First smoked pork butt

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I will be smoking my first pork butt this weekend and i have some questions i have the basic idea of what i need to do pit temp 225-250 rub on the outside and smoke time will be around 12-14 hours. my major question is i am using cowboy lump charcoal, i have the maverick et 732 temp probe and i have the aubern temp controller. My question is will my lump last that long with that long of a smoke? i know lump burns hotter and faster...is that correct? i would like some input on this because i dont want to add anymore fuel if needed. All the help is very wonderful. i will have to take pictures of my setup while and after the cook. everyone have a fun and safe weekend and no bbq'ing beside your house
 
Open it up a little, let the temps hang closer to the 240-260 range and for an 8 to 9 lb bone-in butt it should bring the cook time down to 9 to 10 hours. If you foil around that 4th to 5th hour you'll bring your cook time down a little as well.
 
Will foiling compromise the bark? I like a nice crusty bark on mine.
 
Foiling will compromise the bark. I don't foil butts except when resting in a cooler.
 
I use lump all of the time and have no problem maintaining temps,for as long as 20 hrs. I feel that the bark adds too much to the pulled pork for me to foil.
 
eddieh70301 said:
Foiling will compromise the bark. I don't foil butts except when resting in a cooler.
Click to expand...

One person's compromise is another's perfect bark...

Crusty is hard to serve to a paying customer, and in a competition it'll get you DAL in a hurry. I'm not saying crusty isn't likeable or wonderful. It's just a beauty-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder thing.

Foiling will give you VERY moist tender meat, including some if not most of the crust.

I'll use pulled pork (because chopping it is akin. to ruining perfection) in many things besides the obvious straight up and/or in sandwiches. I'll use it in soups and stews religiously, where crunchy doesn't cut it... So, we'll err on the side of moist and tender, including the bark, which is a nice deep mahogany brown color and full of spicy flavor.

One could easily debate that to compromise the bark would be to make it crunchy, or leathery (chewey), or blackened...
 
*UPDATE*

the store was out of bone in pork butt so i went and bought a boneless one. Is there any difference in the cook times with this?
 
Most boneless butts I've seen in regular grocery stores were enhanced. Check the label, if it's enhanced, don't use any salt in your rub.

The only boneless butts I've seen that weren't enhanced were from costco and sams.
 
i bought this fresh from the meat counter. they were in the meat case so i got to pick it out.
 
Cowboy will change the game a bit. I've only seen it burn hot and fast. Somebody here has your info, but I'd be drinking beer right next to it, just in case. You might have trouble taming temps. To that end, make sure you leave the lid on and don't peek. Good luck.
 
propsync said:
Cowboy will change the game a bit. I've only seen it burn hot and fast. Somebody here has your info, but I'd be drinking beer right next to it, just in case. You might have trouble taming temps. To that end, make sure you leave the lid on and don't peek. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Ain't this the truth! I started using Cowboy Lump and have continually had temp problems with my WSM, even after 30+ cooks in the last two years. I will be cooking on Kingsford briquettes (thank you HD Labor Day sale!) tomorrow morning and based on what I've read on this forum, I expect fewer temp spikes and a more even cook.

I agree with ealier posts, shoot for 250, don't freak out during the stall (that's where the magic happens!) and rest in blankets in a cooler for at least an hour. Now foiling... that's a convo for another thread!
 
I cook mine in the 275-300 range and cuts the time down to 6 hrs max no foil good bark but most people think im farkin crazy till they have some of my Q that is
 
Not intending to offend anyone from Wellington, KS (I was born in Wellington, KS) I have found that, with pork shoulder and it's two cuts, the lower and slower you can go, the better the results.

I used to cook at higher temps, but that was just because my old offset cooker was leaky and I found it difficult to keep the cooking chamber anywhere below 275

And - because it was leaky I had to add quite a bit of lump every hour or so to the firebox.

I definitely foil when the internal temp hits 165F (add some apple juice and a splash of bourbon to the pork when you foil it) and take it up to finish at 195

I like cooking for longer times - it gives me more time to drink beer.

Your UDS is likely to do a more efficient job than my old offset. I've cooked pork a couple times on my UDS now. With a UDS you should be able to go the whole cook without adding lump. How big is your charcoal basket?
 
QansasjayhawQ said:
Not intending to offend anyone from Wellington, KS (I was born in Wellington, KS) I have found that, with pork shoulder and it's two cuts, the lower and slower you can go, the better the results.

I used to cook at higher temps, but that was just because my old offset cooker was leaky and I found it difficult to keep the cooking chamber anywhere below 275

And - because it was leaky I had to add quite a bit of lump every hour or so to the firebox.

I definitely foil when the internal temp hits 165F (add some apple juice and a splash of bourbon to the pork when you foil it) and take it up to finish at 195

I like cooking for longer times - it gives me more time to drink beer.

Your UDS is likely to do a more efficient job than my old offset. I've cooked pork a couple times on my UDS now. With a UDS you should be able to go the whole cook without adding lump.
Click to expand...

no offense taken everyone is entitled to their own opinion, its just to bad yours is wrong :becky: (smart ars mod) I use to cook low and slow then i added more air to the fire, as fast as i drink beer i don't need alot of time. I have modified my rubs and always come out with a juicy butt. only time i go low and slow anymore is with my whole hog
 
QansasjayhawQ said:
Not intending to offend anyone from Wellington, KS (I was born in Wellington, KS) I have found that, with pork shoulder and it's two cuts, the lower and slower you can go, the better the results.

I used to cook at higher temps, but that was just because my old offset cooker was leaky and I found it difficult to keep the cooking chamber anywhere below 275

And - because it was leaky I had to add quite a bit of lump every hour or so to the firebox.

I definitely foil when the internal temp hits 165F (add some apple juice and a splash of bourbon to the pork when you foil it) and take it up to finish at 195

I like cooking for longer times - it gives me more time to drink beer.

Your UDS is likely to do a more efficient job than my old offset. I've cooked pork a couple times on my UDS now. With a UDS you should be able to go the whole cook without adding lump. How big is your charcoal basket?
Click to expand...

+1 and I go to 200F
 
[/QUOTE]How big is your charcoal basket?[/QUOTE]
it is a big one i would say the grate that is on the bottom is 18" wide and 8"high. i did a test burn today with it because i got a maverick et 732 and an auburn temp controller on it. after i learned on how to use the DARN thing i was able to keep temps at 250 for 3 hours with no problem. i only filled up the basket 1/2 full and did not even burn much of it at all. there are 8 holes drilled in the top for vent and i covered all but 1 hole so there would not be too much air flow through it and it worked like a charm. i will have to take pics of the set up i have on Monday and i will post them to show what i did to make my smoking area. the pork butt is 6.5 pounds and i will be doing around 80 moink balls. so here is to a fat and happy Holiday. i did find out that the 732 and auburn are 2* different which is no biggie to me as long as it works good. i think i am going to do this as an over night cook. my party is at noon. how long do you think it will take for it to finish? i was thinking maybe 8-10 hours since it is not a large one and it is boneless. am i right or wrong. ... let me know so i dont fark this up.
 
this is my first run with the auburins and i tell you what it has a learning curve i did not know. i never used a temp controller before and i though that once you set it it will get there and hold.. but i was off.. it has a "pid" system in it and it took me awhile to understand and with some help with mattross a brother here he walked me through it and now that i under stand it she is running at 250 with no problems. lots of wind and rain and it does not even budge at all. i love this thing i was going to get some shut eye but i am still new at this and i want to make sure everything works out good. i will have some pron after that big cook if i can remember too.
 
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