Smoking boston butt over night

[scsmoker843]

How can I put on a boston butt to cook over night on a masterbuilt electric smoker. I know I'm suppose to add wood chips every 30 min. Can I, and how would it be if it only got chips once until I got up that morning?

Thanks beginner here

 

[Jonok]

How can I put on a boston butt to cook over night on a masterbuilt electric smoker. I know I'm suppose to add wood chips every 30 min. Can I, and how would it be if it only got chips once until I got up that morning?

Thanks beginner here View attachment 684445

Well, even without chips, you can make a pretty good butt on an MES.
Realistically, you won’t get much more smoke into the meat after 2-4 hrs, so a good way to do things is:come home from work, rub your butts and turn your smoker up to 255 or so, put the butts in with a first beer can of chips (don’t go nuts because you can blow the door off if you exceed the ability of the smoker to exhaust the flammable gas)
Finish dinner, reload the beer can and go to bed.

The pork will be succulent in the AM.
Pull it with a little finishing sauce and everyone will think you’re A BBQ God.

 

[fxsales1959]

How can I put on a boston butt to cook over night on a masterbuilt electric smoker. I know I'm suppose to add wood chips every 30 min. Can I, and how would it be if it only got chips once until I got up that morning?

Thanks beginner here View attachment 684445

I'd be more worried about over smoking, but google pellet smoking tube.
I use all the time about 1/2 full when doing chicken on a can.

Amazon.com

 

[Jonok]

Y

 

[Jonok]

Nope, you put chips in twice, once when you got home and once whe you finished dinner and went to bed.
Watch the cooking shows on the food network. Those guys use a pinch of wood chips in a butane/electric generator to smoke a frikken whole pan worth of stuff (sure not as good as a real smoker, but it doesn’t take much to get smoke on the meat.)
If you do it right, there’s not much smoke beyond 2-3 hrs because the pellicle is mature.

Honestly, just rubbing and cooking your butts in an MES works great. If you’re really bent on smoke and don’t have time to do it yourself, buy some high-quality liquid smoke, and incorporate it in your finishing sauce.

I am sorry that Masterbuilt has gotten a bad reputation of late. I have never had anything but positive experiences with them.

 

[scsmoker843]

We did the first one Christmas because I got my first smoker. So Christmas day like 730am it went in and Google said 7-8 hrs well it was longer. My buddy said get it to 165 internally then pull it and foil it and put back in until 205 internally. Let's just say after about 8 hrs it was 160. We foiled it and cooked almost 2 more hrs. It got to 190 internally so we put it in the oven 15 min on 400 and it was 205. It tasted very good. We shredded it up didn't add sauce left it plain and added sauce after each one fixed there plate. We had a few different sauces of choice. We added chips to the tube every 30-40 min the entire time. Needless to say that tube don't even hold half a cup. We also did chicken,I think it was way to smokey of a taste other than that it was good. We just put a little water in the pan before stating never had to add any. We cooked it like on 225 later bumped it to 240. The last hour or so to 275 trying to get to that internal temp. I'm need to research what all things are good in the smoker. Chicken was done in like 3:hrs not bad. Thanks I'm glad I joined this group

 

[normanaj]

Most MES owners here gave up on the chip loader from the get go.

Most use an Amazen tray or tube. Myself I use a ubolt modified tube burning dust made of ground pellets. A 12" tube burning dust will give you about 10 hours of smoke as does the tray.

If you're interested in exactly what I do click on the link in my signature and have a read.

 

[mr mac]

At Lowes...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Expandable-7-12-in-Stainless-Steel-Smoke-Tube/5014597225

I use one of these for cold smoking and for the gas grill when I use it to smoke salmon.

 

[JLeonard]

Check out Bearcarver (RIP) step by steps. He did some great stuff in a MES.

Bear's "Step by Step" Index

Bear's "Step by Step" Index I made this index, because a lot of guys use my "Step by Steps", and I couldn't get them all in my Signature. Then I'd have to find the one I had that best suited what they were wanting to do. At times it has taken me forever to find one of my Step by Steps that...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

And just as a FYI....A lot of what you read on google esp when doing large pieces of protein like butts and briskets the temps and times are just ballparks. Its done when it probes tender. Also a good set of remote temp probes will be a big help, the factory ones can be way off.

