First time Pork butt for pulled pork - on 22" Weber Performer

[MauroBBQ]

This will be the first time doing pulled pork
Looking in to getting a 10-12lb pork butt bone inn
My question is should I do  minion or snake method?
What do WKC experienced cooks recommend?

I have read that snake C shape 2x2 and starting with 5 (or so) lit briquettes would do the trick (250F approx.).
Adding some wood (Adler chips is what I have) not soaked at the beginning of the cook (3 to 4hrs)
Water in pan (under pork)
Spray 50/50 mix(apple juice/apple cider vinegar) every 1 hour or so
wrap meat at the 160F internal temp
Bring meat up to 195F internal temp
Let rest in cooler (or similar) wrapped in towels 1hr or so
Shred/pull
Enjoy

What do you think? I have been seeing a lot of videos and reading articles trying to get educated.

[JDD]

I've always preferred the snake method until I purchased a Slow n' Sear which I believe is basically the minion. The snake method above will work great for your first time.  The real trick is knowing when to pull it off since every one is different.

[crowderjd]

The snake method is pretty foolproof.  I'd start with more briquettes than you mention, and just realize that if you spray hourly you will be lengthening your cooking time quite a bit.  However, whatever you end up doing, rest assured you will end up with fantastic results as pork butts are very forgiving and difficult to mess up.  I'd rest my butt longer if possible, but an hour should be fine.  Have fun with it!

[Foster Dahlet]

I've run 2x2 with success.....make sure you have a really long c shape.....too short and you'll be adding charcoal later in the game.  I love alder wood.....good choice.  I agree with @crowderjd , pork butts are very forgiving and you will be fine.  Enjoy the process and tweak it each time you try, until you get something that works best for you. 

[MauroBBQ]

@crowderjd
@JDD
@Foster Dahlet
Thank for your cheers!
Will post pick when I get around to making it (2 weeks maybe)

I will go with the snake then
How many lit briquettes do you recommend I start with?


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[Firemunkee]

I've only made pulled pork twice before getting a SnS and both times I did minion so I can only share my experience with that method. First type was the coals just piled up and the second time I used a regular Weber charcoal basket. The coals lasted longer when using the basket, I'm assuming because they were more efficiently packed (weather could also have been a factor but I don't remember what the weather was like). That said, I think both methods will be fine and to choose one this time and try the other next time and see what you like better I'm sure you'll be doing a lot of low and slow so you could even try both method several times to work out all the kinks of each before making a decision of which you prefer.

[namtrag]

I did a 2x1 snake using Weber briquettes 80% of the way around yesterday, and it stayed 250 for 9 hours, with all the vents wide open.  It seems like when I tried a 2x2, I had to mess around with the vents to keep the temp from going too hig.  I have never tried the minion method.  Worst comes to worst, you will have it smoked as much as it's gonna be, and you can always finish in the oven if necessary. 

I wrapped mine at 200 and put it in a cooler for 3 hours.  Then it was like butter to shred it!

[MauroBBQ]

@namtrag
@Firemunkee
@Foster Dahlet
@JDD
Ok WKC friends this Sunday is D Day... Boston Butt Newbie... wish me luck
Thanks for all your recommendations

I purchased a 8.8lb bone in
Will do snake method ( I have learned also that it take approx. 1hr+ per lb) so im looking at about a 10hr cook.
will mix my own rub ( I saw a recipe in Franklyn's BBQ You tube page that I liked / simple)

Will let you know how it went!!!

[Foster Dahlet]

@MauroBBQ , enjoy!  Let us know how it turns out.

[cliffcarter]

This is the way I set up my kettle for butts-





IMHO you should expect 1.5 hour/pound cook time @250°, I generally cook in the 300°-325° range which has the advantages of shorter and more predictable butt cooks.
I also recommend that you not spray the meat every hour as it will extend the cooking time.
Good Luck.

[MauroBBQ]

@cliffcarter
Thank you!!!
I have heard several times now about not spraying or moping that often, I'm even thinking now I should skip that step
I think I'm more nervous today than on my wedding day o_O
LOL


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[Firemunkee]

Skip it, keep it simple for the first cook. I'm very excited for you! Just have a back up meal planned in case the cook runs long. The first time I smoked pork it finished at 9pm and I didn't even let it rest I was so hungry lol

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[MauroBBQ]

Update!!! My first attempt at pulled pork
2am start snake method
Wrapped after 5hrs
Internal temp was around 160F when I wrapped it
Reached 200F after 3:45hrs
Right now will let rest in cooler for a couple of hours
So far so good, I think
Will work on a jalapeño and habanero BBQ sauce



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[Firemunkee]

Looks good from here! That is some dedication waking up that early! Did you stay awake the entire time? Also that BBQ sauce sounds amazing!!! I'm drooling

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[mhiszem]

Great color. How did it taste?


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