# Longest butt smoke ever



## Motorboat40 (Apr 12, 2020)

I started a 9lb Boston butt yesterday at 1230pm it didn't hit 203 deg until sometime after 4 am this morning! I've never had one take this long 11 hrs I think was the longest it's ever taken me and I have done a bunch of pork butts. Anyways I put bad Byron's butt rub and little touch of cherry rub on Friday afternoon and put the butt in a 2 gallon ziplock bag with apple juice concentrate overnight. Before putting on the smoker I put another layer of the 2 different rubs.
Smoked it on offset smoker at 1230pm Saturday afternoon using cherry and maple wood for smoke. Kept the pit temp around 225 most of the time I had an alarm set on my ink bird incase it got too low or too high. I took a temperature readying at 4 hours and it was at 130 deg. I know it wasn't at the 140deg mark for suggest food safty but was close enough so I wasn't worried. I had 3 temperature probes in my pit reading the temp because recently my cooks were finishing faster than normal so I wanted to check how accurate my rounded probe was, turns out it was 30 deg lower than the other 2 probes and the dozeyant dial thermometer was reading true as always. So around 7 hours of smoking I put in a probe into the meat I was at 151 deg. I did not wrap because I wanted a lot of bark for this one. By 1130pm 11 hours cooking at 225deg was still in the stall but slow coming up out of it at 171 deg. Finally finally finally hit 195 at 3am when I pulled it and checked the temp with my instant read where the probe was located it was 195 but on the other end there was a part still 180deg amd no I wasn't close to the bone I check several different spots. So I gave in, put it in a foil pan put a little apple cider in the bottom and covered with foil put in house oven at 290 deg to hurry up n get to between 195 and 205. Hit 203 elite after 430am. Let it rest for 1 hour and pulled it to reheat for later at our Easter meal today. The bark turned out amazing and I gave it a taste of course was spot on with what I usually produce I was worried after so long not wrapped it might be a little dry but it was great pulled pork. Anyone else ever had one take this long?
Soaking in apple juice concentrate.
	

		
			
		

		
	







Rubs I used
	

		
			
		

		
	














4hrs
	

		
			
		

		
	






11 hrs
	

		
			
		

		
	






Done at around 16hrs


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## normanaj (Apr 12, 2020)

My last 3 butts took between 14-16hrs.They never did before.

I am doing them on a MES but I've always been able to keep my temp swings between 220-240. The smoker is performing the same as it always had.The only variable I can think of is the meat and as far as I can tell its the same as always.

Haven't done one on my 14.5" WSM in a longgggggg time.I do remember butts taking a good amount of time on it.


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## smokerjim (Apr 12, 2020)

looks great. that was quite a long cook, ya must have gotten one of those stubborn piggies.


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## SmokingUPnorth (Apr 12, 2020)

That’s long. I started wrapping mine unless I get it on the smoker the night before. Looks good though  nice job


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## jigman (Apr 12, 2020)

Yup. Thats about how long all of mine take. I had a 4lber. A couple years ago go 11 hrs. Its a long day but well worth it!


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## chilerelleno (Apr 12, 2020)

I've had plenty of Butts take 12 hours at 225°-250°, and have had injected Butts take 16-19 hours.
Here's one example, started off Low-n-Slow, never wrapped it, kept easing the cooking temp up later in the cook.





						Cajun Apple Butter Pulled Pork
					

Got up early and made a hearty Saturday morning breakfast, then I decided to run out to one of our independent local butchers, South Alabama Custom Meats. I purchased some fresh and frozen meats, a nice bone-in Pork Butt, two skin-on sections of Pork Belly and a nice hunk of Goat. One pork belly...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## sawhorseray (Apr 12, 2020)

I've had butts take 10-12 hours tho I run my offset 265º-280º, I've never wrapped one yet but that could change at any given cook. RAY


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## thsmormonsmokes (Apr 12, 2020)

I had a butt take nearly 20 hours on me a few weeks back. I couldn't push the IT past 194, and I wanted to go to bed so I pulled it off anyway, figuring worst case scenario I could slice it. I've pulled them at 194 before, but I've never had them that tender. It literally fell apart as I tried to get it off the grate, and came off in 4 pieces. It was a little dry in places (partially because I experimented with trimming the fat cap; I won't do that again), but otherwise really good.


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## Blues1 (Apr 12, 2020)

I did a 3 pounder and it took 15 1/2 hrs. Couldn't believe it! Yours looks great!


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## smokeymose (Apr 12, 2020)

I usually cook butts in the 8 or 9 lb range and my smoker likes to run around 260. I've had them done in 6hrs and 9hrs. Go figure.


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## noboundaries (Apr 12, 2020)

I always smoke bone-in butts in the 8.5 to 10.5 lbs range. When I stock up on sales, I try to get pairs of butts close to the same weight. Takes just as long to do 2 as 1, so I do 2 and freeze the leftovers.

I usually fire up the WSM between 4-6 PM. Load the meat a couple hours later. 225F overnight, then 300F+ when I knock the ash off in the morning. 14-18 hours is normal for me until probe tender all over.  And, even though they are the same size, I've had them finish 3 hours apart. Butts are ornery little hunks of meat.


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## MikeFR (Apr 12, 2020)

Had one take forever yesterday as well. Put it on at 0700, 8 pounds. Planned on eating at 6:00pm, we were only at 180 at that point. Stalled at 165 for what seemed like forever.
Needless to say, we snacked a bit until we could eat the anticipated tacos, lol.


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## Motorboat40 (Apr 12, 2020)

It all turn out great! I made kosmos coleslaw recipe  mustard sugar salt pepper and vinegar to top the pork sandwich, my parents brought some homemade mac n cheese with tomatoes in it and my wife made a green bean casserole and deviled eggs. My moms carrot cake for desert. Happy Easter everyone!


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## thirdeye (Apr 12, 2020)

I would hit that plate in a heartbeat.  It looks fantastic, especially the slaw and deviled eggs.  I learned how to barbecue with low pit temps, but there were no thermometers to verify anything. Butts are the one thing I still smoke at low temps, 230°-240° and 15 or 16 hours is normal for an 8#+/-.  If I can find a whole shoulder, I cook them for 20, 22, or 24 hours.


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## WildewoodBBQ (Apr 12, 2020)

I just did one today in my vertical electric.. started at about 9:30 and finished about 30 minutes ago.. was a 7lb bone in BB, but that was the fastest I’ve had one cook. I went to wrap it after 6 1/2 hours and it was already 190... lol.. I wrapped it anyway and came out half hour later and pulled it off to let sit for awhile. 

Looks good, great job! As many have said.. pork is a finicky type of meat!


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## Winterrider (Apr 12, 2020)

That is a lot of fire tending there. I would have ran out of beer I think.


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## Motorboat40 (Apr 12, 2020)

Winterrider said:


> That is a lot of fire tending there. I would have ran out of beer I think.


Lol I switched to water around 10 pm drinking beer from 1 to 10 really dehydrated me it's hard job but someone's got to do it.


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## mneeley490 (Apr 12, 2020)

Looks great, all's well that ends well, I guess. I've had ones that have takent 14 hours, but I usually start at 6am.  Lately, I've been using Jeff's "5-hours @ 300°" method. I haven't had one finish at 5 hours yet, but 7 hours is reachable.


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## smokeymose (Apr 13, 2020)

Winterrider said:


> That is a lot of fire tending there. I would have ran out of beer I think.


And patience. And wood LOL!


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