Merry Christmas from Arkansas!

[Bogy]

Welcome from Iowa. The nice thing about pork butts is it's hard to ruin them. You've already gotten lots of great advice. You have the basic cook down, now you can start experimenting. How I do them depends on what time people expect to eat and how long I have until that time. Wrapped/no wrap, from 225 to 350 (after it's wrapped), they all turn out good. Generally start with the butt about 30 IT, because cold damp meat takes on more smoke. They take me from 8 to 12 hours. Last week when the grandchildren came a day sooner than expected my wife decided that one of the butts I had in the freezer would be good. Went from totally frozen to table in 11 hours. Not recommended, but our picky eaters came back for thirds and declared grampa's pork butt to be the best.
Don't be afraid to experiment.
And you can get lots of advice on what smoker to buy next. More advice than you ever wanted.

[rmeugene]

Welcome from the NW burbs of Chicago

[Redwng]

Merry Christmas and welcome from St. Cloud, FL.

I had a Rec Tec for almost 8 years and it was a very good smoker. Their customer service if needed is fantastic. I would recommend their smokers without hesitation. I have a Lone Star Grillz pellet but they are pricey.

I used to do butts at 225-240 and they would take a long time. Now I do them at 275 and that has decreased the time considerably. If necessary, you can bump the temp to 325 after wrapping as you are just braising, just let it rest for a while. Good luck!

[Sweaty Paul]

Salutations from Hays, Kansas! As for a different pit I'll be of little help. However, I tend to cook my butts 250-275 and I don't usually have that long a cook. Good luck on your search! Lot of smart folks here to help.

Sweaty Paul

[gstanfo]

I mainly wrap because I don't like "hard" bark, which is just a personal thing. And yes, the reason why I love pork butts so much is that they are hard to mess up! With that said, though, it sure seems to me that the butts that I have had to jack the temp up on for last couple hours to get done-or the ones I had to pull off at 195 because I had to get them on the table (in other words, the ones I have to rush) just are not as buttery-fall-apart tender as the ones that are allowed time to reach 205 at 230-250 and then rest in cooler for at least a couple of hours.

The two I put in cooler yesterday morning at 8:45 am (16-17 hours for the two 7.5 lb at 230-250.) stayed there until our 2pm mealtime (thankfully I was able to handle work emergency in 2-3 hours and get back home). The first one was 168+ when I pulled it, the second was 154 when I pulled it a couple hours later to divvy up for folks to take home. When I picked the first one up by the bone, the butt slid off the bone and broke into 2-3 pieces when it fell back into pan, before I even touched it. I did not get that kind of tender from my "rushed" butts of the past. I figure that a decent resting period helps with this but kind of hard to quantify scientifically, and besides, who wants everything quantified scientifically?? With that said, I have thoroughly enjoyed Dr. Blonder's myth-busting work on many age-old "truisms" (like the futility of wetting wood chips) and especially explaining the stall-which I luckily read before I ever cooked my first butt.

Yes, the researching and planning in the pursuit of perfection is almost as much of the joy of smoking meat as having folks salivate over the meat. I am not a degreed engineer but work an engineer's position at my paper mill along with many bonafide engineers, and like many of them tend to overthink things at times, but, unlike many of them, I know when to stop thinking and just DO IT!! (But keep a detailed record of every smoke!!)

Gas is my #1 option for new smoker, pellet probably #2 and electric #3. As I get serious about my research I will most definitely have questions!

Thanks so much for all the responses! I am going to be a bit lazy and, instead of searching around site, ask is there a setting somewhere that will automatically send responses to my email?

[CandySueQ]

Welcome from PB gstanfo! Were you cooking in these low temps? It slowed my cook down yesterday.

[gstanfo]

Yes, I put the two butts in at 4pm Saturday afternoon.

[RichieB]

Welcome from Western Massachusetts.

[mrichie1229]

Welcome to the Pit! gstanfo! I typically cut large butts in half so I get more smoke and a shorter cooking time. I also crutch (personal preference) with some apple juice.

