Directions Please

[swipernoswiping]

Want to smoke a 7 pound pork butt have a recipe I like. What are some of the most key components to do when smoking. Like preheat temp, cooking temp, how many pucks to load, the temp range to maintain during cooking, the ideal temp when done and anything else you gurus can help me with.

[Brisket Lover]

4 hours of smoke/12 pucks
220-230 temperature range
preheat to 250
ideal temp is up to you, I stick a fork in it and twist after it hits 180 and see if it is done.

[Caneyscud]

First off - rest easy - butts are easy and forgiving - just take a while.  Expect 14 hours plus/minus.  At a CT of 225 to 230 you can expect cook times of 1.5 to 2 hours or more per pound.  

Did two (8 pounds) and a packer brisket (12 pound) in a stickburner Christmas Eve - Brisket took 10 hours, but the butts took 13 hours - and I took them out before they got to the IT I wanted, but they had been in a good temp range for a long time and pulled very good anyways.

My Bradley Butt routine (much simpler than most)

Preheat Bradley to 260+
Start pucks (usually 5 to 8 hours worth for me - I and family like smoke)
Sprinkle on seasoning or rub
Put Butt in Bradley when smoke rolling good
Adjust digital to 230
Let - r - go (try not to peek - it's really cooking)
Check on water pan every few hours and add hot water as needed.
Take out at desired IT (about 195 to 200)
FTC or just sit for a little while and pull
Pull
Eat and enjoy.

Course there is more than one way to skin that cat.  And hopefully more ideas will appear.  Advice is to keep as simple as possible for first butt smoke.  Also, just pick one "recipe" and follow it to the letter the first time.  Try to avoid picking and choosing what you might think as the best from several recipes and combining them into a "The best butt ever" recipe.   Follow a recipe first then get adventerous.

[GusRobin]

others will come along but here is what I do (I have an OBS):
Night before apply rub to butt, wrap in cellophane and put in fridge. Next day remove from fridge for an hour or so before ready to smoke.
I have done mostly 8 -10 lb butts and they usually take 16- 20ish hours. I plan overnight smokes (more on this later)Pre-heat to 250*, put very hot water in the water bowl (I use a pan).
Drop temp setting to 225*. Put butt in smoker on second rack from the top. Put some beef broth in a small bread pan and put on bottom rack to collect juice.
Apply 4 hours of smoke ( I use hickory). After smoke is done I change out water pan (empty pucks and add new water- again hot water). Smoke until done, IT of 190-195. FTC for at least an hour.

As I said, I do butts as an overnight smoke. For safety reasons I start it no later than 4 hours before I go to bed. I do this so that the smoking is done before I go to bed so I can empty the pucks and water and add freshwater before bedtime. If I started it earlier, I will change the water when the smoke is done and again before I go to bed.

If you are leary about an unattended overnight smoke you can remove the butt from the Bradley after the smoke is done and put it in the oven at 225* until you reach the desired IT.

Butt timing is difficult depending upon size, how many you cook at once,  cook temp, or just a plain stubborn butt. You can always exend or reduce the FTC time, or pull when done and reheat in a crock pot, or don't pull and reheat in the oven.
Others will come along with other options, in the meantime post if you have any more questions.

[swipernoswiping]

Thanks!! This forum is just great. I now have some sort of clue of what I am doing. Once again thank-you to all of you who have posted there way of how to get er done.

[Indy Smoker]

A pork butt is nice to start with.  They are very unforgiving if you  make boo boo.  I had my DBS power down for about 2 hours and the outcome you could never tell.  Make sure to FTC for 3-4 hours before pulling.

Good Luck - and enjoy

Let us know how it turned out !!

[hal4uk]

SNS, don't underestimate the value of a good long FTC...
The butt continues to cook (the collagen continues to break down), and the "bark" softens up too, which is a good thing -- makes it easier to chew.
The whole thing just gets "butter soft" in FTC, while the juices/flavors redistribute.
Awrighten.

[swipernoswiping]

Thank-You FTC is when you wrap it up and stick it in a cooler correct? Also how far open do you want the damper?

[Caneyscud]

FTC - correct
Damper at least 1/2 to 3/4 open.  Many, including myself leave it full open all the time.

[swipernoswiping]

So Full open is better Thanks!!

[FLBentRider]

W E L C O M E  to the Forum swipernoswiping!

[TestRocket]

Looks like you have enough info to "Get 'er Done" so good luck and my vent is stuck open!  ;D