I'm almost certain I have seen this addressed here before, but I can't find it at the moment. I'm cooking for a crowd on Saturday and have two 9 lb. butts in the fridge. Meal time will be 3 pm, so I want to shorten the cook time a little without sacrificing quality. Assuming I could cook at ~280 and have them to probe tender after roughly 8 hrs. How much time would I realistically save by creating four 4.5 lb. chunks?
Announcement
Collapse
Meat-Up in Memphis 2021
SOLD OUT! Secure your spot on our waitlist now. First-come, first-served!
Click here for details. (https://amazingribs.com/memphis)
Click here for details. (https://amazingribs.com/memphis)
See more
See less
Cutting Boston butts in half
Collapse
X
-
Charter Member
- Nov 2014
- 4970
- Winchester TN
-
Hardware
Blackstone 36” Griddle.
Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado & Kettle Grill.
Slow 'N Sear (1.0, Deluxe, 2.0).
DnG Pans/Racks, Easy Spin Grates, Elevated Cooking Grates.
Weber Chimney Starters (regular and compact).
Joule, Instant Accu Slim.
GrillGrates.
Maverick XR-50 [my favorite].
ThermoWorks Smoke & Gateway, Thermapen, Thermapop, ChefAlarms, DOT, probes
Consumables / Favorites
KBB (short cooks), Weber (long cooks), B&B Hardwood Briquettes when I'm out of Weber.
Ribs (beef & pork), Pork Butts, Chuck Roasts, Pork Tenderloins, Shrimp, Fajitas.
SnS Grills salt free rubs: Not Just for Beef & Rocky’s Rub.
MeatChurch Holy Cow. MMD, BBBR, S&G, Herbs de Provence, SPG.
It's been a while since I cut one in half but if I remember correctly, it saved me an hour or two compared to whole butts, cooking at 225-250.
FWIW, I recently cooked a whole 9 pound butt on my Kettle and SnS, starting out at 230-235. Once I hit the stall I upped the temp to 275 to push through the stall, and when I had good bark I wrapped (to catch juices) and stayed at 275 until probe tender. Cook time was 9 hours which was at least 3 hours faster than cooking 230-235 the entire cook. The quality was as good as any of my previous cooks.
- 1 like
Comment
-
Ah good. I was wondering about this too. Did going up to 275 push it through the stall as fast as wrapping it would have?
-
JPGators17 I have never wrapped to push through the stall so I have no comparison.
-
Club Member
- Jan 2017
- 262
- Westfield, MA
-
Chris Parrow
Southwick, MA
Large BGE
FlameBoss 200
Large Adjustable Rig w/ 18 inch oval platesetter
Cast Iron BGE Dutch Oven (snagged it for $25 at a pool store, its a beast)
Lodge cast iron 17x10 griddle
Kershaw 7 inch filet knife, 3 serious wounds and counting (will update when #4 happens)
Emile Henry Pizza Stone
Thermoworks Pop - Orange
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker (MES 30) - used as a warmer for the BGE during larger cooks
Electric charcoal starter (power source next to the egg)
$10 Westinghouse electric knife from hardware store
Beater gasser that my wife uses for hot dogs etc bc she doesn't know how to start the egg
Idk Steve. Maybe 1.5 -2 hrs each? Assuming you don't want to get up at the crack of you know what to start cooking.
Another option is is to make sure the meat is taken out well ahead of time so you don't start from a dead cold 38 degree double or quadruple chunks o' pork. Bones ou see what I did there ??
of course to to let it come up to temp will also require an early start. Maybe a combination of the two (cutting in half (more bark!) and coming to closer to room temp will help ou save some time.
Comment
-
Club Member
- Jan 2017
- 262
- Westfield, MA
-
Chris Parrow
Southwick, MA
Large BGE
FlameBoss 200
Large Adjustable Rig w/ 18 inch oval platesetter
Cast Iron BGE Dutch Oven (snagged it for $25 at a pool store, its a beast)
Lodge cast iron 17x10 griddle
Kershaw 7 inch filet knife, 3 serious wounds and counting (will update when #4 happens)
Emile Henry Pizza Stone
Thermoworks Pop - Orange
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker (MES 30) - used as a warmer for the BGE during larger cooks
Electric charcoal starter (power source next to the egg)
$10 Westinghouse electric knife from hardware store
Beater gasser that my wife uses for hot dogs etc bc she doesn't know how to start the egg
JPGators17 funny you should inquire. I did just that very task of cutting a butt yesterday. Although for different end in mind (I was cutting up my own country style pork ribs from a whole butt) and commented song the way, not happening again. May not be as big a deal to cut in half but cutting into slabs was some work. Next time I want CSPR I'll leave it to the store / butcher I get them from.
Added bonus - I acquired my 3rd serious wound from my new knife.
I have a place place that only sells Boston butts. One less and trussed. Maybe another 60 cents a lb butt well worth it IMHO.
