# Smoking a brisket and pork butt together.



## traegl3 (Oct 25, 2013)

Hey guys, first post and not sure where to post this so I will just try here. I plan on doing a brisket and pork butt smoke for my sons 1st birthday in a couple of weeks and have never smoked the two together before. I feel pretty comfortable with the brisket but I have never smoked a pork butt. I plan on doing a test run this Sunday to get it figured out but wanted to stop by and get some advice for you guys on how to get the best results. 
I have a Char-Griller Smoker Pro and plan on using 4-5 pound pieces of meat. Thanks for any help!

Trae


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## jirodriguez (Oct 25, 2013)

If you can do brisket, then butts will be a piece of cake. Butts are much more foregiving - I am guessing the butt will finish about an hour or so before the brisket. It is hard to know for sure because each piece of meat is different. Plan on holding the butt in a dry towel lined cooler for a while as the brisket finishes up and rests.


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## kc5tpy (Oct 25, 2013)

Hello Traegl3.  I see this is your first post.  Please take some time and swing over to Roll Call and introduce yourself so that we may give you a proper "Hello".  All info you can provide us with such as smoker type, location and so on will help us answer any questions you may have.  Glad to have you here.  Good luck with the cook.  Keep Smokin!

Danny


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## traegl3 (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks for the help. Should I just put them on like I'm doing a brisket and just watch the butt? 

I'll head over there and introduce myself. Thanks guys!


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## bama bbq (Oct 26, 2013)

I would Traegl3.


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## TulsaJeff (Oct 26, 2013)

First off.. welcome to the best forum around on smoking meat. Glad to have you here!

You can easily cook them together, side by side or on different grates if you have a vertical setup. Like Johnny said, if you are successfully doing briskets then pork butt will be no problem at all.. piece of cake!

The butt and the brisket should get done pretty close to the same time or at least within an hour or two of each other. Foiling the butt (as outlined below) does help to "power" it through the stall.

*My process for pork butt is:*

Mustard + Rub
Place fat cap down on smoker grate at 225 ° F
Keep the smoke going for at least 6 hours
Wrap in foil when it reaches an internal temperature of about 160 ° F
It is done when it reaches 200-205 ° F
Remove bone, pull into small pieces, remove clumps of fat and gristle
Add more rub and/or reserved juices from the pan, stir around and then serve
My butts usually take about 14 hours total using this method.

_*Tip*: if it gets done early, like briskets, just wrap it in a towel or two, and place it down in an empty cooler. Fill in any remaining space with more towels of old blankets and it will stay safe and warm for 4 or more hours._

If you have a question about any part of this process, just let me know.


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## themule69 (Oct 26, 2013)

They pretty much have you covered. I'll just grab some 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  and wait for the Qview.

Happy smoken.

David


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## traegl3 (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks for the help. The wife picked up a couple things for my smoke tomorrow so I'm ready for my test run. I'll post some pictures as I go. 

Jeff, awesome site! It's actually how I got started. I look forward the newsletter every week for new ideas too. 

Here's to an awesome smoke and another Chiefs win!


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## traegl3 (Oct 27, 2013)

Got started a little late today but she's goin! Had some sausage in the freezer so I decided to throw that on. Will keep posting throughout the day













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## ellymae (Oct 27, 2013)

Butts are really forgiving. When I cook a butt I take it out of the fridge, fire up the cooker, apply the rub, toss it on the cooker and let her go till it probes like a hot knife through butter. Lately I have been cooking in the 250-275* range.

The same process goes for my briskets.

If I need to speed things up, I will foil in the 160* range.

I like to factor in some time for a rest in the cooler.

One other thing especially when cooking pork and beef... butts over brisket always for me if I have an opportunity, pork fat makes everything taste better.


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## creed0423 (Oct 27, 2013)

I smoke my almost the same way jeff does, well because I read as much of his stuff as possible and it has never steered my wrong. I actually leave the butt in an disposable aluminum pan with fat up. Foil after internal temp 160 and pull it out at 200. I dump all the juice in the pan into another container and refridgerate over night. (Since they take so long a smoke my a day before). Then when I rewarm the pork, ill pull all the fat that has collected at the top of the juice off then pour over the pork before rewarming. I also cut the fat off the top of the butt before pulling. Ill save this and warm up more till its not as chewing then mix it in with refried beans and make burritos with it.


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## traegl3 (Oct 27, 2013)

Well here they are. Brisket turned out alright, was a little dry but still tender. 

The shoulder turned out awesome! It stalled out on me around 180 degrees so I had to finish up in the oven. 

Other than that a little flare up things went great. Thanks for the help!













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## TulsaJeff (Oct 27, 2013)

Looks great.. I would call that a success!


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## bama bbq (Oct 27, 2013)

I would, too!  Nice cook. Make sure you log your notes so you can refer back to repeat what you did right and change what you think could be improved.


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## traegl3 (Oct 28, 2013)

After thanking about it last night, I did have one question about the brisket. With it being a little dry but tender, what could be done to keep the tenderness and get it more moist? I've never had one turn out like this.


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