First time Pork/Boston Butt slow cook on the Performer

[Jeepin79]

Ok experts, I am going to cook my first butt tomorrow and wanted some help from the experts.  I have everything ready to go, I have a 5lb butt, my new Maverick 733, and plenty of charcoal.  Can you please share tips, tricks, etc.  Keep in mind I have no idea what I am doing.  I have read a lot but have never tried before.  Thanks in advance.

[Travis]

No expert by any means. Always learning too, but after quite a few cooks using the snake method I would recommend it. Very stable, consistent burn for a very long time without adding coals.
Passed that, you've got the Maverick so remember, if you're lookin, you ain't cookin. Give it a few hours before you crack the lid to look and give her a spritz if it needs it.
Have fun and enjoy the smoke.


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[56MPG]

You'll be fine! Couple questions:

Picnic cut or Boston? (I presume the later - I've never seen a 5lb picnic cut shoulder)
Bone in or boneless?
WSM or kettle?
If kettle, snake method or baskets?
When do you want to eat?

A five pounder is smaller than most I've done, so you might have to watch it more closely to be sure it doesn't dry out. Hopefully it's shaped well, but you could tie it up if there's a flatish side. Picnic cuts have the skin on, and I always take it off - kind of a wrestling match. Might want to turn it/flip it  a couple times as it cooks to keep things even. Almost every butt I've done I ended up wishing I had started sooner. You can keep it hot for a long time in a cooler. If you run out of time, or the stall never ends, you can finish in an oven wrapped in foil at 325.

Bottom line is you'll learn more tomorrow than any amount of reading will teach you. Have fun!

[kettlebb]

I have not done the snake method yet, I do the minion in the Weber charcoal basket. Fill the basket with unlit briquettes. Light 5-7 briquettes, wait till they ash over, place them on top of the unlit charcoal. Put the lid on with the vents wide open. When you hit 200 start closing the bottom vents to stabilize temp where you want it. 250-270?  Then add your smoke wood, no need to soak chunks. Put the meat on and have some beers. I'm no expert but I have good results with this setup. Don't stress, have fun, and take notes as you go.


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[MikeRocksTheRed]

Don't take it off of the grill until it is done!  LOL.

The big thing to be aware of is the stall.  Sometime between 145-170, usually around the 160-165 mark you might see the temp stop increasing for long enough to cause concern.  You won't be able to ignore that concern and it will really mess with your head, just remember not to act on it.  Let the grill do its thing.  You can wrap in foil at that point and a lot of us do.  That will push you through the stall faster but does have some affect on your bark.  I wrap when the stall hits if I am on a set time frame, otherwise I let it roll.  You might even see the internal temp drop a degree or two during the stall.  This is normal and is just a cooling process from the fat rendering and causing a cooling effect similar to the human body sweating.  The stall lasts 20-30 minutes sometimes, and sometimes (especially with brisket) can last 1-2 hours.  It still messes with my head but now I actually enjoying waiting it out to see how long it will last.  Each piece of meat is different.

If I don't wrap, I leave the lid on until I hit around 198 unless my cook is going long and feel the need to check on the amount of coals left in the snake.  At 198, I will use a probe to see if it slides in and around like a hot knife in butter.  If that happens, its done, if not I let it go another degree or two then repeat.

I like to use a pan of water on the coal grate.  Helps keep some moisture as well as acts as a heat sink that prevents big temp swings.  I've recently switch over to putting a pan of baked beans in place of a water pan.....drip beans are the bomb!

The snake method works great.  If you haven't done it before, just remember its easier to opening the bottom vent to raise temps than it is to close it down and lower temps.  The good news is that  pork butts come out really good anywhere from a cooking temp of 225-325, so if you are running hotter than the typical slow n low 225-250 don't' worry about it.  I usually run my top vent wide open and the bottom slightly cracked with a 2x2 snake on my 22's.  Since I've had my slow-n-sear which requires the top closed about halfway I've seen that shutting down the top a little bit does help extend the length of your coals.  If and when you adjust your vents, let it sit for at least 15 minutes to let the new adjustment settle in.  Also, if you are using wood chips instead of chunks, make sure the piles of them on your snake are separated.  If you piles run together the chip will burn from one pile to another quicker than intended lighting your coals quicker than intended along the way.

Update:  Everything above my post is absolutely correct as well!

[HoosierKettle]

All great advice. I occasionally use a finishing sauce of cider vinegar, brown sugar, red pepper flakes and Tony's seasoning. It's definitely optional. I prefer it but some of my family and friends do not.


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[Jeepin79]

You'll be fine! Couple questions:

Picnic cut or Boston? (I presume the later - I've never seen a 5lb picnic cut shoulder)
Bone in or boneless?
WSM or kettle?
If kettle, snake method or baskets?
When do you want to eat?

A five pounder is smaller than most I've done, so you might have to watch it more closely to be sure it doesn't dry out. Hopefully it's shaped well, but you could tie it up if there's a flatish side. Picnic cuts have the skin on, and I always take it off - kind of a wrestling match. Might want to turn it/flip it  a couple times as it cooks to keep things even. Almost every butt I've done I ended up wishing I had started sooner. You can keep it hot for a long time in a cooler. If you run out of time, or the stall never ends, you can finish in an oven wrapped in foil at 325.

