Competition Timing (specifically Pork Butts)

[sigpi906]

Alright, here's the low down.

Competition in Little Rock this weekend. We're doing chicken, ribs, and butt.

All turn-in times are 30 minutes apart. 3, 330, and 4 respectively.

We're a 2 man team, and I'm in charge of chicken and butts.

I'm trying to not let the butt get in the way of the chicken. So my question is this: when can I pull the butt to rest... what do ya'll think the maximum length of time a butt can rest (in foil or out) in a cooler before it starts to suffer? Is it common for teams to cook their butts sooner, rest and re-heat their butts for just this reason?

I'm concerned because while I know my timeframe for cooking butts is about and hour or 1:15/lb... sometimes those rests take longer... and I dont wan't to get stuck turning in meat that isn't to the butter stage. But with these turn-in times, I'm looking at either starting the cook of 9lb butts earlier in the night and having them come off mid-morning, or having to wake up to light charcoal at 3 or 4 am.... and put a butt on at the crack of dawn and pray for a short rest..

Any help or suggestions on what ya'll do?

 

[Ron_L]

I like at least two hours rest time for butts, but I typically go longer. At a normal KCBS comp where the pork turn in is at 1:00pm my butts are normally in the Cambro resting by 9:00am.

I'm not sure what you are cooking on, but you can cook hotter so you don't have to start at 3:00am. You could start the fire at 5:00am, get the butts on at 6:00am, cook at 300 and have them done in 5-6 hours.

 

[sigpi906]

Ok, good. That answers my questions. I was really hoping to get the butt on before we went to bed, like around 11 or 12, and be able to pull it off the heat when I got up.... If it's pretty standard for butts to rest 3 or 4 hours before getting pulled for turn-in, then I think this is what I'll do.

I'm cooking the butts on a UDS and I've never done a hot and fast smoke, I really don't want to manage that fire for the first time at a competition.

When you rest your butts for that long, do you reheat before you pull, or does your Cambro hold them close enough to temp that you can just pull and build your box?

 

[boogiesnap]

i've held butts for 6+ hours, no problem. so for an 8 hour cook, you could put them on @ 2A and go to bed. wrap em @ 6 and off @ 10. give or take.

 

[boogiesnap]

still too hot to handle.

 

[mobow]

rest for about 4 hours. Still too hot to handle. good luck to you. Keith

 

[Kave Dweller]

I'm with Ron L. I'm yet to have a butt on past 10 with a 1pm turn in. i've had them off much, much (unintentionally) earlier.

 

[Ron_L]

Yep... Too hot to handle even after 5 hours (if they are done early).

One note... If you are going to foil during the cook, when the butts are ready open the foil for a few minutes to vent some of the heat before putting them in the cooler/cambro. This will help reduce any carry-over cooking.

 

[sigpi906]

Dang, Ron L, you beat me to my next question. Which was going to be about the foil affecting the bark... Vent then foil. Got it.

 

[boogiesnap]

Dang, Ron L, you beat me to my next question. Which was going to be about the foil affecting the bark... Vent then foil. Got it.

nonono, foil, then vent before resting.

 

[sigpi906]

nonono, foil, then vent before resting.

yesyesyes. We're on the same page. Cook. Foil. Cook. Vent. Rest.

Do ya'll rest in foil? or Not?

 

[Lake Dogs]

Yep, vent then foil, or do as I do and pull them off just a tad early factoring in the extra un-vented cooking that happens. Me, I try to hit that 3 hour mark, but if it's only 2 we're ok, and if it's 5 we're ok too. Not for a comp, but for catering I've held butts 10 hours and had them come out piping hot.

 

[MAP]

yesyesyes. We're on the same page. Cook. Foil. Cook. Vent. Rest.

Do ya'll rest in foil? or Not?

Yes just close up the foil after venting

 

[hogzgonewild]

For a standard 1pm KCBS turn-in, my butts come off smoker at 5:30-6am and sit in a cooler or cambro til turn in time.

 

[Ron_L]

Dang, Ron L, you beat me to my next question. Which was going to be about the foil affecting the bark... Vent then foil. Got it.

Venting is only necessary if you are foiling during the cook. If you are foiling after the cook is complete the butt will give up some heat in the time from when you take it off the cooker and before you foil it.

 

[sigpi906]

Alright ya'll, I'm feeling better about this already. Can I hijack my own thread and start on some other basic questions about pork butt in competition I've got...

1. I've done a lot of looking around here at pics of comp boxes and I've decided I'm not turning in with a sauce. It seems too subjective to me. I am going with thumb size pieces, with a majority (or all) having bark on them.

When you guys build your boxes with pulled pork chunks in it, Do you sauce? Do you spritz? Do you count on your cooking to speak for itself? Just looking for preferences here. I know it varies comp to comp and region to region.

 

[Hawg Father of Seoul]

For that contest... you better sauce.

Those are not CBJ, they are locals.

 

[boogiesnap]

sauce fella, sauce.

 

[Smoke&HoneyBBQ]

Vent for 10-15 minutes?

 

[sigpi906]

sauce fella, sauce.

Alright Boogie and Hawg, how do ya'll prefer to sauce? Glazed on the bark, Watered down or full strength and and brushed on, or on the side?