I’m planning on doing pulled pork on Saturday, but I only have half a day to cook it, so hot and fast it is. What has y’all’s experience been doing hot and fast on the Bronco. Do y’all stick with the grate instead of hanging on this one? Definitely wrap to keep from drying out? Do you use any water pan in the Bronco?
Don't have a Bronco, but on a PBJr. a 10 lb. butt is done in about 7.5-8 hours. Junior usually averages about 290. I don't bother hanging or wrapping butts usually, but from what you're saying about timing I'd probably run around 300-325, wrap in foil when the bark and color are where I want them, and if it finishes early that's just extra time to let it rest. Heck, once it's wrapped you can probably kick the temp up to 375-ish, pork butt'll take it.
Not a bad idea. Since it’s just for my family, I may just do a hot and fast temp, but be ready for it to take extra long and have a backup meal for Saturday night. Then do the pulled pork on Sunday. Saturday is the only long stretch of time I have home and I don’t feel like an overnight cook for just pulled pork, so that is a good contingency plan.
I've let a butt get as high as 325 - unintentionally! It got done pretty darned fast. I prefer to keep it under 300F though, and if you are in a big hurry, run at 300F, then wrap once it gets to 170ish and has bark. I think that would get it done in 5-6 hours.
The main tradeoff is that it will dry out more and have a tougher bark at the higher temps, but if you do the foil wrap, it will still end up juicy and tender. Just less bark than if you go low and slow for a longer cook.
I do mine low and slow over night on a Big Green Egg, but I have found letting it rest for at least 2 hours wrapped in an ice chest really improves the cook. I think the same would be true fro your hot and fast.
I have everything set for a nice hot and fast cook later today. Thankfully I found a pork butt that is only 5.36 pounds pre trim. Peoria Packing tends to carry massive 11-12 pound ones. I have it dry brining in the fridge and the bronco is set up so all I have to do is light it when we get home later. I’ll post pics throughout.
I think you'll be fine. One advantage you have is that barrel smokers tend to be moist cooking environments, so that will offset the danger of drying out with a smaller piece of meat on a high temp.
We are away! Here are pictures of charcoal setup, meat as it went on at 12:22pm local time, then meat about 45 minutes into cooking. Currently sitting at 132 IT with a pit temp of 292. It ran away to about 350 in the first hour of cooking, but it has now stabilized near 300 for the last 30 minutes.
Dinner is done! The pulled pork came out great! Only cooked for about 4 hours. After coming down from its 350 degree spike, the Bronco sat close to 300-325 degrees for the rest of the cook. The pork butt was able to rest in a cooler for about an hour and a half before dinner. It was super juicy! Only down side was a lack of bark. I think I would prefer cooking at 275 to allow for more bark creation.
The picture is right before I wrapped it at about 165 degrees at coolest spot.
Yeah - I noted lack of bark too when I’ve done this. it’s a trade off of bark for time with the hot and fast, but it’s good to have it worked out as an option for those times you have to get it done fast.
It got done pretty darned fast. I prefer to keep it under 300F though, and if you are in a big hurry, run at 300F, then wrap once it gets to 170ish and has bark. I think that would get it done in 5-6 hours.
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