Hey guys, just thought I'd share my last smoke with you. I have a Gen 3 MES with an AMNPS. I used all hickory pellets and lit both ends of the basket. I removed the chip tray, chip loading tube, and I have the top vent open all the way. I ended up filling the basket again and lighting both ends again. There was so much airflow that it tends to burn through the pellets quickly, but it certainly didn't overpower the meat. The pork butt was about 7-8 pounds. I trimmed off almost all the fat that I could. I salted it and let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours, then gave it a generous coating of rub before it went on. The rub was a mix of dark.white sugar, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground ginger, cayenne, and black pepper. It gives it a nice crust for sure. I smoked it at 270-275 degrees until it reached about 170 degrees. Then I wrapped it in foil and finished it off at 275 until the internal temp was 207. Pulled apart like a dream. I used the juices from the foil pan and poured them back over the pulled meat. Butt went on at around 830am, came off around 630pm.
I've never done a pork butt this fast before. I've always done them at 225 degrees, wrapped at 160-170, then finished at 225 until internal temp was 203. This usually took up to 16 hours some times. I did notice a few differences between the two methods. The main difference was the amount of fat that was broken down. I think the low and slow method seems to allow more of the fat to break down into its sticky goodness. That being said, the meat on the 275 cook was great texture and separating the fat from it wasn't difficult at all. The meat was moist and the bark was just amazing. I am a fan of the faster method and will be doing it that way from now on. Sorry about not having pics. I'll post some up next time.
Joey N.
I've never done a pork butt this fast before. I've always done them at 225 degrees, wrapped at 160-170, then finished at 225 until internal temp was 203. This usually took up to 16 hours some times. I did notice a few differences between the two methods. The main difference was the amount of fat that was broken down. I think the low and slow method seems to allow more of the fat to break down into its sticky goodness. That being said, the meat on the 275 cook was great texture and separating the fat from it wasn't difficult at all. The meat was moist and the bark was just amazing. I am a fan of the faster method and will be doing it that way from now on. Sorry about not having pics. I'll post some up next time.
Joey N.