Overnight pork butt

[bbq_esq]

Planning to cook a 15 pound boneless (all Costco has here) pork butt overnight in the PBC. I’ve cooked plenty of butts in this thing and have a pretty good grasp of how it runs. Planning to use my new Thermoworks smoke to keep me in bed instead of our checking the temps, but any other tips?

My plan is to slightly overfill the basket and get it on around 11 or so. I’m usually up around six so I can check it then but my plan is to not wrap if I don’t have to and just let roll. best pulled pork I’ve made with this thing was no wrap just cook and rest.

My experience is PBC will run for 7 hours or more on full basket of KBB without issue.

Anyone see any big problems I’m overlooking?

[jfmorris]

In case you didn't know.... those Costco packs are not ONE butt, but two. What you have are two 7-8 pound deboned butts, in the same cryovac, total weight 15 pounds. Just cook with an air gap between the two if they are on the grates and they should cook like any other 7-8 pound butt you've done.

What time are you planning to eat tomorrow? The reason I ask... unless you are using a temp controller, I would halfway expect that the normal PBC cooking times would apply.

From fzxdoc 's sticky post on cooking times:

• 7lb boneless hung on a large PBC skewer; ave PBC temp: 272°F; wrapped at internal temp 160°F after 6 hours; removed at 203°F internal meat temp. No cambro. Total cook time: 8.5 hours.

Since you don't plan to wrap the pork after 6 hours, I would add several hours to your cook time.

Another caution: 15 pounds of pork will drop a lot more fat on the fire, possibly dousing coals. I hope you have a BBQ alarm to wake you up if the fire goes out overnight... I do that and always have my low alarm set to 200F, and if the cooker gets that cool, I hop out of bed and go mess with it.

[cashelton]

I do overnight cooks on the PBC, usually beginning somewhere between 9-11pm. A fully loaded basket of KBB runs 12-16 hours for me. I double hook each end (4 hooks total) and hang. Once in the 160s, I move to an aluminum pan on the grate unwrapped until it's done.

[Finster]

Just a pan? No liquid, no cover?
Fat up or down?
Probably works great for preserving bark...

[cashelton]

@Finster

Yes, just a pan, no liquid. Fat side down.
Great bark!

[bbq_esq]

Taking a butt through the stall, while time consuming, I think gets the best result. The bark makes it.

[bbq_esq]

jfmorris ahhh good catch. I hadn’t opened yet but you’re definitely right about it being two butts. 15 # did seem big.

I have the Thermoworks Smoke and will be setting a low alarm on the air probe in case it starts to go out. Will have a chimney ready to go.

I’ll wrap if necessary but the last but I did came out perfect with a longer cook time. Maybe I’ll get them on closer to 10pm.

Will be serving food around 2 so figure that gives me time to finish/wrap/rest before pulling. Like I said will be checking at around 6am.

[Jerod Broussard]

With nighttime humidity, along with the meat humidified stall, I had to have a backup fan so my coals wouldn't die.

[Finster]

I've never tried an overnight on the PBC.
Did it a few times on the kettle at lower temp and it worked out well.
Getting to sleep for most of the cook almost made it feel like cheating...lol
Let us know how it goes

[bbq_esq]

I do have an SNS kettle too…just seems like PBC holds more charcoal and thus longer cook?

[Finster]

I used a snake when I did it in the kettle, which is a more controlled burn I think, so was able to maintain lower temps than i easily can on the pit...
Overnight on the pit does sound like something worth trying just to shake things up a bit..

[bbq_esq]

Worked about as well as could be expected. Frankly, the kettle is new to me, and I haven’t done many truly long cooks on it, so that’s a personal factor. It’s been a beast for reverse searing steaks and lots of weeknight dinners (pork loin, shrimp skewers, chicken, etc)

[bbqLuv]

Overnight cook with my Traeger, no problem, no concerns. Actually, monitoring from remotely is a plus.

[jfmorris]

Buying a new pellet smoker isn’t always the answer…

[rlozinak]

To me it is!!!

[bbq_esq]

Update: got the butt (I ended up just doing 1, around 7 lb after some trimming) on around 10:30. From there, no issues. PBC spiked up into high 300s like it always does then settled into the 255 range. Actually ran at 225 for for most of the night whenever I did happen to wake up and take a peek.

Around 6:30 am (slept in!) got my first and only alarm for barrel temp which had dipped under 200. Meat temp was 182 and bark is looking good. Looks like some coals still going so I’m going add some unlit coal, crack the lid for a few and let it go unwrapped another hour or two, but I believe we are out of the stall - famous last words I know. If we haven’t hit 203/probing right by like 9am I’ll wrap.

[Finster]

Sounds like there will be plenty of time for it to get a good rest before your 2pm serving.
You can let your guests know you "cooked all night" so that they could enjoy your delicious bbq...
Well done...and thanks for the update

[bbq_esq]

Was struggling to squeeze the last bit of heat out of the PBC so I wrapped and into the oven for the last 10 degrees or so. Already looks great. Before anyone asks, bamboo skewers are there to secure the boneless roast together in lieu of twine.

Side note - no boneless butts and only 88/12 ground beef in bulk near me. Weak.

[HawkerXP]

Lookin good!

..., ..., ...!

[rlozinak]

That does look good!

[bbq_esq]

Didn’t take pics of the final product but it was a hit. Was told by more than a few people it was the best pulled pork they ever had. I actually wish I had skipped some of the other food I cooked because this was so popular. In fact I’m going to make a quick sammich while the house is asleep.

Thanks to everyone who posted and followed along. In terms of the cook itself, I don’t think I’d change much, maybe overload the KBB even more so I don’t have to refill early? Will see next time!

[Soonerpop]

Looks great! I’m also a no-wrapper, like the bark. Next one I do will be on the new Grilla.

[Dr J]

Use B&B much more reliable, low ash, burns way longer than KBB. You will use less of it because the briquettes are larger than KBB.

[bbq_esq]

Good to know. Been steady with the KBB for a while but want to try some other fuels.

[cashelton]

I've been using B&B, for me it's a different lighting experience than KBB when using a chimney to light the charcoal. There is a lot less smoke...and IMO a better smell, but it takes way longer to get going. Once they're lit, like KBB, they're good to go.