Pork butt questions

10lbs at 225 - 235 degrees you should plan on 12 to 14 hours...

Remember to not cook to temperature, cook to the point where your probe slides in like butter. Or if it's bone in, cook until you can pull the bone out. Foil and cooler until your ready to eat.

You will get a stall somewhere around 165 degrees. It will stick there for what seems like hours. It's normal, don't fret.

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I always cook mine to an internal temp around 200 and foil and let rest in a cooler for at least an hr

I'd keep the temps under the 280 IMHO, closer to 240 or 250 if possible. Should
be 10 hours, maybe 11.

jack frost said:

From what I gather you want to cook the butt to about 200-210. How many hours would it take will my smoker at 280-300?

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If you're really planning on smoking hotter at 280-300, you might want to check out this recent post by Saiko: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93642

After an hour at lower temps, he took it up to the range you mentioned. Personally, I haven't tried this yet but it did catch my eye as I've had success with brisket in that range.

If you're going to smoke at a lower temp, as a ball-park reference, my last pork smoke (9 lb picnic) took 14 hrs with my smoker in the 230-240 range but times usually vary.

Good Luck!

Maybe this goes without saying? But, while all have put in good comments regarding times and temps I don't want to assume anything here. I like to keep my butt cooks really simple. Trim as little as possible from the initial fat cap/layer. You can always take out the big chunks of fat when you pull it. Give it a light rinse with cold water out of the package, pat excess water off with paper towels. Slather in plain yellow mustard, rub it down and don't be shy! The more rub the better, and make sure it gets down into all the nooks and crannies. Fat cap down (or up, your preference) on the grate. At 165* internal temp wrap in foil. Every hour spray it with Apple juice cut with a little water (or bourbon/or cidar vinegar). Sometime after 195* internal temp pull it off and rest it wrapped in foil, inside of a cooler packed with beach towels. Rest at least one hour. Watch that sucker melt apart in your hands.

Note: Internal temp is a guideline. I've had fall apart pork at 195* and stuff that didn't meet my expectations at the same temp. The feel of the probe will tell the tale. Good luck, there won't be leftovers.

I cook mine at around 300 all the time. Per what R2Egg2Q mentions (and Saiko says in his post) I tend to smoke the first two hours around 225 and then bring it up to 300 for the rest. I always get a nice smoke ring and then I don't have to cook for 16 hours. :clap2: I hate to wait for my butt! :icon_blush:

for me,,, I trim the butts alot, almost no fat to speak of, and I look for this. The fat cap on the bottom, I try to keep it uniform 1/8 inch thick or so.

Depending on the type of smoker you are using depends on how you cook it. If you are cooking it on a bullet smoker then go fat side down anything else fat side up. I do not trim my butts at all most of the fat will render away during cooking, and what doesnt you can remove while pulling. Cook the it to an internal of at least 190 and let it rest before pulling, whether that is in a cooler or on the cutting board is up to you. Like others have said dont be laarmed if it stays at 160 for quite a while that is normal. Make sure to give yourself a min. of 12 hours, and with that big of a butt you are probably looking at 14+ hours.