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Pork butt in a pellet grill

5,156 Views | 33 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by Bird Poo
AsburyAg
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AG
I got a PitBoss pellet grill recently and have tried a few easy things - wings, burgers, beer can chicken, pork loin. All pretty easy and they tasted good. Now I'm ready to try a pork butt.

What are your favorite recipes? I want to try this before I try my hand at a brisket.
Bruce Almighty
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AG
For some reason, the site isn't letting me post a link from my phone, but go to amazingribs.com and type in "the easiest authentic bbq pulled pork" in the search bar. All you need is one that webpage.
gigemags87
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Agreed. Just made a pork butt on my Memphis pellet last weekend. I use Amazingribs Memphis rub and injected and salted the night before. 8 lbs at 275 for 8 hours then wrapped and rested for 2. Used Lexington dip sauce. Potato rolls and slaw. Turned out great.
Diggity
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AG
I do the amazing ribs setup but usually cook at around 350 for 4 hours. I haven't noticed any difference in the end result.
AlaskanAg99
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When you get to brisket, start at midnight, set at 180F and go longer and slower, the 4-8hr smokes on a pellet grill will NOT get you desirable results. Wrap it in butcher paper at 160F, set grill at 250F, bring up to 200F, rest for 2hrs. Takes roughly 1hr/1lbs at this rate.
aTm '99
Diggity
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that's why I love pork butts...much more forgiving.
Scotts Tot
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The pork butts I've done on my pellet are so easy and come out beautifully. As others have mentioned, it's a very forgiving piece of meat.

I like to go low on my pellet grill since it doesn't impart as much smoke as a wood burner. So for a pork butt I typically set at 225, wrap at 160, and pull by feel, usually 200-205, followed by a substantial rest, like 2 hours or so. I usually just season with a mix of salt/pepper/paprika/onion/garlic.

If we're having the pork for dinner, I'll prep it the night before and throw it on the smoker as soon as I wake up, cook until mid afternoon, and rest until dinner time.
Rattler12
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Do a pork shoulder instead....it's got a built in thermometer to tell you when it's ready for pulling.JMHO
Diggity
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AG


cooked these this weekend.

Did sliced pork "Ecuadorian Style" with a garlic/lime/onion/olive oil sauce and some rice/lentils.

Pulled the other and did a traditional style pulled pork setup (then made some carnitas).

When your father-in-law tells you the night before that he wants to host 16 people for lunch the next afternoon. Was definitely a crowd pleaser.
GSS
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Typical pork butts over 8 lb-ish can benefit from cutting into two (even three) pieces. This allows---more surface area for seasoning AND smoke, plus cooking time is reduced, with still plenty of time for smoky goodness.
Pic added: one piece was a thick pork steak, which is delish when cut from a pork shoulder/butt.

I never wrap pork butts, and if you're not going for pulled pork, internal temp of 180-ish is fine, it's going to be tender regardless whether you go to 180, or 200/205.
NRA Life
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Strategy
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I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.
John Francis Donaghy
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Strategy said:

I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.


You're not supposed to eat the pellets.
RushHour
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Strategy said:

I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.
What a Hot Take.

I produced such fake BBQ on my RecTec that I gave my offset away for free.
Rattler12
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Strategy said:

I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.
Pellet grills are for the lazy amongst us
Scotts Tot
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AG
As a bbq snob who owns a pellet grill (RecTec), this is so dumb. Does it produce as much smoke? No. Does it make great smoked meat? Absolutely.

Sure, I might enjoy spending a Saturday tending to a stick burner and watching it all day to regulate temp, but the reality is that with two small kids running around, it's a heck of a lot easier for me to set it and forget it. If I can get a 90% result with less than half the effort I'll take it in my life phase!
Marcus Brutus
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Strategy said:

I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.


Did you know that some BBQ competitions banned cooking on pellet smokers like Big Eddys because they were dominating the competitions?

