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Smoked pork butts- en masse!

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    Smoked pork butts- en masse!

    Morning,

    my sister asked me to bbq for her birthday which was awesome so obviously I said yes then she told me there may be over 30/40 people attending!

    i have four 7.5lb butts to smoke in my barrel smoker and have read through all of meatheads guidance but wondering what big cooks others have done and if there is any advice?

    i think my tactic is to start early maybe 3am to give at least 12 hours before potential feed time, then I’m thinking if I cut them all in half I’ll get more bark and more space in between the individual hunks for air flow and heat? Also the smoker has 2 tiers for grills and the lower one I find cooks quicker so maybe il swap them over when I need to refuel?

    also how about sticking a drip pan in the water tray to catch some meat juices I can then pour back on when it’s pulling time?

    im sure it’ll be fine but my first big cook so any advice appreciated!

    cheers!

    #2
    Not sure how long your Cooker normally takes for butts. If it only takes about 9 hours you might be ok but if it normally takes 10-11 you could be cutting it a little close. I usually go with the philosophy that you can always and should give yourself enough time to faux cambro or held instead of planning on them being done just in time.

    As far as using the water pan as a drip tray in a barrel Cooker.... my vertical offset the water tends to boil or steam off so that wouldn’t ever work on mine. If your Cooker doesn’t do that then maybe but instead I would maybe just crutch the butts and then save that juice to pour back over. Your 3 benefits here are it reduces cook time, it is already foiled for faux cambro, and you can save juices.

    Good luck and have fun!

    Comment


    • Meat P
      Meat P commented
      Editing a comment
      My rig cooks pretty hot so previous butts of the same size have been done in 7ish hours, just want to give myself loads of times in case the extra butts add hours on to the cooking time !

    • Nate
      Nate commented
      Editing a comment
      Awesome! Enjoy your cook!

    #3
    I just did 8 butts last week for upcoming grad parties. 8 normally take me 10 to 12 hours depending on factors like weather etc. But I use a stick burner so your mileage may vary. I rest butts overnight in my Cambro and pull the next day. I think the long rest in the Cambro really benefits the end product. You won't have time unless you do them the day before and unless you have a Cambro set up or a faux Cambro.

    Comment


    • Nate
      Nate commented
      Editing a comment
      I agree that holding them has benefits!

    • Meat P
      Meat P commented
      Editing a comment
      Wow 8 butts is heaps! I’m guessing your rig is pretty big? Did you cut them all up or out on whole? My 2 concerns are fitting it all in then the extra time it’ll take so I think setting up a faux cambro will be a good idea as hopefully I’ll have loads of time to spare so can hold them for a few hours

    #4
    I'd start them around midnight if this was my cook. If done in the normal time, they just get more cambro time. I'd also leave a thermometer in the smallest butt. If the temp gets close to 150*, I'd put them in the oven set at minimum temp, (but at least 150*), and let them ride until time to pull. And if they take longer, you will still have time to cambro.

    Could you float an aluminum pan on top of the water pan? That way you would still have the water tray as well as the drippings.

    Comment


      #5
      I did 9 butts (total weight around 75 pounds precooked) for an engagement party for my daughter in October with 80 or so people in attendance, with 20 pounds of wings as an appetizer. The smoke took somewhere in the ballpark of 14-16 hours, with the butts varying from 7 to 10 pounds in weight each. I pulled them as they got done, wrapped in foil, and tossed into a cooler (faux cambro). I ended up pulling all the pork, and putting enough out to fill two 6 quart crockpots for serving, and the rest was in disposable foil half steam table pans with crimped on lids in a 170F oven, and we pulled those to dump in the crockpots as needed. I ended up with maybe 3 butts left at the end of the party. Those wings were gone in 15 minutes!

      I mixed up a big batch of NC Style vinegar BBQ sauce, which is good for both pork and putting on shredded cabbage type slaw, and also put out sweet BBQ sauce for those who prefer that.

      My advice is give yourself more than 12 hours before the party. Give yourself 18, and if the cook ends sooner, the faux cambro or even holding in a tightly covered pan in a warm oven will work. Also, shred/chop/whatever before guests arrive as you won't have time to mess with that once you are entertaining.

      Comment


        #6
        I did 40 pounds on my BGE at 225, and they took 22 hours. If you are cooking at 225, I think 12 hours is overly optimistic. Start early knowing you can hold them in a cooler for at least 4 hours and if need be put them in your oven which should go to a low of 170.

        Comment


          #7
          I'll second LA Pork Butt that 12 hours is optimistic. That said, my thoughts are you can do two things to help:

          1. Sacrifice a little bark and crutch (wrap in foil) at 160 or so, so that you can get through the stall quickly. I've had butts stall for many hours before.

          2. Cook at 250 or 275. While we all agree that 225 is true "low and slow", I've not seen much difference with butts cooked at higher temperatures. I had a recent cook get over 300 for half of an overnight cook, and the butt came out just fine.

          Comment


          • Meat P
            Meat P commented
            Editing a comment
            that's my plan at my leaky rig cooks closer to 300 than 225. Previous butts ive done of the same size have been ready closer to 7 hours and pulled and tasted great. I think cutting them in half will give more space for air flow so im just guna whack em in and see what happens, we will have burgers/ hot dogs etc on the grill so if needs be the pulled pork rolls with be the evening highlight!

          • Meat P
            Meat P commented
            Editing a comment
            Excited either way for a big cook how ever long it takes!

          #8
          I would definitely crutch them like the other fellas have mentioned. If you don't they may take a LOT longer than you anticipate.

          Comment

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