Pork butt, highest temperature?

[Mosca]

What's the highest temperature you've ever used to make pulled pork? Myself, I've always had plenty of time available, and done it between 225 and 250. But I've heard of people going as high as 325 and it still came out fine.

What's the highest you've actually used?

[Nate]

I’ve cranked it to that temp before during the cook but never ran it that high the entire way. Did it to get done and was crutching as well.

I have ran many butts at 275 without issue as that was my normal stick burner temp. My PBC usually swings around 260-290 and probably averages out around 275+.

[HouseHomey]

Oh.... cooking temp? Shoot cook at 275 all the time and don't mind if it goes to 300 and settles back down. I don't need that kind of stress

[Steve R.]

I've gotten it 300+ after wrapping if I'm running behind schedule, or if I just want to buy some time.

[Troutman]

Pork butt is so unforgiving, 325* is done all the time. Most BBQ places here in Texas cook hot and fast with most everything, including briskets. They got peeps to serve !!!

[LA Pork Butt]

Unforgiving or forgiving?

[Troutman]

Good catch sir, my bad .... it's oh so forgiving

[OSB]

I use to smoke pork butt @ 225 all the time. Lately I've been smoking @ 275 with no differences noted. I believe the rest in the faux cambro is more important than the temp the butt is smoked @ for delivering a quality final product.

[Steve R.]

Totally agree. Once my bark is to my satisfaction, I don't mind rushing to get through the stall if it will ensure that I have the full time to hold.

[CandySueQ]

I run the Yoder Cimarron at 350 on the thermostat, but I think the actual temp where the butt is is around 300.

[phoccer]

I've always run at 300+ and wrap around 180ish(that's where the bark is right for my tastes). I don't have the patience to run 225-250. I'm also cooking in a PBC which is a very humid cooking environment.

[Bogy]

My cheapie upright propane smoker is very hard to keep at a constant temp. I use a water pan right over the wood pan. During the winter when I do pork butt I usually use the Weber Genesis, because the regulator on the smoker doesn't let any propane through when it gets real cold. So while I aim at 225 to 275, the temp can drop to 200, and hit 300 or more. If the stall is just not breaking, and it's getting close to time to eat, I'll wrap and crank it up to 325 or even 350. The last butt I did was 8lb, in the smoker, with the temperature variations I described, and I fed 5 adults and three kids 2, 4 & 7, and we had enough left over so that my wife and I each had a sandwich the next day. Wife said it was in the top two I had ever smoked. Of course, I'm using prime Iowa pork, your mileage may vary!

[jfmorris]

Well, I recently raked the coals and reloaded the SNS in the kettle at 11pm and went to bed intentionally turning off the Smoke remote to get some sleep. My wife would not be happy if my alarm woke her up! I woke up about 5:30 and checked and the fire had gotten as high as 340 during the night! It was at 320 when I woke. I think I just didn’t do a good job getting all the lit coals to the end of the SNS and too much charcoal ignited too fast. Regardless, meat was at 195 when I woke and Butt was done hours earlier than expected. To be honest, it was as good as any I’ve made where the fire stayed at 225 the entire time, and shows how forgiving that cut of meat is. It spent about half the cook over 300 and came out fine.

[Bogy]

Getting to the right internal temp, at the right time to eat, seems to be more of an issue than exactly getting the "oven" temp exactly right. Within limits, obviously.

[DWCowles]

I’m a low ‘n slow guy all the way. The only thing that I cook at 300 F. plus is chicken.