We are having Christmas lunch tomorrow at work and I am handling the cooking. The main meal will be an 11.5lb Boston Butt that I would like to serve as bbq. The plan is to start it at 4am on my pit boss running around 250 until 165 internal. Then it will get foil wrapped until around 195. Is 7.5-8 hours enough time or do I need to plan for more cook time to be able to serve for lunch. I haven’t cooked a butt on this grill yet or had this many people planning on eating around a certain time. I usually just keep it going until it’s done with little regard to time. Thanks in advance for any help.
Boston Butt cook time
- Thread starter dman24
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It's probably better to give yourself more time than you think you will need. If the butt gets done early you can wrap it in a towel and hold it in a cooler for a couple of hours and it will stay hot enough, but if it takes longer then you've given yourself a cushion.
You could get a boneless butt from costco, cut off the fat, and give it an injection to keep it moist. That would cut down the cook time considerably.
I concur. I read once that the magic happens at about 190F when the conjunctive and connective tissue breaks down making the meat much more tender to where it pulls apart. I would think the OP's plan of cooking it to a temperature of 165F would lead to disappointing results of possibly tough or even underdone meat.
It would be done. But thats slicing temp, not pulling temp
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Exactly, only I see the stall happen between 165-185 usually. The longer it is in the stall the better. Every shoulder cooks different.
Trim all the fat, it does nothing for you. Cook at 220-240 till it hits 195 internal (Up to 205 is fine) Wrap and rest in cooler for at least an hour. 15 hours total is not unheard of
I plan on an hour per # plus and hour cook time but thats on a smoker at 225 to 250. I start checking internal temp at 2hrs before the hour per # plus an hour. I like internal at 200 then foil it and take off heat for an hour to 2 hrs. Alternate method for juicier meat is to smoke for 4 hrs then foil or pan and foil for the remainder of cook time. There is a killer recipe for rub by Aaron Franklin on Yoo Toob. Uses lots of pepper and makes a great BARK.
If i want pulled pork for lunch i put it on at 10PM @ 225F smoking temp. I'll check it a couple of times through the night, and wake up a little early to check on it. (My smoker is all manual draft adjustments) I don't want my smoker temp to ever go above 250F, and don't like it to drop below 200F. I pull the meat when it hits 195F internal (generally 10-11am), and wrap in foil, and let sit till lunch. I've done several this way, and it works great for me.
If i want pulled pork for supper i just get up early and get it going around 5am.
If i want pulled pork for supper i just get up early and get it going around 5am.
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I cook mine in a foil pan and loosely cover after it gets the smoke i like. Which is about 6 hours.
This is solid advice. Cook at a lower temp and put it on before bed. Pull it, wrap, and drive to work.
I typically smoke until 165 and then wrap in foil and put back on the smoker until it hits 195. Then put it in a cooler with towels around it for about 2 hours.
I cooked 2 - 8.5 # butts before Thanksgiving. Put the meat on at 6:30 am, pulled them off and put them in the cooler at 4:30 pm. Started pulling them apart and chopping at 6:00 pm. That was 11.5 hours from start to finish. I believe you will need more time to eat when you plan to.
I cooked 2 - 8.5 # butts before Thanksgiving. Put the meat on at 6:30 am, pulled them off and put them in the cooler at 4:30 pm. Started pulling them apart and chopping at 6:00 pm. That was 11.5 hours from start to finish. I believe you will need more time to eat when you plan to.
Under normal circumstances I would cook it at home and bring it in for lunch. The way things have worked out this year I’m having to do the cook at the office and had to take my grill there to do it. I was hoping to pull the cook off in 8 hours but I think I’m going to have to revise that.
5-6 hours at 250 and then I let it sit a day before eating cause it's better the next day.
I think you're going to have to invest a few more hours into your cook time. If you can get 10 hrs. cook time total with a wrap at 165-170*( at what ever hour mark that comes too)
you'll be ok.
Hindsight: cooked it a day or 2 ago at home, chill it out then do a warm up on the smoker or any grill, would have been ok too.
This 10.5lber when on at 10pm at 225 and finished about 4pm the next day at 204, the temperature I like for pulling. Let it rest for an hour and was devoured. Now if you don't like the people you work with that much, cook it at 350. It will be good, just not as good as low and slow.
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As many have said upthread- butts absolutely don’t get “in the zone” for doneness and texture before 180!
Pull it off, if you must, at 175 and foil/towel wrap it and let it rest in a cooler. It’ll pick up 5*~7* while it rests.
Bull
Pull it off, if you must, at 175 and foil/towel wrap it and let it rest in a cooler. It’ll pick up 5*~7* while it rests.
Bull
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I recommend getting it to 205. Then wrap it in heavy duty foil and let it rest in a cooler for 1.5 to 2 hours. With an 11 lbs bone in butt I would estimate 2 hours a pound. That is a long cook. The other faster option is 2 6 lbs or cut your 11.5lb in half.
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Just realized you are tonight. I would run it a 250-275 it will cook faster. A pit master could tell the difference but most people won't notice. I personally would start it now. That will give you 14 hours before you have to take it out foil it. Put in a cooler and pull it onsite.
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Slicing or chopping anything below 200. If you want fall apart pulled pork, the magic temp is 200-205.
I hadn’t thought about cutting it in half. That would help tremendously and shouldn’t make a difference for pulled pork. Plenty of room on the pit boss to cook a split butt. At this point I’m going to be limited to 8 hours, may can push to 9. Luckily we are also do stuffed loin and pork belly burnt ends. I’m sure the guys will be satisfied with their lunch.
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Ive stopped using foil and went to butcher paper for post cooking rest. I think it helps the bark from getting moist and helps it maintain crispness
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+1 on butcher paper. I’ve enjoyed the difference in my briskets since I started using that vs foil
Interesting. I would think the sweat from the meat and loss of heat would come into play. I will have to try it.
Last time I did a butt I skipped the foil and just smoked past the stall. But I had the time. It was excellent and the bark was incredible. I should try the butcher paper next time since time can be an issue. And I need to try it for brisket anyway.
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Just to clarify, I smoked past stall as well and Ive been wrapping only when it comes off to rest.
Its like the paper absorbs some moisture where foil just soaks the barks.
I was able to make it happen today. I cut the butt in half this morning and put both halves on at 4am. The bigger half came off at 1130 with a temp of 198. Ran the grill at 250 the whole time. We had poppers, pork belly burnt ends, pork loin, and bbq. Peach cobbler for dessert cooked on the pellet grill also.
Save about a quarter pound of your pulled pork and freeze it.
Next time you do ribs or something for the fam, do a pot of beans.
Rinse two cans of bush's beans, put in a cast iron dutch oven with a chopped up bell pepper (my family like a red one), a chopped onion, and that saved pulled pork. You want en kind of dry.
Hit the beans with a dash of the rib riub you used, put on back of smoker an hour uncovered, then cover for 30 min to an hour until theyre nice and bubbly. Pull off about 10- 15 min before the ribs and let cool a bit.
Mmmmmm, mmmmmm.......