Let us know what you decide and how you make out Steve.
Comment
-
Club Member
- Jan 2017
- 262
- Westfield, MA
-
Chris Parrow
Southwick, MA
Large BGE
FlameBoss 200
Large Adjustable Rig w/ 18 inch oval platesetter
Cast Iron BGE Dutch Oven (snagged it for $25 at a pool store, its a beast)
Lodge cast iron 17x10 griddle
Kershaw 7 inch filet knife, 3 serious wounds and counting (will update when #4 happens)
Emile Henry Pizza Stone
Thermoworks Pop - Orange
Masterbuilt Electric Smoker (MES 30) - used as a warmer for the BGE during larger cooks
Electric charcoal starter (power source next to the egg)
$10 Westinghouse electric knife from hardware store
Beater gasser that my wife uses for hot dogs etc bc she doesn't know how to start the egg
-
Charter Member
- Dec 2014
- 5587
- Grew up in New Orleans, lived in Texas for 20 years, lived in Mandeville, LA for 22 years. I now liv
According to this website thickness determines cook time, so if you cut them horizontally you should see a significant decrease in cook time. But, cutting the vertically shouldn't make much difference unless the width is less than the thickness. I would recommend putting the on at 11pm or midnight and a couple of hours in the faux cambro.
- 1 like
Comment
-
I've cut butts in half several times in this very manner for this very reason - to save time, and to provide extra bark. I don't have my notes handy, but you should save a good deal of time... something on the order of the cook taking only 60-70% or so of the amount of time of not cutting. When I started smoking I heard that the time should be roughly 1.5-2 hrs per pound of your cut of meat. So splitting a 9 lb butt in half in theory would cut your time in half. I've found it's not quite that linear, but close. And all mine were done on a WSM 18 running at a dome lid temp of 250ish (I"ve only just now started monitoring grate temps for long cooks).
If I'm in your shoes I'm cutting them in half, right down the middle with one half keeping the bone and the other half boneless, and I'm aiming to get the meat on a 250 degree fire around 7 am (or earlier if you like). As time goes by you can increase the heat if needed, and if you get done early just wrap 'em in foil and get 'em in the cambro. And if you find you are really falling behind for whatever reason, you can always yank 'em, wrap 'em in foil, and finish them off in the oven at 300-350. Been there, done that. Your guests won't notice the difference.
Good luck!
- 1 like
Comment
-
Kinda what I was thinking. Really, I'm trying to avoid an overnight cook and still get done with time to spare. And I have set the bar pretty high with previous cooks for a lot of the people in this crowd, so I definitely can't risk mediocrity!
-
MillerTime why do you leave the bone on one half? Doesn't that just block the "middle half" from getting bark? I'm thinking of deboning a couple of 10 pounders and cutting them in half.
-
All the 9-10+ pound butts I've had simply had the bone on one end of the hunk. So if you slice it down the middle you naturally get the bone in one half and no bone in the other half. The bone is embedded within the meat, so no sides are blocked from getting bark.
-
Administrator
- May 2014
- 15434
- central MI, USA
-
Follow me on Instagram, huskeesbarbecue
Want a free bottle of whiskey? Check out my link to Flaviar.com, you join with it, we both get a $50 bottle free.
Smokers / Grills- Yoder loaded Wichita offset smoker
- PBC
- Grilla Silverbac pellet grill
- Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado (SnSK)
- Dyna-Glo XL Premium dual chamber charcoal grill
- Weber 22" Original Kettle Premium (copper)
- Weber 26" Original Kettle Premium (black)
- Weber Jumbo Joe Gold (18.5")
- Weber Smokey Joe Silver (14.5")
- Brinkmann cabinet charcoal smoker (repurposed)
Thermometers- (3) Maverick XR-50: 4-probe Wireless Thermometers
- (7) Maverick ET-732s
- (1) Maverick ET-735 Bluetooth (in box)
- (1) Smoke by ThermoWorks
- (1) Signals by ThermoWorks
- Thermapen MkII, orange
- ThermoPop, yellow
- ThermoWorks ChefAlarm
- Morpilot 6-probe wireless
- ThermoWorks Infrared IRK2
- ThermoWorks fridge & freezer therms as well
Accessories- Instant Pot 6qt
- Anova Bluetooth SV
- Kitchen Aide mixer & meat grinder attachment
- Kindling Cracker King (XL)
- BBQ Dragon
- Weber full & half chimneys, Char-Broil Half Time chimney
- Weber grill topper
- Slow 'N Sear Original, XL, and SnS Charcoal Basket (for Jumbo Joe)
- Drip 'N Griddle Pan, 22' Easy Spin Grate, and Elevated Cooking grate, by ABCbarbecue
- Pittsburgh Digital Moisture Meter
Beverages- Favorite summer beer: Leinenkugels Summer & Grapefruit Shandy, Hamm's, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold
- Fav other beer: DAB, Sam Adams regular, Third Shift amber or Coors Batch 19, Stella Artois
- Fav cheap beers: Pabst, High Life, Hamm's & Stroh's
- Most favorite beer: The one in your fridge
- Wine: Red- big, bold, tannic & peppery- Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv, Sangiovese, Syrah, etc
- Whiskey: Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor, Blanton's, Old Forester 1870, Elijah Craig, Basil Hayden's. Neat please.
- Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About me
Real name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:- Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) for MidMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
If your butt is, say, 8" x 8" x 16", and it takes "x" amount of time, cutting it in half to make two pieces at 8" x 8" x 8" won't save any time at all, since the heat still has the same distance to travel inward (if all other variables are exactly the same- cook temp, humidity, meat emp when the cook is started, etc). You get the idea. In most cases though cutting in half will reduce some dimension of thickness, and therefore a little time, but don't expect it to "save time" in the manner you might be hoping.
What I appreciate about cooking 3-5lb hunks is the extra surfaces for rub/salt/smoke. I think it makes the finished product taste better because of that. Cutting that 9lber in half gives you two extra surfaces of flavor vs doing it intact.
- 1 like
Comment
-
Originally posted by Huskee View PostIf your butt is, say, 8" x 8" x 16", and it takes "x" amount of time, cutting it in half to make two pieces at 8" x 8" x 8" won't save any time at all, since the heat still has the same distance to travel inward (if all other variables are exactly the same- cook temp, humidity, meat emp when the cook is started, etc). You get the idea. In most cases though cutting in half will reduce some dimension of thickness, and therefore a little time, but don't expect it to "save time" in the manner you might be hoping.
But I agree wholeheartedly on the bark comment - yummm....
Steve R. - The 8-hr window I proposed will most likely be tight without using higher heat methods as discussed. I just proposed that method assuming 1) you want to avoid overnight, and 2) you'd prefer not to get up earlier than 6ish to start building the fire (if you are like me). Didn't want to make it sound like I was guaranteeing you'd be done in 8 hours in a pure low/slow fashion, but those methods will still get you done in time if you aren't against using them.
- 1 like
Comment
-
Club Member
- Jul 2016
- 2462
- Elizabethtown, KY
-
Current line-up of cookers: Weber 26" kettle w/ SnS and BBQ Guru adapter; Weber Smokey Mountain 22" w/ Guru adapter.
Plan B just became Plan A, with forecasted storms overnight tomorrow. Went ahead and cut those butts in half, dry brined, and will apply the MMD tomorrow night and let the PartyQ run the show overnight. Let 'er go at 225 as long as it takes and then faux Cambro til time to serve.
Comment
-
Club Member
- Jul 2016
- 2462
- Elizabethtown, KY
-
Current line-up of cookers: Weber 26" kettle w/ SnS and BBQ Guru adapter; Weber Smokey Mountain 22" w/ Guru adapter.
- 1 like
Comment
-
How's your cook time looking? Noticeably faster? I'll be doing this same cook tomorrow on a Kettle/SNS combo.
-
A couple of weeks ago... I cooked a pork butt in my BGE and it got done 4 hours before my serving time. Someone had just posted the idea of just turning your smoker down to 170° instead of putting it in the faux cambro. I did that because I was to busy doing other things. It worked really good.
-
Founding Member
- Jul 2014
- 9703
- Smiths Grove, Ky
-
Hi, my name is Darrell. I'm an OTR truck driver for over 25 years. During my off time I love doing backyard cooks. I have a 48" Lang Deluxe smoker, Rec-Tec pellet smoker,1 Weber Genesis 330, 1 Weber Performer (blue), 2 Weber kettles (1 black and 1 Copper), 1 26" Weber kettle, a WSM, 8 Maverick Redi Chek thermometers, a PartyQ, 2 SnS, Grill Grates, Cast Iron grates, 1 ThermoPop (orange) and 2 ThermoPens (pink and orange) and planning on adding more cooking accessories. Now I have an Anova sous vide, the Dragon blower and 2 Chef alarms from Thermoworks.
-
Club Member
- Jul 2016
- 2462
- Elizabethtown, KY
-
Current line-up of cookers: Weber 26" kettle w/ SnS and BBQ Guru adapter; Weber Smokey Mountain 22" w/ Guru adapter.
The bark got even better a few hours later, but it was a sprint to the finish to get everything ready by mealtime, so I didn't have time for pictures. Probably the best butts I've ever smoked. These came from Restaurant Depot, so there was some difference in quality there. Honestly can't really compare the cook time to normal, since I cooked these at a lower temp in the kettle vs. the usual higher temp with logs for fuel. The finished product got great reviews from the block party crowd.
Comment
Announcement
Collapse
Meat-Up in Memphis 2021
SOLD OUT! Secure your spot on our waitlist now. First-come, first-served!
Click here for details. (https://amazingribs.com/memphis)
Click here for details. (https://amazingribs.com/memphis)
See more
See less
Comment