Bottom line is you'll learn more tomorrow than any amount of reading will teach you. Have fun!

I am not sure of the cut, its shaped kinda like a small football.  It is boneless and I will be cooking it on my kettle/performer.  I am planing to start it around 8am and see what happens, worst case scenario if its not done by dinner time I can order a pizza.

[Jeepin79]

Thanks for all the advise, I appreciate it.  What internal temp should I be looking for to call it done?  I have heard a few different opinions.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Anywhere between 198-205.  It just depends on when a probe slides in like butter!  Since it's boneless it will be more forgiving if you undershoot by a few degrees.  Boned butts and shoulders not cooked enough start to pull great then all of the sudden you realize there is a lot around the bone that doesn't want to cooperate. 

[Lemans]

Here is how I smoke a small Butt
  Pour one chimney of unlit coals
On to one side of the grill. Next file the chimney and light .
When the coals are glowing, pour them on top of unlit ones.
  Next , put an aluminum pan on the other side of the coals , fill 1/2 way with water.
Put on cooking grate and close the kettle. Be sure to keep the vent over the part that the meat will be on.
  With bottom vent half closed and top vent fully open. Let the temp settle .. you are looking for 250-270. 
   Rub the pork and place it on the grill with two chunks of apple wood ..
      Ever 45 mins spray apple juice on it.
     At 160 wrap in foil and back on to the grill till 205


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[CharliefromLI]

Lemans advice is solid. Sometimes i foil Sometimes I don't. I let it roll to 203 degrees. Why 203? Because someone here said they do it, i did it and it worked great so that how it do it now

As stated above butts can cook anywhere from 225-325, but definitely cook all the way through to. My only two butt cooks i ever felt were unsatisfactory were from not letting it cook long enough. Start early and finish early so it can rest.


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[TheDude]

Don't take it off of the grill until it is done!  LOL.

The big thing to be aware of is the stall.  Sometime between 145-170, usually around the 160-165 mark you might see the temp stop increasing for long enough to cause concern.  You won't be able to ignore that concern and it will really mess with your head, just remember not to act on it.  Let the grill do its thing.  You can wrap in foil at that point and a lot of us do.  That will push you through the stall faster but does have some affect on your bark.  I wrap when the stall hits if I am on a set time frame, otherwise I let it roll.  You might even see the internal temp drop a degree or two during the stall.  This is normal and is just a cooling process from the fat rendering and causing a cooling effect similar to the human body sweating.  The stall lasts 20-30 minutes sometimes, and sometimes (especially with brisket) can last 1-2 hours.  It still messes with my head but now I actually enjoying waiting it out to see how long it will last.  Each piece of meat is different.

If I don't wrap, I leave the lid on until I hit around 198 unless my cook is going long and feel the need to check on the amount of coals left in the snake.  At 198, I will use a probe to see if it slides in and around like a hot knife in butter.  If that happens, its done, if not I let it go another degree or two then repeat.

I like to use a pan of water on the coal grate.  Helps keep some moisture as well as acts as a heat sink that prevents big temp swings.  I've recently switch over to putting a pan of baked beans in place of a water pan.....drip beans are the bomb!

The snake method works great.  If you haven't done it before, just remember its easier to opening the bottom vent to raise temps than it is to close it down and lower temps.  The good news is that  pork butts come out really good anywhere from a cooking temp of 225-325, so if you are running hotter than the typical slow n low 225-250 don't' worry about it.  I usually run my top vent wide open and the bottom slightly cracked with a 2x2 snake on my 22's.  Since I've had my slow-n-sear which requires the top closed about halfway I've seen that shutting down the top a little bit does help extend the length of your coals.  If and when you adjust your vents, let it sit for at least 15 minutes to let the new adjustment settle in.  Also, if you are using wood chips instead of chunks, make sure the piles of them on your snake are separated.  If you piles run together the chip will burn from one pile to another quicker than intended lighting your coals quicker than intended along the way.

Update:  Everything above my post is absolutely correct as well!

Almost to a T to my method. Thanks for doing the leg work Mike. I rub the night before, and score the fat cap. Beer is the absolute, #1, critical ingredient.

[HoosierKettle]

Great info. I've always wrapped at the stall and assumed the steam made it tender. I didn't know it was possible to push through the stall unwrapped and have it be tender. Looking forward to trying that.

What's your rest procedure on an unwrapped cook?


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[TheDude]

Great info. I've always wrapped at the stall and assumed the steam made it tender. I didn't know it was possible to push through the stall unwrapped and have it be tender. Looking forward to trying that.

What's your rest procedure on an unwrapped cook?


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Yeah, it's mostly a time saver. I doubt many, if any BBQ restaurants wrap.

[kettlebb]

I've never wrapped anything to get through a stall. I just let them ride it out because I like the nice bark. Once I pull the brisket or butt I'll set it in a Pyrex dish and tent it with foil. The rest time depends on what kind of day I've had and how hungry I am. I try to go 2+ hours before slicing or pulling.


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