at about 185 on a kitchen type meat therometer. The second, and larger, butt was reading 170.

Back in the house, butt #2 is foiled and goes in the oven at 250. The smaller butt is foild and put in a cooler to rest for an hour. After the rest it came right apart and was incredibly moist and tasty. I hit it with SoFlaquer's finishing sauce and let it sit a spell before pulling it further.

Pork butt 7.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Jan 2, 2017

Butt #1 just after pulling.

After two hours in the oven, for a total 16-hours on heat, butt number two comes out of the oven with a 180 IT and goes in the cooler for a couple of hours. Out of the cooler it was still pretty hot to the touch. It also pulled apart easily and was every bit as good as #1.

Pork butt 8.jpg

• sonnyseattle
• Jan 2, 2017

Butt #2 after the rest. Look at that bark!

So, why after 14 hours for #1 and 16 hours for #2 did the IT never reach 190? Why did they pull apart so easily at that lower IT when everything I've read here tells me it should reach a higher IT? Is it possible the meat therometer reads too low and in fact the meat was hot enough? I have not done the boil test to check for accuracy, but the will be a next step. Of course, I think this is really a good justification to get a really sweet internal probe, wireless thermometer.

Overall, this was a successful first effort with pork buts. The meat was a hit, and we actually got to each before midnight (barely!). However, I do have a heck of a lot to learn which means I will be doing a lot more reading here.

They both look great but a good quality remote thermometer really helps!

Points for PP that is way better than my first effort was!

Disco