Hot(ter) and Fast(er) Pulled Pork

[JoeSousa]

I usually just keep my pork butts cooking around 225-250 but this time I wanted to try something different so I bumped the temperature up to 275-300 for most of the cook. I know a current trend with briskets is to do 325 or so and cook them hotter and faster than is traditional so I wanted to kind of give that a shot with a pork butt.

I started with a 8 pound butt from Porter Road. Overall I have been very impressed with the meat (mostly beef) I have received from them and wanted to give their pork butts a shot. It was rubbed with MMD and cooked on the 22 inch Weber with the SNS and some Weber briquettes. Temps stayed pretty rock solid between 275 and 300 for most of the cook. I put the meat on at around 8:30 this morning and pulled it off at 3 so right around 6 1/2 hours.

The meat tasted delicious overall. Cooking at a hotter temp definitely produced a much firmer bark which I like and the meat was not quite as succulent as it usually turns out cooking at 225. There was still plenty of moisture in the meat to be eaten and with a splash of vinegar sauce it was very, very good. I think I could tell the difference in the quality of the meat as well but that could just be because I think it should be better? Crazy what the mind can do.

I don't know if I will cook it this hot every time but if you are pressed for time it is still delicious in its own way.

[Sweaty Paul]

Gorgeous cook! Looks yummy!

[jfmorris]

Looks great! I may try this some time soon.

Actually, i had a butt cook get up to 340F overnight for a few hours, and found it at 322F when I woke up and shut down the dampers, it was done hours sooner than expected, but those few hours real hot didn’t seem to impact it too much. I’ve not intentionally cooked one over 275F though.

[JoeSousa]

I spiked up to 325 about 20 minutes after I put it on but was able to get that down under 300 fairly quickly.

[LA Pork Butt]

I almost always do them at 225, and as a general rule it is 3 hours to 160 internal temp, 6 hours from 160 to 180, and another 3 hours to 200. Did you pay any attention to those time marks on you 300 cook? Also, I have found that wrapping after the cook and keeping it for at least 2 hours in the faux cambro improves the tenderness and moisture. Did you keep it in the cambro? I usually cook overnight and serve for noon, but sometimes I like to serve for 5 or 6 in the evening.

[jfmorris]

I tend to start my butts at bed time and cook overnight if serving for dinner the next day, and they get done mid to late afternoon.

[LA Pork Butt]

jfmorris what time do you start them for your overnight cook? They typically take 12-14 hours so the earliest would be 10pm in my experience.

[JoeSousa]

Generally speaking I usually will start pork butts at around midnight for dinner the next day. Most of the butts I cook are around 10 pounds and I plan on a 14 hour cook with a 3-4 hours wrapped in the cooler.

I didn't really pay attention to any time/temperature marks. This one didn't really stall out at all though. Pretty steady climb all through the cook. I cooked it unwrapped the whole time but did wrap in butcher paper, then towels, and rested in a cooler for 2 hours before eating.

[Spinaker]

I do this pretty regularly with pork butts. I feel like they are much more forgiving than briskets. I like to run at about 275 F for pork butts. The last butts I cooked were done at about 325-350 and they came out great.

[FireMan]

That looks absolutely amazing. I have never done an overnight cook thing due to time constraints, just not in my picture of life. That is do-able & looks fantastic. 6 1/2 hrs sounds good. Great lookin cook. 🕶

[DJ DeSpain]

I did a fast cook on a 5lb butt this past weekend, and it came out great after an almost 7 hour cook. The butt had a lot of fat to it, so after carving most it out, the results didn't look so much as a butt but rather individual cuts of pork roast. Outdoor temp was in the mid 60s, and my PBC temp was between 250 to 300 . It was also my first opportunity using my Meater+ probe that I received last month.

I was shooting for 203 to pull the pieces, and probing them individually I was ranging from 195 to 208 on them when I decided to take them off. I didn't wrap the pieces, and the bark came out great! As I pulled the meat, I noticed it may have been a little drier than other cooks that I've done under 250, but overall it wasn't too dry, and it had great color.

[FireMan]

That gives a new meaning to half butt.
The end result looks great too.

[CaptainMike]

I did something similar a couple of days ago with a 6 pounder. I did wrap it a 180, but the whole cook, including cambro, was about 8 hrs. It was probe tender and 202 after 6 hours. I would say only slightly more firm, but rendered nicely with great moisture and bark. May try this technique with a bigger butt just to see how it goes.

[Troutman]

Hot and fast baby ... let 'er rip. Butts and brisket both, got better things to do with my life than baby sit meat

Oh yea nice pics too !!!

[FireMan]

My thoughts also, cept some of my other things aren’t necessarily better, just things.

[Hulagn1971]

Bark looks amazing on that bad-boy. Nice work.

[FireMan]

Yup it do!