Hello everyone. I have been smoking pork butts uncovered. I have seen videos when the meat is wrapped part way through the cook. How much time does wrapping the meat take off the cook.
I put a pork butt on at eight this morning and it still is not done. According to my Meater I have about 3 hours left. When do you wrap the meat?
Any advice on the above techniques would be very much appreciated.
I don't wrap butts. I run them at 275 until they stall, and them bump up to 300. That keeps the cooking time reasonable for me. If you want to wrap them them, then anytime after the bark is set is fine.
I sing during the smoke, but I wrap during the stall. I put it a foil pan with some honey, butter, apple juice and some rub. Cover tightly. Most of the time I bump up the temp to 300+ degrees (either on the smoker or in the oven, remember BTUs are BTUs) because I'm getting impatient and cook until probe tender with IT around 200+. Let it rest, pour juices into a fat separator, pull the pork and add back the juices. It always takes longer than I think it should.
As far as time saving, not sure since I never timed similar butts wrapped vrs unwrapped, bone in or boneless, etc. I am sure it cuts down on the overall time. Every piece of meat is slightly different. As always, YMMV.
One day I want to try cutting the butt into smaller pieces for more bark, smoke flavor and faster cook time. I don't know then about the need to wrap or if the resultant pulled pork is as moist as cooking it whole.
I cook Butts at 225 and unless I am rushed for time I pull them at 200, wrap and let them rest in an ice chest with towels for 2 hours before pulling. I usually do them overnight and allow 17 hours for the entire cook from start up through resting 2-4 hours depending on how long the cook took. If I am rushed for time I usually wrap at 160.
If not cooking outdoors, I am cooking on the stovetop with my 14" carbon steel wok, 12" CI skillet, or in the oven with my two Lodge CI pizza pans, or two dutch ovens. I've also got a nifty Lodge carbon steel grill pan that rocks for veggies outdoors.
My advice if you put a butt on at 8am and want it done in time for dinner that night, run the cook at 275 instead of 225. And if you want to get it done even faster, wrap in foil once the meat hits about 160 or so, and has some bark. It will finish out in a couple of hours, and just poke your Meater through the foil. You won't get the crunchy bits of bark my family loves, but you will get juicy succulent pulled pork in 7-8 hours, versus 12-14 unwrapped at 225.
I usually don't wrap though, and use the temp of my smoker to speed things up, taking it as high as 300F to push through the end of the cook when I am on a schedule.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
You didn’t say what temp you are smoking at. I found that 250-300 works for me. I also cut my butts in half when I smoke them. Gives more bark and reduces smoking time. I wrap in foil and towels and then in a cooler for several hours before pulling.
When mine stalls for about an hour or longer as I see others mention I wrap it in foil but then place on a cookie sheet and transfer into the house oven and finish it about 240 until it reaches 203 or slightly higher. I seen no sense in keeping my stick burner going to finish it as the oven is much more convenient and sure makes the house smell nice for a couple days.
I do the same. When I sense the stall, I wrap the pork butt in paper and move to the oven in the house. I cook in the oven at about 275 to an internal temp of about 203+/-.
Pork butt is the easiest and most forgiving meat that I smoke. I usually do one or two large butts. I vacuum seal the extras into servings for 1 or 2. Pulled pork survives freezing in sealed bag very well. Useful for sandwiches, with beans on salad and many other presentations.
briano you got that right. Sounds like we have the same thoughts. I do freeze a lot of it and take it with me on my trout fishing trips. We stay in places with kitchenettes/microwaves and most all of our meals are warm ups. Don't want to waste time when there are fish to catch. And those meals sure beat going to restaurants for a week.
I don't wrap during the cook. When it probes like butter I pull it, wrap it and put it in a cooler with some hot towels fresh out of the dryer and rest for a minimum of 1 hour, usually 2-3. I also run the smoker at 275 and bump it to 300 at the stall.
There are so many good YouTube videos on cooking brisket.
I start them at 225*F with super smoke to 165*F internal. Then wrap in foil. Done when probe tender, around 205-210*F internal temperature.
I prefer to overnight cook brisket.
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