Jim

 

[schlotz]

Welcome to SMF! Do a search on the mailbox modification. Many many have gone this route and seem to be very satisfied. Basically its a mailbox with a metal flex tube attached to it and the opening where the chips are put in. Then a tray of pellets are placed in the box. Very effective. If you are intending the butt for an evening meal vs noon you can easily do this and not deal with the added factors that come with attempting to smoke overnight. For ref: take a look at the recipe in my sig below. Good Luck, and remember: no pics = it didn't happen

 

[normanaj]

At Lowes...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Expandable-7-12-in-Stainless-Steel-Smoke-Tube/5014597225

I use one of these for cold smoking and for the gas grill when I use it to smoke salmon.

That particular tube is my go to.

Had forgotten that Todd had sold Amazen to Pit Boss.

 

[jcam222]

Well, even without chips, you can make a pretty good butt on an MES.
Realistically, you won’t get much more smoke into the meat after 2-4 hrs, so a good way to do things is:come home from work, rub your butts and turn your smoker up to 255 or so, put the butts in with a first beer can of chips (don’t go nuts because you can blow the door off if you exceed the ability of the smoker to exhaust the flammable gas)
Finish dinner, reload the beer can and go to bed.

The pork will be succulent in the AM.
Pull it with a little finishing sauce and everyone will think you’re A BBQ God.

Meat takes on smoke as long as it's exposed to it. A little spritz when the surface dries helps with ensuring that happens The 2-4 hour "rule": is about smoke ring development.

 

[scsmoker843]

At Lowes...

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pit-Boss-Expandable-7-12-in-Stainless-Steel-Smoke-Tube/5014597225

I use one of these for cold smoking and for the gas grill when I use it to smoke salmon.

You can use this in the MES

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Mailbox mod and or a pellet tube/maze will have you covered!

 

[tallbm]

You can use this in the MES

Hi there and welcome!

Congrats on your 1st success!

Yeah a pellet smoking tube will work INSIDE your MES.
People recommend filling it half way up and then laying horizontal so the tube is filled half way longways because a full tube can produce more heavy smoke than wanted. The key is to get Thin Blue Smoke (TBS) not heavy white smoke. TBS is where the good smoke flavor is, not the heavy white smoke.

Also with pork butts, pork ribs, briskets, and chucks, they do not care what smoker temp you smoke/cook them at as long as you aren't burnign them. Additionally, these cuts of meat are only done when tender, never by time or temp.
So feel free to rock 275F smoker temp for those, and understand that the MES is likely not even hitting 275F temp. An accurate multi probe remote thermometer (4 probes or more is best) will let you know what your actual smoker temp is. MES units are ALWAYS off with their smoker and meat temp probes and almost always run low, never hitting 275F or your set temp.

Finally, not all pellets are created equal. Most brands are a blend of woods rather than 100% of the wood indicated on the label. So if you buy Pitboss Hickory you are getting something like 25-30% Hickory and the rest will be a cheaper hardwood like oak or alder.
They will try to fool you saying "100% hardwood pellets" which is true, its just not 100% hickory since oak is also a hardwood.
Or, they will say "100% all natural pellets no additives" which is not the same as 100% of the wood on the label.

Only brands like Lumberjack, Kingsford, or CookingPellets.com (maybe a couple of other brands but few and far between) will indicate that it is 100% of the wood on the label or indicate it is a BLEND.

Ask all the questions you have, lots of us MES owners are here and lots of amazing smoking and cooking knowledge in this community :D

 

[old sarge]

Have you tried to use a couple large chunks of wood instead of chips. The smoke should last longer. Or maybe one of the sawdust tubes/trays?

 

[DougE]

Meat takes on smoke as long as it's exposed to it. A little spritz when the surface dries helps with ensuring that happens The 2-4 hour "rule": is about smoke ring development.

What jcam222 said. You can smoke a piece of meat too much so that it is inedible. It will continue to take on smoke as long as it is exposed to it.

 

[scsmoker843]

Hi there and welcome!

Congrats on your 1st success!

Yeah a pellet smoking tube will work INSIDE your MES.
People recommend filling it half way up and then laying horizontal so the tube is filled half way longways because a full tube can produce more heavy smoke than wanted. The key is to get Thin Blue Smoke (TBS) not heavy white smoke. TBS is where the good smoke flavor is, not the heavy white smoke.

Also with pork butts, pork ribs, briskets, and chucks, they do not care what smoker temp you smoke/cook them at as long as you aren't burnign them. Additionally, these cuts of meat are only done when tender, never by time or temp.
So feel free to rock 275F smoker temp for those, and understand that the MES is likely not even hitting 275F temp. An accurate multi probe remote thermometer (4 probes or more is best) will let you know what your actual smoker temp is. MES units are ALWAYS off with their smoker and meat temp probes and almost always run low, never hitting 275F or your set temp.

