I would cut it, not only in half but personally I would do thirds. Then you'll have three ~4.5 pounders. More pieces allows you more surface area for rub contact and salt penetration, smoke contact and bark formation, PLUS allows a shorter cook. You have numerous factors in your favor when doing smaller pieces. If you run out of probes you can just monitor the one and spot-check others.
Unless you like wads of pork fat in your pulled pork, I would trim all the fat cap you can. Fat won't allow rub/salt penetration, and once it's pulled chances are you'll toss the wads of fat anyway.
Have you done dry runs to see if your temperature and fuel amount are feasible in your situation? If not I highly recommend doing so. You could be in for one miserable night of tending the WSM if you're going into this with an unpracticed plan.
Pork butts are very forgiving, so anywhere from 225-275 would be ok especially if you only cut it in half or don't cut it at all.
Your plan of double tight wrapping them in foil is great, but it might not stall right at 165, it might stall at 155, or 170. It's a great idea to chart your butt's temps every 10 min or so, so you can recognize the stall when it happens. I like to let mine go a good hour, sometimes 2, into the stall before wrapping. I do this since I like the extra smoke exposure. Some folks don't wrap at all, they 'power through the stall' unwrapped. I don't like to waste the time doing this. This can make your cook 18hrs+ especially with a big butt. Ha ha. I said big butt.
This is just me, one guy's perspective here.
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Advice on Pulled Pork
I have a large pork shoulder, purchased at Costco, that I plan to smoke this weekend on a WSM 18. I have done a small PB on a Brinkman electric but this is the first time trying one on the WSM. It is also the first time I have tried one over 7 lbs.
It is a 13 1/3 lb. whole PB. One side looks pretty well trimmed. The other side has half covered with a fat cap. I was not planning on doing any trimming of fat.
Here is how I plan to cook, smoke with the fat side up at 225-240 for 12 hours and let rest wrapped in a cooler for two hours before pulling.
I hope you folks can comment on and give recommendations on the following steps:
- Apply Salt Lick dry rub in the morning and let PB sit uncovered in refrig for about 12 hours.
- Start the coals at 9 pm. Minion with one large unlit chimney and one large lit chimney. Kingsford blue and a mix of mesquite and apple chunks. Remove PB from refrig at this time.
- Put the PB on at about 11 pm, once the WSM has stabilized. Monitor from 11 pm til midnight to make sure temp is in 225-240 range at midnight. Cook unattended til 6 am, then check WSM and IT (Maverick 732). Adjust temp and add coals if necessary.
- Monitor until IT hits 165. Pull and double wrap in foil with a little beef stock. Put back on WSM and cook until IT hits 203-205. I am targeting this to be at about 11 am at which time I will remove, wrap in towels and place in cooler for 2 hours.
- Remove from cooler at 1 pm, pull the pork and mix with any reserved juices from the wrap. Eat at 2 pm.
- Is this enough time for the 13 lb at 225-240?
- Do you see any reason the two chimneys would not last through the night?
- Would it be better to cut the PB in half and cook two smaller pieces a shorter period of time?
- Cooked whole, do you see any chance of PB hitting 165 before 6 am?
- If I need to bump the temp in the morning to be at 205 by 11 am, how high a temp would you recommend?
- Open to any and all suggestions. Thanks, John
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