Its heat and smoke from real wood, no different than an offset. Not real BBQ? Puhlease!
Anubus
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https://www.kevinandamanda.com/pulled-pork-recipe/ This is the recipe I like to use minus the putting in the oven.
agcrock2005
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AG
Good place to start learning how to cook them.

CHRIS LILLY'S SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PORK SHOULDER
Rattler12
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agcrock2005 said:

Good place to start learning how to cook them.

CHRIS LILLY'S SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PORK SHOULDER
That's a lot of sugar for a 16 hour cook. I wonder what it looks like at the end of 16 and what good it does to put sauce on top of burnt sugar. ????
agcrock2005
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AG
Rattler12 said:

agcrock2005 said:

Good place to start learning how to cook them.

CHRIS LILLY'S SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PORK SHOULDER
That's a lot of sugar for a 16 hour cook. I wonder what it looks like at the end of 16 and what good it does to put sauce on top of burnt sugar. ????
I haven't looked at this recipe in years so I didn't know what you were talking about. I've never had that Bog Gibson sauce he references. I use the injection in mine and then a variation of his rub. I smoke for about 6-8 hours to get the color I want and then I put in foil container with a little apple juice and wrap in foil until 195 then pull and let rest for several hours. It will be fall apart with both sweet and smoky. I normally make a carolina mustard sauce to serve with it. Pretty good base to get started on pulled pork IMO.
Rattler12
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agcrock2005 said:

Rattler12 said:

agcrock2005 said:

Good place to start learning how to cook them.

CHRIS LILLY'S SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PORK SHOULDER
That's a lot of sugar for a 16 hour cook. I wonder what it looks like at the end of 16 and what good it does to put sauce on top of burnt sugar. ????
I haven't looked at this recipe in years so I didn't know what you were talking about. I've never had that Bog Gibson sauce he references. I use the injection in mine and then a variation of his rub. I smoke for about 6-8 hours to get the color I want and then I put in foil container with a little apple juice and wrap in foil until 195 then pull and let rest for several hours. It will be fall apart with both sweet and smoky. I normally make a carolina mustard sauce to serve with it. Pretty good base to get started on pulled pork IMO.
I just use garlic salt, pepper and a mop sauce. Keep the heat around 250 to 275 and use the bone as a thermometer. When a very light twist to it results in the bone coming out smooth and clean the internal temp is right at 200 and the meat shreds easily. Use a carolina sauce also but add a bit of chili sauce made from ancho, NM reds and arboles for some heat, sometimes even a chipotle. I pour said chili sauce into ice cube trays freeze it and add the cubes to the carolina sauce to taste and in other dishes also.
agcrock2005
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AG
Cool. That's the easy thing about them. They're so fatty they're almost hard to screw up, and you can cook them a million different ways.
Bird Poo
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AsburyAg said:

I got a PitBoss pellet grill recently and have tried a few easy things - wings, burgers, beer can chicken, pork loin. All pretty easy and they tasted good. Now I'm ready to try a pork butt.

What are your favorite recipes? I want to try this before I try my hand at a brisket.


The thing with a pork butt on a pellet grill is that they are very easy. Unlike a brisket, you can smoke at 225 the whole time, not wrap, and it won't dry out (fat side up).

Rub down generously with Rudy's bbq rub the night before. Smoke to 204 internal. It can take 12-16 hours.

They're my favorite thing to smoke because pork is cheaper than beef right now and it's very hard to overcook them.
Baby Billy
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With pork butts you can put WAY more rub than you think. I like a sweeter rub mixed with coarse ground S&P. I also like to inject a heavy vinegar based marinade throughout the cook.

Gives you a beautiful bark and some incredible pulled pork
CDub06
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Strategy said:

I loathe pellets.

It's not real BBQ. Period.
I used to kind of think that way... I mean it's probably "real BBQ," but it's certainly cheating

But...I'm using my offset stick burner so infrequently now and have been sick of friends letting their pellets work overnight without having to babysit it, that when my neighbor was getting rid of his Pit Boss a couple weeks ago, I snatched it up.

