Pork Butt - Low & Slow vs. Hot & Fast Question

[93_confirmed]

I picked up a #9 pork butt for a Labor Cook today. Every pork butt I've done (maybe 12-15 to date) has been low and slow on a WSM with full water pan at about 225-250 for 1.5 hours per lb. They've all come out pretty solid and no issues. For the cook today I was in a time crunch so I went hot and fast at 325-350 with an empty water pan and ended up finishing the cook in 6 hours flat. I rested it for 2 hours in a cooler, which I've also done in those previous cooks and this butt was the best that I've smoked!

While I'm happy with the result, I'm also confused as to why this butt (same size and grade as my previous cuts) would end up being better than all the ones I cooked low and slow. Is this a fluke or are there specific reasons why hot and fast is superior to low and slow for pork?

 

[KpaxFAQ]

I prefer 250ish myself. I did 4 on my WSM overnight for my party this weekend which probably spent 6ish hours in a cooler before shredding. I completely trim fat cap off, no foil and they took about 12 and a half hours. I use a digi q so it was rock solid 250 the whole time.

I feel like I get a bit better texture at 250 and like how the bark comes out. I can still taste my rub, its not completely burnt. Texture wise I feel like the pork doesn't come out as mushy.

I don't know maybe it's all in my head but I like 250 ballpark. 225 just takes too damn long and while 300 gets done a hell of alot quicker, I feel the texture tend to be a little mushy.

Many swear they can't tell any difference so there's no reason not to crank it up and get it done. I like to cook stuff like that overnight and hold in a cooler for up to 8+ hours sometimes so my smoker is free for other stuff and a 12 hour cook is perfect from say 10-10.

In the end whatever works for you! Sounds like you found your future favorite way!

 

[BlueandGoldBBQ]

I too just switched from 225-240 plus water in the WSM to 300 on the dot with no water and my first two cooks were shoulders, best ones I've ever done. Also the time was less than an hour per lb, powered right through the stall

 

[RT]

I like 300 myself.

 

[Magichelmt]

I did 300* for 8 hours on my BGE today. It was 9.5#'s and it came out great. Previous butts were on my barrel cooker and took 10 hours. Today's was better.

 

[cheez59]

I cooked butts 225-250 with water for several years and they were all good but took 12-14 hours to cook. Then I noticed several guys on here cooking butts at 300+ so I reluctantly tried one at 325. It was every bit as good if not better than any butt I ever cooked low and slow. I've been doing h & f now for nearly two years with stellar results in 6-7.5 hours depending on the size. A couple weeks ago I decided to go low just for the heck of it. From the time I lit the fire until the 10 pound butt was finished was 16 hours. It was good but not one bit better than the hot cooks. I'm sold completely on hot and fast for butts.

One more thing I noticed was that cooking at 225 with water used almost double the amount of charcoal than at 300+ in my cabinet.

 

[Meatguyver]

works like a champ! been doing my butts at high temps for a long time now. Obviously pork has a great fat content that lends itself to high cooking temps. the only thing i do is spray with wooster, vinegar & apple juice after the first 1.5 hrs if the bark is looking too dry. are you fellas adding cold water to your water pan? i always start with hot water and it helps come up to temp faster too.

 

[sylntghost]

I've always cooked my pork at 300. Only because that's what my cooker loves to run without fighting it to go lower. Butts have always been great.

 

[JayQ]

Best thing about hot and fast butts is getting a that sweet crispy fat cap. Rub that fat cap down and place it flat cap down towards the firebox around 350 degrees. When the butt is done it should be nearly fried to a crisp. It's a fabulous pit master privilege while pulling. It's like BBQ flavored pork rinds but on a whole new level.:icon_smile_tongue: :hungry:

 

[93_confirmed]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like hot and fast is the way to go so I'll definitely be sticking with that for a while.

 

[4ever3]

Welcome to the dark side 93...

 

[CeramicChef]

I've done low-n-slow and hot-n-fast for over 20 years and to my way of thinking a butt is a butt no matter how it's cooked. My guests have never said a word about either except "Is there any more?" and "Can I take some home?"

 

[4ever3]

I've done low-n-slow and hot-n-fast for over 20 years and to my way of thinking a butt is a butt no matter how it's cooked. My guests have never said a word about either except "Is there any more?" and "Can I take some home?"

I think that's the point Chef, people get stuck on this magic 225° when magic happens waaaay past that and it happens faster :biggrin1:

 

[BillN]

I have always cooked butts at 275 to 310 with great results, I usually only trim fat that is over 1/2" and I do score the fat.