[RichardK]

I would love to hear the answer to your question of "is it normal for cooks to take over 2 hours at 225". All my BBs take between 2.5 and 3 hours at 225 degrees.

[Allon]

What are you cooking?
What are you cooking on?
What method of cooking are you going to use?

I have a OKJ Bronco, a drum smoker.
At 225°F I would smoke a ribeye or two for 2 to 3 hours before a reverse sear...

I hope that helps....

[RichardK]

gstanfo I have not seen an answer to your question of "is it unusual?"
"It always takes me 2+ hours per pound to hit 203-205 at 225-240 degrees, and I always crutch at 170-180 degrees! ... So there is my first question-is this unusual?"
According to Meathead's "An Easy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe With Mouthwatering Results" it should be about 1.25 hours per pound. “How long does it takes to cook pulled pork?” you ask? At 225F, plan on about 1 hour 15 minutes per pound.
With my limited knowledge and experience, my answer is yes it is usual.
I use a WSM and all my Boston Butts take over 2.5 hours per pound and usually the time is close to 3 hours per pound. I have a Thermoworks Signal that I use to monitor pit and pork. Since, I occasionally check the probes, I am confident that it is not equipment failure. I have done close to 2 dozen Boston Butts and all take between 2.5 and 3+ hours per pound. Maybe there are answers to why or what can influence the duration. Maybe it is stubborn pigs, maybe dense meat or fat rich meat.

[gstanfo]

Well, I kind of fell out of the forum for a year or so.....here it is Christmas time again and I am finishing up a couple of butts for office party! Still using the gas Smoke Vault (got a new bottom pan last week to replace the burned-out original). I have continued my experimenting and at 225-230 continue to see 2.5+ hrs/lb. For the two today, I bumped up temp 20 degrees and got 2 hrs/lb on an 8.5 lb., but the 6.5 that went in at the same time is gonna be closer to 3 hrs/lb! Wrapped both in tight foil at 185-188 temp. 32 degrees ambient temperature last night. So, have become comfortable with my routine of putting them on at 2-3pm the day before for a noon meal (225-230), and 6-7 pm day before for evening soiree. This almost always gives them at least a 2-hour rest before tearing into.

Maybe the last mystery is why, sometimes (like the current two butts) the 6.5 lb is gonna take 2 hours longer than the 8.5 lb! I have experienced this before and each time could tell the smaller butt felt more compact and "dense" when prepping than the bigger one. I am guessing this has to do with the fat/tissue composition of the cuts?

I have vowed for 2024 to finally take the leap and try a brisket............And again, Merry Christmas to all!

[RichardK]

I am with you; I simply plan for cooks to be about 2.5 to 3 hours per pound. I believe that a pork shoulder should be proportional in thickness to weight (given a little variance). I see a lot of feedback where the pit temp is 250 to 300 degrees, which reduces time significantly! I am confident of my temps and time, as I use good equipment and follow instructions for use.

[LA Pork Butt]

Welcome to the Pit from Dallas, Texas! I usually cook Boston Butts on my Big Green Egg at 225 without wrapping in about 12-14 hours. The 1st thing I would alert you to is that the thickness of meat determines cook time, so you can’t rely on weight. The typical butt I cook is 10# and about 4.5 inches thick. However, I once cooked 40# on my BGE and because I needed a raised grill to accommodate them they were essentially about nine inches thick. They took 22 hours. Do you have an accurate temperature reading on your cooker? My suspicion is that you are cooking at a lower temperature than you think.

[gstanfo]

I am very confident in cook temps-I always have four quality instant-read digital, plus a really good cabled unit with bluetooth remote that I leave in meat for last few hours of cook. I buy new instant-reads every year just to be on safe side, and will frequently check them in boiling water as well as ice water. When my door gauge reads 250, it is 225 in middle of vertical smoker and 240 at the top, every time. I use the instant reads with everything I grill or smoke, just to take guesswork out. I am color-blind so can't tell pink-ish from red in beef is another reason.

[BFlynn]

Welcome to the pit - the only club worth belonging to.

WPS!!!

Yes - that's Tusk in my profile pic

[Clawbear57]

Welcome to the pit from Winston Salem NC. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.