Foiling a pork butt..newbie

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mrmerck

Fire Starter
Original poster
May 3, 2014
31
12
I have a new Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker and am planning to do a pork butt but have a few questions..

1. Some people seem to advocate foiling during the smoking process. My question involves knowing what point to wrap the butt. Am I trying to hit an internal temp to trigger the correct time to foil? If so, what temp?

2. Once I`ve foiled, does the butt stay on for the duration of the cooking and how long should it stay foiled?

Thanks for all replies!
 
 
I have a new Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker and am planning to do a pork butt but have a few questions..

1. Some people seem to advocate foiling during the smoking process. My question involves knowing what point to wrap the butt. Am I trying to hit an internal temp to trigger the correct time to foil? If so, what temp?

2. Once I`ve foiled, does the butt stay on for the duration of the cooking and how long should it stay foiled?

Thanks for all replies!
Hello and welcome!  It is not an exact science, but generally you would wrap a butt when it reaches the stall, which is a point when the internal temp (IT) of the meat stops rising (sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for hours).  Usually the stall will occur at an IT of somewhere around 155-165*.  The foil will allow the butt to power through the stall quicker, thus shortening the overall cook time.  The drawback is, a foiled butt won't have the nice, smokey bark that some desire.  

Once you've foiled, put the butt back on the smoker (or if you'd like, put it in the oven at this point), and continue to cook until the the IT is around 200-205*.  Its good if you can then allow it to rest for at least an hour before you pull it.

Hope that helps...Good luck!  Please post some pics to show us how it turns out!

Red
 
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I used to foil butts for pulled pork and when I did I would go to around 170* I/T and foil. I eft it in the foil until after reaching ~200* I/T, rested and pulled. Once foiled, it stayed in the foil. Once you foil you essentially are no longer smoking, so if foiled too early it may result in less smoke flavor. Understand that foiling is a crutch to speed up cooking, at the expense of softening the bark on the meat.

I don't foil anymore because I like the hard bark, and yes, it does take longer to reach finished temps, but it's more than worth the wait.

Eric
 
I agree with everything above, I see it more of a smoker type procedure. When using an electric you don't have to maintain or constantly tend your firebox so it doesn't matter how long you smoke the meat because you can sleep thru it if ya like. BUT if using a firebreather where you have to maintain your temps, check the coal or wood, and use up the expensive splits I would imagine using the crutch would be a much preferred process.

Either way you get the same meat, no more no less moist, the only apparent difference I have seen is the bark and its really better for me to get some softer bark with these dang store bought teeth. But since I have an electric, an aux smoke generator, and a remote sensing thermometer heck its just extra work for me to foil.

I really think that your type smoker has a lot to do with your cooking styles.

But it's all about how you like it. We all only share what we think and our opinions, and we all know what opinions are like.....LOL But we always respect each others ideas because as you'll see, there is no one and only best way, only the way that you use today that makes you happy and your table full of smiles.
 
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