Newbie - First Butt

[mattu1665]

I have had a vertical smoker for a number of years but have pretty much stuck to turkeys and ribs. I just rubbed a 5.5 lb butt down and set it in the fridge for the night. I have to admit that I'm feeling a little intimidated reading the Pork threads. Would love any of you pit masters to give this rookie some advice. Based on what I've read I should plan on two hours a pound acountingbfor the dreaded stall.

 

[barnesski1]

Temp gauges a must. 

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Mattu, don't let the "stall" intimidate you, Butts are forgiving and a good choice for inexperienced cooks to learn on...

If you can do Ribs, this will be a stroll in the Park.

You will ( with a 5.5lb. Butt ) expect to cook it for about 8hrs.@ 225° +/- 15° ( by the rule of thumb - 1.5hrs./lb.of meat), however plan on a few more hrs. , as the stall may last longer than you expect , but if it didn't, you can safely hold the Butt in double wrapped Foil and cuddled in a (don't get Mama mad , get an old one) towel and placed in a dry, ice chest for up to 6hrs.

Don't freak and up the heat , it will get done ...in time.

Hope this helps and...

 

[pearlheartgtr]

Don't sweat it. Butts are easy. Just do as Oldschool said and you'll be fine. I, personally, smoke mine at 230F until their internal temp reaches 200F. About once an hour, I splash them with some apple juice. I don't wrap them in foil at all except for the cooler nap. Make sure you get 1 or 2 gallon zip lock freezer bags for when you foil and rest the butt in the cooler. A lot of juice can leak and make a mess. Besides, you get to save the juices to re-add to the meat when you pull it.

 

[mattu1665]

Thanks so much for the worthy advice.  Despite the morning starting out with thundershowers and heavy rain I got the butt cooked up and it was delicious.  I put the butt in the smoker at 6:45 am and pulled it out at 4:15 pm.  As recommended, I foiled the meet at around 7 hours into the smoke and the internal temps rose quickly (2 hours) to 200 degrees.  I wrapped the butt in a well used towel and placed it in a small cooler and let it sit until around 6:30.  Wife and kids all loved the taste and I'm looking forward to eating the rest tomorrow night for dinner.  Thanks again for your great advice.

Sorry...not a great pic.

 

[s2k9k]

Great job! You had a good plan, stuck to it and came out with some real nice PP! It's great when the wife and kids are happy! Now they will want you smoking more often, that's a Win Win!!! 

 

[barnesski1]

Great looking Q!  Just curious, did you check temp when done or just time it?

 

[big game cook]

looks pretty good. i got me a probe internal therm at walmart for $15. and wouldnt go back to the old poke in and wait ones. this one is a digital and has an alarm that beeps at your preset temp. poke the probe in the thickest part set timer and it will tell you when its time to pull. there a must.

 

[mattu1665]

I was using an inexpensive meat thermometer. Ironically while my butt was cooking the UPS driver dropped of my Maverick 732. Looking forward to using it tomorrow when I do some ribs.