Hang or grate, 2 pork butts

[Micahchaney]

On vacation with my family, 24 total. Brought the PBC and doing 5 chickens tonight.

I have 2 pork butts going on Tuesday. Should I hang them or put them on the grates? I have done both with 1 and wasn’t sure on 2. Any suggestions helpful.

[Jerod Broussard]

When I finally figured out how to tie them properly I would just hang mine the whole cook. Three big ones fills that dude up nicely.

[au4stree]

I like to use the skewers to hang mine. Like Jerod, it took me a bit to figure out how to tie them up right.

[Santamarina]

Can’t imagine hanging a butt. Mine nearly fall apart taking them off the shelf in my smoker. One of the reasons I never considered a PBC…I imagine a butt falling to the coals before it’s done.

[fzxdoc]

Done right (with ties and double serial hooking the meat), it never happens, to me at least.

Without tying the butt, I double serial hook the meat and move it to the grate when it hits about 160°, which in my experience is when it starts to soften up.

Kathryn

[RustyHaines]

I'm with fzxdoc on this one. I followed her learned advise on ties, double hooks, then to the grate at the stall when I got my PBC and have not lost a pork butt to the coals yet. I would add this method has always resulted in excellent bark too.

fzxdoc is the PBC whisperer !

[fzxdoc]

Awww, thanks, RustyHaines . The PBC is the real star of the show.

Kathryn

[TripleB]

Grate.

[Mark V]

I have used the grate for butts, and put a frog mat underneath for easier cleanup. If you hang, I like the idea of the skewers, but if using hooks I think I would double hook as stated on the pit barrel site.

[HawkerXP]

Tie and hang. No string? Grate. I would cut them in half and turn them mid way to get the all over tan.

[HawkerXP]

Of course I meant double hook. PBC, PBJ, PBC!

[Spinaker]

I would hang them for sure. It gets too packed on the grate for two pork butts.

[cashelton]

I do a combo, hang until 170°-180°, then move to a disposable aluminum pan on the grate uncovered.

[webwolff]

How do you properly tie a butt to hang?

[RobertC]

I do it the same way Jacques Pepin ties up a chicken ballotine. You can see it starting at 8:49 here: https://youtu.be/Ku5p1CcGn70?t=529

Since I've been tying butts this way, I've never lost a piece while hanging. I no longer use the grate: there's plenty of room for two butts.

[fzxdoc]

How do you properly tie a butt to hang?

I like to use these silicone cooking bands, webwolff . Butcher's string can snag on the bark. These bands slip off pretty easily.


Kathryn

[Kascon11]

Do you coat the bands in in anything? (Pam, olive oil, Canola ?) Do I do this like a chuck roast (to keep the shape?)

[fzxdoc]

Kascon11, the bands are silicone; they don't need to be coated. I use them for chuck roasts all the time. Also chicken, pork butt, pork roast, brisket, etc. whatever has a flappy meaty part that I want to keep in place.

Use them pretty much wherever you would use kitchen twine.

Kathryn

[Kascon11]

@Fzxdoc,Thanks. I ordered a set and I should have them in time for the weekend cook out.

[Alabama Smoke]

Normally I grate butts. A couple of weeks ago I decided to hang. I had one small butt, about 4.5 lbs. bone in. I cut it more or less in half, right behind the bone (bone half slightly larger than the other. Normal brine and rubs, etc. This time I decided to double hook and tie with string. Things went perfectly until forgot to take off and grate around 170 or so as I had planned. At 205 or so I went to take them out. The smaller one I got out safely, the larger literally came apart in my rubber gloved hands and fell into the coals. Glad the gloves were extra thick, as I reached into the bottom of the barrel and picked up in the pieces it now was, took it inside in some alum foil, placed in the sink, rinsed liberally with hot water and put into cambro with the other. Never told anyone, no one ever noticed!

[MarkN]

"Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?" - Julia Child

[fzxdoc]

Seems like no matter how many cooks we've done, there's always room for a slipup, Alabama Smoke . Glad to hear that you retrieved that part of the butt with the bone in from the ash and that no one was the wiser. I bet it all was delicious.

Kathryn

[Alabama Smoke]

It was very good Kathern, I waited to get it to 205, might have been a little dry. But no one complained and there were very few leftovers. Made sandwiches with those the next day.