Help with 1st Pork Butt......12lbs!!

[brats-n-drahts]

I was looking for some pointers on how to prepare a 12lbs pork butt for dinner on Sunday night. I just finnished rubing it down with Jeff's Rub.
Wow did that rub taste good! Bravo Jeff!

This is my first time using Jeff's Rub. I thinking it was money well spent.

So....If some of you veterans out there would help me with some timing it would be great. I understand that it is all about temp, but......12lbs at 1.5hrs??? per pound. Well....It is a little intimidating.

I am cooking for 15 people, out at the farm, and I would like to impress with this pulled pork. ANY help would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks for your help and Have a Great Weekend!
Brats-N-Drahts

 

[tx_smoker]

Well... You could always raise the temp to 135 and it would cook at about 1 hour per pound, maybe a little over. But to be honest you might just want to trim it up to a 11-10 pounder so that you could shave off some of your cook time. (pun intended)

But I think the slower the better, and for that its gonna be the full 1.5 per pound. sorry.

 

[evandostert]

Throw it on before bed. Give it 8-10 hours to hit 170 foil it up and it should be done after 18 hours or so plan on an extra hour either direction, possible 2 hours. Do not turn up heat to rush it start the night before. I hope you have an electric or gas I would hate to babysit da meat for that long. Time and patience are the only way that thing will come out good. You have to hit the 200 mark no matter how long it takes. I have pulled them out a few times a few degrees short slightly under 200 and they were never the same. Should be excellent if you take the steps.


The temp should be 225 not 135 tx_smoker watch your posts people take these forums seriously for advice.

 

[mrwizardgi]

Whatever you do I recommend the finishing sauce. I used it last weekend on 2 butts and it was amazing! Oh, and I think it's 1 beer per hour of smoking on pork butts, but I could be wrong about that.

J-

 

[brats-n-drahts]

Thank you so much for your posts. I have a Traeger Texas smoker out at the farm. So I should be able to get some sleep. What are your thoughts about mopping it? Should I worry about it?


Thanks....I will be trying that finishing sauce. Already have the stuff out there to make it.

 

[pineywoods]

Follow this thread and you will be fine

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ead.php?t=8111

Smoker temps should be 225-250 and figure roughly 1.5 hours per pound
You may want to try this finishing sauce as well it makes it even better

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...read.php?t=487

 

[walking dude]

what jerry said..........also, beware the STALL............sometimes they will stall 4 hours or more, while others have NO stall...........1.5-1.6 hours/lb is JUST a estimate................good luck

 

[flash]

135 cooking temp

 

[smoking gun]

I'm pretty sure he meant 235. Follow the instructions in the posts Piney linked and you'll have some fine PP. The finishing sauce really makes a difference. Definitely use that. I like to mop mine every hour with the AJ/Rum mix. I think it makes the bark that much better.

 

[flash]

I would be doing 250º then and once wrapped, bring it up to 295º. I just did a 8 lb butt in 7 1/2 hours. Came out great.

 

[evandostert]

The stall stinks, be patient young grasshopper and you will have pork perfection.

 

[bcfishman]

For mopping, I prefer to use Apple Sauce, not juice. Juice evaporates very quickly in a 250 degree smoker. You could even mix in some Cinnamon and rum to give it some more kick. Anyhow, just a preference. It stays with the meat a lot longer and works it's way into the bark.

 

[capt dan]

Done a few butts, but never a 12 lber, where on earth did ya find a pork butt that big?

Don't shave anything, leave it full size, the 135 mentioned earlier must be a typo!

Rub it up the night before, let it warm(still wrapped) while ya get the smoker to temp, and when its there, stuff the butt in there till it gets to 160-175, then cover with heavy duty foil( wrap it up) and continue in the smoker till it gets to 200-205. Stash it in a cooler for a couple hrs and then pullit. I bet ya money you won't be able to resist tasting it!

I cook my butts at 225-250, they turn out decent

.

I would be ready to spend at least 12 hrs smoking this thing, maybe even 14 hrs. Ya never know!

 

[brats-n-drahts]

Found it at Hy-Vee here in Iowa for .99 per lbs. Couldn't pass it up at that price!

I am smoking it on a Traeger. I have the digital temp. So.....what do you think I should set the temp at 225 of a couple hours and then bump it to 250 until the meat reaches 170 or so?

Thanks fo all the replys!

It really helps.

 

[flash]

I think with a butt this size, you better go with 250º to start. This is going to be a long smoke. Once you get it wrapped in foil, bump it up some more and keep an eye on your internal temps. If it rises quickly, then back off on the temp setting.

 

[brats-n-drahts]

Thanks for all of your help..... Sorry no Qview, but it was GREAT!!!

Was suprised how quick it smoked for me. I put it on at 250 at 10pm and pulled it out and wraped it in foil at 6am. The internal temp was 170. I then put it in the oven at 250. No Stalling! It was at 205 around 10am. So done in 12 hrs. I was expecting around 18.

So we adjusted from having for dinner to having it for lunch. Used a little finishing sauce that was sugested. It was PERFECT!!!!

I asked a few people if they thought I could have done anything different. The response was "NO!"

Sucess!!!!

Thanks agian for all of you support. I will be doing more pork butts in the future and will try and do a Qview next time.

Happy Labor Day!
Brats-N-Drahts

 

[flash]

Plus you can finish it in the smoker now that you are a little more confidence in smoke.

 

[pinkmeat]

Funny, that's about how mine happened today. 7.5lb'er only cooked for about 8, and after I foiled it the temp spiked and I just left it to be quite honest, stayed about 275-300. I just watch the digital thermo.