Is there anything wrong with cooking pork butt at 225°

[ecowper]

I find that my WSM 22 runs at about 240F very easily, without me tweaking it and tuning it. So, that's where I run it. But I have cooked pork butts at 225, 240, 250, 275, and low 300's and on many different cookers. I think you do what works for you, not what some troll on FB insists you have to do or you're ruining the pork butt.

[RiverJeff]

Buddy of mine claims that he cooks everything on his pit boss at 200 always seems way done so one day as he is cooking a butt I asked to check his temp with my temp unit I use with my Grid Iron and his 200 was 258 and he is a fb guy also! All I could do was laugh and walk away! Put fb where the sun does not shine! So you know now, "don't fix it!" Keep smoking and smiling!! Here's to the best with new pumper!

[Santamarina]

That’s as ridiculous as being attacked for taking the scenic route when you have the time because the freeway is faster!

No problem at all cooking butt at 225. It’s actually a cut I like to cook lower than the 250-275 I normally run my pit at because the fat seems to render a little better at the lower temp for a longer cook.

[surfdog]

People try to give me crap about skipping freeways all the time. LOL
Unless I NEED to be someplace by a certain time/day…I’m very likely to stay off freeways/interstates. That’s a much better way to explore the world IMO. I even have a couple of books suggesting backroads & alternate routes through many areas. Some people are amazed at how far I can get without rolling onto a freeway. You may never find that cool little restaurant/spot zipping by at 70+ MPH.

[Dean154]

OMG YOU COOK AT 225F??????

Yeah, that's cool. I don't bother since I find my kettle likes to be a bit higher but 225 is fine too. As others have said, it just takes longer.

NOW... I'm firmly in the camp of "225F is not the One True Temp" so I do push back against people who advocate that it is. But if you have the time and like your results, it's fine.

What is the One True Temp? To paraphrase the kid in The Matrix "There is no One True Temp".

I totally agree with you. The question I initially asked in that group was "what do you like about cooking butt at 275°" and almost everyone answered time savings. I replied several times that I understood that and it was valid. Then people started the attacks about being old fashioned, etc. I don’t think there’s one way to do anything. I’m very into new ways of doing things. I smoke wings at 225° (usually as an extra when I have butts or brisket on) and finish them in the deep fryer. I make smoked carnitas and crisp them on the Blackstone griddle. What fun is it if you don’t experiment? I’m going to go up on the temp for my butts this weekend to see what I’m missing. There is no one true anything.

[rickgregory]

The main reason to go higher on butts is the timing. If you get them on at 8am and want them for dinner it's much more likely at 275F than 225F in many cases. That depends, of course, on the size of the butt. 7-8 hours takes you to 4 or 5pm. Be a couple hours early and you can hold the butt. Be a couple of hours late and everyone is cranky that dinner isn't ready.

But for other things it's not that important. Ribs might take 6 hours vs 4 but unless you start late, that's fine for same day.

[ecowper]

Here's the other thing. I'm not necessarily interested in doing it faster. I happen to like getting up at 4 AM to get the butt on around 5 AM for dinner at 6 PM. I get to enjoy the cool morning air, coffee, a cigar, and my smoker with no one around to bother me. It's a pretty cool part of the whole thing for me.

[surfdog]

ecowper This.
It’s a relaxing way to start the day.
I’ll also take the time to setup my golf net or fire up the laptop running E6 Connect and play some golf that way… And later some friends will drop by and the games will continue.

[DavidNorcross]

Just do what works best for you. They are forgiving and will hold for hours.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I'm like most folks here and have done them from 200 up to 350 and I'll tell you if done right they are all really good ways to cook pork butts. IMO the quality of meat means more than the temp you're cooking at. Oh and I always wrap, unless I don't and yea I spritz almost all the time, sometimes and I add a lot of sauce unless I just add a little.....LOL.
All kidding aside I think you get what most of us are saying and just find what works for you and yours, share the results, and don't worry about what folks say because in the long run it's just BBQ right!!!!

[surfdog]

That’s always the best way. Sometimes. ;-)

[JimLinebarger]

I've watched a lot of triple D and I remember a chef or 2 talking about smoking @200 and even 180-190. Some even cook for 20-24 hours. My understanding is that cooking at the lower temps deals more with the amount of bark you get.

[DennyWoo]

The only thing wrong with doing pork but at 225 is that it takes longer to GET IN MY BELLY!!

[Polarbear777]

I like 225 because I’d rather cook overnight than get up to start it early in the am :-).

[Steve R.]

I don't always cook at 225, but when I do it's so I can get a good night's sleep. 🥱😌

[klflowers]

What they all said. I am a 225 guy, I can get my wsm to run at 225 for hours.

[surfdog]

Yep…get that thing dialed in and it’s easily repeatable.
I’m still a firm believer that everyone should own a WSM at least once.
Relatively low cost, shallow learning curve, AND they deliver the goods.

[TBoneJack]

I cook pork butts in my 18" WSM:

• Dry brined for 16 hours with a high-salt rub (Smoking Guns or Plowboy's Yardbird)
• No injection
• With water in the pan
• B&B charcoal with hickory and apple wood chunks
• Steady grate temp of 225 degrees
• No wrapping during the cook
• No opening the lid the entire cook (well, not until it's time to probe the meat for tenderness)
• After the cook is done, I let the meat cool for 10 minutes and then wrap in foil and store in a cooler for 2 hours before pulling

After cooking this way a few times, I would never go back. I used to cook butts in my PBC over direct heat at 275 degrees, but IMHO the WSM cook described above produces better butts in terms of juciness and tenderness, without sacrificing bark formation. YMMV.

[glitchy]

I think cookers have sweet spots. I usually cook my butts on a pellet grill at 225 at least until I get impatient. On my WSCG it’s 275. If you like the results on a cooker at a temp, cook it how you like it. If I’m not liking the results of something is when I care to listen or even solicit opinions to make a change.