Finally, not all pellets are created equal. Most brands are a blend of woods rather than 100% of the wood indicated on the label. So if you buy Pitboss Hickory you are getting something like 25-30% Hickory and the rest will be a cheaper hardwood like oak or alder.
They will try to fool you saying "100% hardwood pellets" which is true, its just not 100% hickory since oak is also a hardwood.
Or, they will say "100% all natural pellets no additives" which is not the same as 100% of the wood on the label.

Only brands like Lumberjack, Kingsford, or CookingPellets.com (maybe a couple of other brands but few and far between) will indicate that it is 100% of the wood on the label or indicate it is a BLEND.

Ask all the questions you have, lots of us MES owners are here and lots of amazing smoking and cooking knowledge in this community :D

So this smoking tube you referring to does it fit in where my tube is now? Just remove it and put this one in? The one that came with it don't hold much. Is pellets and chips the same term in here. Mine takes chips. Yea I have a hand held thermometer I have saw the Bluetooth ones you can see the temp on your phone. The one probe is not bad money wise but those more than 1 probe are 100s and 100s of $$$.

Have you tried to use a couple large chunks of wood instead of chips. The smoke should last longer. Or maybe one of the sawdust tubes/trays?

No I have only smoked once so followed instructions and used the parts it said use

 

[dr k]

BT Digital multi probe apps crash and are unreliable. I've tried over six different apps over 6-7 years on my six probe BT digital therm that are compatible but all crash but wifi therms seem dependable. I picked up the Inkbird IRF-4S digital four probe 1,500' remote frequency therm on Amazon since they are a sponsor here and advertise coupons available plus discount codes on top of that. I may have paid $20 after throwing cash back discover card money at it. You'll want a therm with a pit probe that can be set to a range like 145-290 for night smokes if you sleep so you get an alert if your smoker loses power or fails or if it's on fire from grease and wood etc. The number one threads in the Food Safety Forum is, my smoker died over night is my food safe, which normally is yes with long smokes with butts and brisket to get to an IT around 203* and needs to keep cooking. This range alert will eliminate that so you can get alerted to go to your smoker and finish in the oven. The dime sized thermal safety switch on the back wall can fail anytime or the aluminum lugs attached to it can disintegrate as well as the lugs to the heating element and open the circuit, cooling the smoker and you'll get a temp alert on the range setting on the low end. A fire or a rogue controller will tell you to go to the smoker with the range setting on the high end.

I use a pellet maze for the Mes in the mailbox mod and started burning both ends vs just one and the tube for grills and easy breathing vessels to cold smoke burgers 2.5 hours and food that'll be ready to eat in 4 hours or less. You can hot smoke with the tube as well for supplemental smoke grilling and BBQing. Todd the inventor of the maze and tube pellet smoke generator never mentioned as a sponsor on this site before Pit boss bought his A-maze-n Products pellet smoker or tubes, that the tubes filled to 6" max vertically can be lit and burn vertically for space saving situations and any other reason you may find beneficial like producing less smoke vs horizontal. Just fill the tube 6" high max and light with a couple cap fulls of rubbing alcohol or a torch. Since it burns top down the 6" max allows all pellets to burn as ash collapses on top of the burning pellets. This was on his A-maze-n Smoker FB page before he sold to Pitboss. I left the page due to low activity and SMF has more innovative ideas, applications and mods for a self sufficient smoke generator without managing smoke and opening up the smoker if too many chips are burning and you can't see your food if you have a windowed Mes smoker.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Wireless-Waterproof-Thermometer-Li-Battery/dp/B07H4J1K8Z/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1J38WFTQO2QT9&keywords=inkbird%2Birf-4s%2B1500ft%2Bwireless%2Bmeat%2Bthermometer&qid=1703871460&sprefix=IRF-4s%2Caps%2C277&sr=8-5&th=1

 

[Jonok]

Meat takes on smoke as long as it's exposed to it. A little spritz when the surface dries helps with ensuring that happens The 2-4 hour "rule": is about smoke ring development.

Not to be argumentative, but I use a smoker into which I routinely put 3 cases of 8 butts for a single cook. Aside from making more black stuff on the inside of my cabinet, more that 4 hrs of smoke adds nothing. I have cooked thousands of butts, and am just trying to remove a little voodoo from an arcane science.