First pork butt on my BGE is getting cooked for serving about 6pm tomorrow. I've done others on other setups but I don't know how to time this thing. I don't cook many pork butts. This one says 10.84 lbs.

Is this a 5 hour cook or a 12 hour cook? Do I start it before bed, 9pm-12am ish, and pull it in the morning to rest in a cooler all day? Or do I get up at 6am to put it on at 7am and pull it off in time to serve?

I'm leaning toward before bed. I'm a night owl, mornings are tough on weekends, and I know it will tolerate or improve from a cooler rest.

Rtic or dilapidated igloo cooler, no yeti, fat side opposite the moon...you know, fat tides.

I've found pork butts run a wide spectrum on hours per pound. It's all dependent on collagen content. I'd guess you're much closer to a 12 hour cook than a 5.

I'd expect 7-9 hours at 260 degrees. I've done quite a few pork butts on my Kamado Joe.

I'm usually able to hold much closer to 225 on my egg. I like the flavor of the longer smoke at lower temp on everything I've done so far. Sounds like I have an Egg to start.

Pork butt is very fickle, moreso than any other meat I've cooked. I've cooked 10 butts on the same pit at the same time and had some take 10 hours and others take 24+. Start them early and worst case keep them warm once they're done.

Went on the Egg at 10pm. Will monitor until?...?...I'mout of beer? Then bed. Then coffee.

This thread is relevant.

I'm smoking a pork butt on a new smoker tomorrow morning and have no idea what time to expect. I bought a relatively small one ~8.5 lbs, hoping it will cook a little faster. I'm going to put it on around daylight or so and see how it goes...

Need more info.

Bone in or boneless? Weight?

Average bone in "butt" weighs 7-9 lbs. If yours has skin on, peel that off and use for cracklings later.

225 is painfully slow. I usually shoot for 260. But if you're going with 225. I would apply dry rub and let it sit overnight ideally.. 3 hours at least. At 225 I would count on letting an 8 pound, bone in butt go for at least 14 hours until internal temp at the thickest center is 160 degrees. If you want bark, then I would pull it off and put it under the broiler for 6 or 7 minutes, watching closely. If not, then cover with foil and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Enjoy.

Pork butts are the most inexact science. Could easily be 6 hours, could easily be 14 hours. Best bet is to cook ahead and reheat.

I've had butts that started at the same weight finish 4 hours apart. Just get it to temp. May take 7 hours. May take 12.

I feel strongly that all smoked pork should be bone in. I have cooked pork on both a rotisserie and smoked it and it is always much better with a bone in. The boneless gets too dry.

Egg krept to 250 overnightand the thermopen says 165.0 internal. Also, I threw on the red jalapenos i bought for home-smoked chipotles.

Glad it went on last night.

Rule #1

Agreed. Done dozens upon dozens in the green egg. Follow the usual protocol of roughly 1.5 hrs per pound. The biggest thing is having a probe in the meat. I pull mine and like a brisket wrap in foil and place in a cooler wrapped in towels. It cans stay in there for hours upon hours. And like Franklin says, careful when you shred. It will start to dry out from that moment, so wait to do this until it's time to eat.

And the bone should pull effortlessly out. That's your key right there. If there's tension or trouble to remove it, it needs more time.

normaleagle05 said:

---

I'm usually able to hold much closer to 225 on my egg. I like the flavor of the longer smoke at lower temp on everything I've done so far. Sounds like I have an Egg to start.

---

I can hold 225 on the KJ too. I think the pork cooks better at a little higher temp.

I do everything to temperature ex for pork butt....tug on the shoulder blade and when it slides out....its time to take it off

Tonight I am doing the exact same thing as the OP..... first time Boston Butt on Big Green Egg. I am going to do mine as close to youtube: Aaron Franklin Pulled Pork.

Judging from most comments about pork on this board, it seems like a piece of cake.

Aaron Franklin cooks at 275 for 4 hours to get a real good dark crust and then tightly wraps it in foil (double foil on the bottom) and cooks at 275 for 8 hours.

I am going to wait until pretty late tonight to light the egg and put on the butt sometime just before midnight.

I do pork butts at 325 on my vertical smoker. Once the internal temp hits 195ish, start fiddling with the bone.

If you can gently tug it and pull it out, it is done. If not, keep tugging it every so often.

When you do pull out upon completion, just watch out for drippage.

Slightly off the original topic, but what do y'all prefer for seasoning? Dry rub? Slathered in regular Mustard? I've done both...curious what you guys like.

Super secret rub....you ready?

Salt and pepper.ywia.

I cook my butts faster, like 300. Wrap around 165. I think they taste great and no reason to cook that cut for a day.

I'm cooking one on my pellet smoker tomorrow. Cheers

For the ones recommending specific cooking temps, are you talking about surface temp or dome temp? My dome temp is usually ~20-25 degrees cooler than surface temp.

AUAg92 said:

---

For the ones recommending specific cooking temps, are you talking about surface temp or dome temp? My dome temp is usually ~20-25 degrees cooler than surface temp.

---

I'm talking surface. I use the maverick wireless thermometer. One probe next to the meat, one probe in the meat. Ever since I started using this, I haven't looked at the built in thermometer.

For pork butts I slather with mustard and add bad byrons. Usually inject mix of apple juice and bad byrons though it probably makes no difference.

I like to follow an Alton Brown recipe that I found on line where you brine over night in a salt and brown sugar or molasses brine, then rub it in a pork rub before I put it on the egg. I've used several rubs and can't really taste the difference between them (I think my last couple I've done with Famous Dave's).

However you really can taste that sugary brine, it adds just a touch of sweet that really brings out the flavor.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/barbecue-pork-butt-recipe-2047110.amp

(except I use brown sugar instead of molasses)

Am I understanding some people are cooking to only 165? I've cooked em fast and all-day-slow, and I've yet to see a butt that would pull easily anywhere near 165. Usually has to hit at least 190 to pull easy.

Am I missing something?

I cook to 198 on the dot. Zero way 165 is good to pull.

flashplayer said:

---

Am I understanding some people are cooking to only 165? I've cooked em fast and all-day-slow, and I've yet to see a butt that would pull easily anywhere near 165. Usually has to hit at least 190 to pull easy.

Am I missing something?

---

Sorry, I think you read my post incorrectly. I wrap at 165 and throw it back on at 300ish to finish up. I was just saying you don't need to cook at 225 for 18 hours.

flashplayer said:

---

Am I understanding some people are cooking to only 165? I've cooked em fast and all-day-slow, and I've yet to see a butt that would pull easily anywhere near 165. Usually has to hit at least 190 to pull easy.

Am I missing something?

---

Find in page says the only references to 165 are my 10 hour in internal temperature on what turned out to be an 18 hour smoke and a pull/wrap/continue recommendation that says to wrap in foil at 165. You misunderstood.

Came out damn good. Pulled a little over 200 about 4pm, or 18 hours on the Egg. I'll probably smoke hotter on my next go.

About 1:45



Clean up crew.



Leftovers.

Really only used less than half and put the rest in vac bags in the freezer for later.

Who makes just one pork butt.

Looks awesome, glad it worked for you!