Need the Brethrens help on some pork butts

DavidEHickey

Full Fledged Farker
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
234
Reaction score
10
Points
0
Location
Wilmingt...
Well, a private club I'm head trustee of has its annual picnic Saturday. I'm doing the pork butts which caused a little trouble with another member who self volunteered himself "his plan high heat and done in 5 hours" the member who donated the meat said not a chance and it's back to me doing them. I think I've got it down but I usually don't cook that much and don't want to screw it up. And I know the other member will be running his mouth, so I DON'T want to screw it up!! I want to make sure no matter how much he runs his mouth the pork speaks on its own.
My plan is to inject them with the Chris Lilly's injection recipe "did it before and turned out good" rub them down with mustard and then Lilly's rub recipe. And smoke with Hickory or Apple I can't decide. My question is we plan on eating around noon on Saturday. What time do you think I will need to put them on Friday? Its 8 shoulders weighing in at about 62 pounds. I originally thought about 10:00 pm Friday which would give me about 12 hours. I have an hour drive there and then set up. However I'm now thinking 8:00p.m. to allow a couple more hours. I'm cooking at between 225 and 260 degrees. Do you think I'm allowing enough time? I don't want to be sitting there at 11:00 with them not done! I know last time I did a bunch after 4 hours they were still so hot out of the cooler it burnt your fingers pulling them. So I guess early is better than late! Anyhow any advice would be appreciated. Just don't want to give the other guy anything to talk about : )
Thanks
David
 
I think your timing will be fine -- be early if you can. Due to their mass (unpulled) butts will hold temperature for a long time when properly wrapped and put in a cambro or cooler. When they hit 195 internal is a good time to pull them -- they'll keep cooking by themselves and easily reach 200-205 (perfectly done) in an hour or so.
 
I think I would go with the 8:00 pm start to be safe- just make sure you wrap and cooler good to hold temp when you're done and you'll look like a hero. Good luck.:thumb:
 
Glad to hear that they're not going with the char-burnt approach. Good luck!!!
 
I'd go for the 8:00 start time. Wrapped and coolered those suckers will stay warm forever. What type cooker you using?
 
Well my cooker is actually a dreaded gasser : ( but it works well. Heres a pic
 

Attachments

  • 2009 jerky4.jpg
    2009 jerky4.jpg
    56.9 KB · Views: 120
  • Q3.JPG
    Q3.JPG
    174.3 KB · Views: 119
  • tday17.jpg
    tday17.jpg
    84.4 KB · Views: 119
I'd add about six hours to the shortest length of time you think they could be done for holding hot in coolers that long if you had to, and without doing the math would definately start sooner than 10 o'clock.
 
Oh, thought you were cooking shoulders, so I didn't guess as I have no experience with whole shoulders.

With butts avg. 7.75 a pound, I give 'em two hours a pound cooking at 225-250 in my wsm. I figure better safe than sorry, and if temps average at 250 or more, they'll hold for several hours in the coolers.
 
If you start earlier than 10, I think you'll be less stressed. One or more of them may be stubborn...if they're done early, like others have said, they will stay very hot as long as they are wrapped and in a cooler or coolers.

We did over 200# a couple of months ago and 8-10 hours later, they were still too hot to handle.
 
I'd start about 8 on Friday, gives you 12 hours to cook, 1 to travel and 3 hours for cooler and prep time (probably takes 30-45mins to pull 6 butts). Better to have a little time on your hands
 
I've only cooked 4 butts at a time - abt 33 lbs total. Each smoke, they took 12 hrs. On 1 of those cooks, it wrapped them, put them in the cooler and left them on the deck til morning (6 hrs or there bouts). They all turned out perfect. I agree with Samann... I would rather have extra time rather than not enough.

Of course, you know the loud mouth, will never be satisfied. He'll find somethin wrong and flap about it. Ur finished product will be the ultimate judge. Keep us posted!
 
Don't forget to include time for pulling, depending on how many people you have helping you out and method, this can take some time for 8 butts.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I was a little worried at the start, 62 pounds of Pork Shoulder about maxed out my smoker had one more empty shelf but did not have the height needed to fit the shoulders. I did finally manage to arrange all 8 shoulders. I put them on at 9:00 p.m. stayed up most the night checking on temperature and wood. It stayed about a perfect 250 all night. I pulled all 8 at 8:00 a.m. at 195 degrees. A couple of the smaller butts got a little higher than I'd like but they were still alright. Unfortunately I did not get any photos, didn't think about it till too late. I double foil wrapped them all and into the cooler with a towel covering them. Got to the club at 11:00 and started pulling. So hot I had to wear gloves. I pulled 3 and the picnic started at 1:30. With all the food we had "Burgers, Bratts, Polish sausage, Hotdogs" they barely ate the first 3 I pulled. Had 5 whole shoulders left over. I pulled all 5 of them at 6:00p.m. and they were still hot enough to burn your fingers! But I have a lot of pork to vaccum seal for our next event! Had lots of compliments on the pork and lots of requests for left overs to go!
 
CONGRATS. I learned about the wrapping in foil and putting in a cooler [warmer] here
on brethren and man does it ever keep them warm!!!
 
Congrats on the cook, David. Sounds like you nailed it.

You usually will have some or more leftover, depending on what else there is, and I HATE to "compete" with other meats. (You can throw out the 10 ounce uncooked butt per person rule out the window.) So many diners figure it's hard to mess up a dog or brat so they just take the safe route, not knowing they have a chance to sample some awesome bbq. If it's the same crowd though next time, betcha word'll get around how good it was and you'll have a lot less leftover.
 
Back
Top