- May 17, 2016
- 3
- 10
Ok, so I have been having trouble with my pork butts lately. Not that they haven't tasted good, they have just been taking longer to cook than expected. I did a test cook this last weekend and it took 24 hours at 225 degrees. I didn't wrap, and I never adjusted the temp. I just wanted to see how long it would take. I don't know the exact size of the butt because I bought a 2-pack last time, but I'm guessing it was around 10lbs. I am doing a big cook at the lake for 4th of July and I'm going to be on a pretty tight deadline and am looking for suggestions. I'm cooking on an MES 40.
So, for the 4th I'm doing 1 pork butt, 2-3 racks of ribs, 2 turkey breasts, and 2 spatchcocked chickens all on an MES 40. I know having that much on the smoker is going to affect how long everything takes as well, and I am worried about not having the pork butt done in time. I am doing all the cooking on Saturday to be done between 4:00-5:00 Saturday evening. I should get there sometime around 8:00-9:00 Friday night and plan on putting the pork butt on immediately. That gives me 18 hours or so to cook the butt. Normally I wouldn't worry, but it took well over 18 hours on the last one. I don't want to adjust my temp too much, because I don't want it to affect all my other meats.
Anyone have any suggestions? My thoughts were to cook the butt at around 250 overnight, from say 9:00-9:00. Then, lower the temp to 225 when I start adding my other meats and wrap the butt. I've never heard of anyone starting at a higher temp and then lowering, so I'm not entirely sure this is a viable option. I just don't want a bunch of hungry family members mad at me because my pork butt isn't done in time. Any help is appreciated!
So, for the 4th I'm doing 1 pork butt, 2-3 racks of ribs, 2 turkey breasts, and 2 spatchcocked chickens all on an MES 40. I know having that much on the smoker is going to affect how long everything takes as well, and I am worried about not having the pork butt done in time. I am doing all the cooking on Saturday to be done between 4:00-5:00 Saturday evening. I should get there sometime around 8:00-9:00 Friday night and plan on putting the pork butt on immediately. That gives me 18 hours or so to cook the butt. Normally I wouldn't worry, but it took well over 18 hours on the last one. I don't want to adjust my temp too much, because I don't want it to affect all my other meats.
Anyone have any suggestions? My thoughts were to cook the butt at around 250 overnight, from say 9:00-9:00. Then, lower the temp to 225 when I start adding my other meats and wrap the butt. I've never heard of anyone starting at a higher temp and then lowering, so I'm not entirely sure this is a viable option. I just don't want a bunch of hungry family members mad at me because my pork butt isn't done in time. Any help is appreciated!