Been out of town, but hope to use it soon and see if it's life changing.
hbc07
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PearlJammin said:

AsburyAg said:

I got a PitBoss pellet grill recently and have tried a few easy things - wings, burgers, beer can chicken, pork loin. All pretty easy and they tasted good. Now I'm ready to try a pork butt.

What are your favorite recipes? I want to try this before I try my hand at a brisket.


The thing with a pork butt on a pellet grill is that they are very easy. Unlike a brisket, you can smoke at 225 the whole time, not wrap, and it won't dry out (fat side up).

Rub down generously with Rudy's bbq rub the night before. Smoke to 204 internal. It can take 12-16 hours.

They're my favorite thing to smoke because pork is cheaper than beef right now and it's very hard to overcook them.
$0.97/pound this week at kroger!
[url]http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com[/url]
Strategy
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Scotts Tot said:

As a bbq snob who owns a pellet grill (RecTec), this is so dumb. Does it produce as much smoke? No. Does it make great smoked meat? Absolutely.

Sure, I might enjoy spending a Saturday tending to a stick burner and watching it all day to regulate temp, but the reality is that with two small kids running around, it's a heck of a lot easier for me to set it and forget it. If I can get a 90% result with less than half the effort I'll take it in my life phase!


All my in laws smoke and Tragers. Not impressed. Tender but flavor sucked nuts.
Bruce Almighty
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Strategy said:

Scotts Tot said:

As a bbq snob who owns a pellet grill (RecTec), this is so dumb. Does it produce as much smoke? No. Does it make great smoked meat? Absolutely.

Sure, I might enjoy spending a Saturday tending to a stick burner and watching it all day to regulate temp, but the reality is that with two small kids running around, it's a heck of a lot easier for me to set it and forget it. If I can get a 90% result with less than half the effort I'll take it in my life phase!


All my in laws smoke and Tragers. Not impressed. Tender but flavor sucked nuts.


Maybe the problem is with your in-laws.
Strategy
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They aren't novices.

There are reasons BBQ joints use traditional smokers.

Maybe you boys can convince Aaron Franklin or Snows to put the pellets on the menu. Would be a great front page of Texas Monthly.
Allen76
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GSS said:

Typical pork butts over 8 lb-ish can benefit from cutting into two (even three) pieces. This allows---more surface area for seasoning AND smoke, plus cooking time is reduced, with still plenty of time for smoky goodness.
Pic added: one piece was a thick pork steak, which is delish when cut from a pork shoulder/butt.

I never wrap pork butts, and if you're not going for pulled pork, internal temp of 180-ish is fine, it's going to be tender regardless whether you go to 180, or 200/205.

This. I did a pork butt last week on the BGE. Just salt and pepper and do not wrap. You need that crust on it to make it interesting so DO NOT WRAP!

Also do not cook it to mush like you are making pulled pork. Pull it off the heat when it is still a little bit solid so you can get "slices" out of it without making mush.

I am not a big pork fan, but I got some compliments from people who usually never compliment anything. It was a giant butt that my wife brought home and asked me to cook on short notice. I don't remember how many hours exactly but I think it was about 6 to 8 at about 220 degrees.

BTW... GSS BBQ picture is awesome.
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Rattler12
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"Pork Butt in a Pellet Grill".....there's a #1 country hit in that right there...
CDub06
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AG
Used the pellet smoker for the first time. I didn't trust it enough to get too far from it, but it held the temperature well. Pork butt didn't come out as good as a stick burner, but I've got some tinkering to do. The smoker lapped the water from the pan quick!
Bird Poo
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AG
CDub06 said:

Used the pellet smoker for the first time. I didn't trust it enough to get too far from it, but it held the temperature well. Pork butt didn't come out as good as a stick burner, but I've got some tinkering to do. The smoker lapped the water from the pan quick!
I cook at 225 for a better crust (from a pellet grill). I also use hardwoods.
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