how do you like your butts?

[sparky1]

i know i would get your attention.  i have been on a butt quest lately.  i have cooked 2 - 4 butts a week for the past 2 months.  still searching.  i know what temp to cook ribs.  every cook starts off w/ 2 hours of smoke and then to 225º until 195º temp is reached or just start out at 225º for the whole cook.  every cook takes over 12 hours.  not happy.  what temp do ya'll guys / gals cook your butts at?  help a old guy out figure how to cook a great butt.  ty.   8)

[Tiny Tim]

I may be part of a small minority, but I only take them to 175-180, as higher than that seems to make them more mush than meat in my opinion.  In the past I've also bumped the temp to 250 with decent results.  Has been a long time since I've done one though.

[squirtthecat]

I'm different.  I run my Traeger at 250° and put the butts on frozen solid.   Usually get them to 195-200 in 11 hours or so..

[muebe]

The last two I did with the PID set at 225F on my Traeger were also frozen solid and bone-in. They took 12.5 hours to hit 195F IT.

[MidKnightRider]

Thawed out, slathered with C.Y.M., Rubbed down good , over night in refer.
225° smoker (with a pan under butt with 2 beers in it) till IT of 195° then wrap in F.T.C. for an hour or two (have had it in the cooler for 5Hrs) then pull.

[Caneyscud]

In the Bradley, Bandera and Traeger - I'll go for 220 to 230.  In one of the stickburners - 250ish - I'm usually doing them for a crowd and don't want to be late.  As for me - the 2 hours smoke time wouldn't be enough for me.  The bark to meat ratio is mighty low in a butt - so I like to get a lot of flavor in the bark so when pulled and mixed it really permeates all the meat well.   Oh and to an IT of 195ish in the middle.  I've taken them higher on accident without any adverse affects.  Them butts are forgiving - until you get that 1 in 50 or so that will not get done!  Almost everyone gets a Butt from H E double hockeysticks every now and then. 

[cajunboudreaux]

Most of mine in which i do about 40 to 70 lbs a month. I do at 190-200 injected covered with mustard. All Butts are different and some just take longer than others. 10 to 15 hours is pretty standard for the Bradley in my opinion. But I do enjoy watching the stall process and letting the butt take its own time SLOW AND LOW. They always turn out amazing. FTC around 2 hours then pull.

To cut down on hours you can try wrapping the butts with foil after a few hours of smoke..I know a few guys that do this to speed up their time.

When i use my Smoker that rotates I usually stay around the 225 mark and they finish in about 8 hours before FTC( inwhich sometimes they FTC for up to 5 hours)

[Caneyscud]

But I do enjoy watching the stall process and letting the butt take its own time SLOW AND LOW.

A man after my own heart - man do I love this man or not!!  whoops can I say that on this forum????

When i use my Smoker that rotates

I've already said enough, but maybe we can do some dueling rotisserie's sometime! 

[cajunboudreaux]

Caney, I'll shoot some pics of my baby. It is an old corn roaster I converted years ago into a smoker. 12 racks on a Chain Drive system. It is something to see.. lol.. Kinda redneck but it does a great job.

[mikecorn.1]

Caney, I'll shoot some pics of my baby. It is an old corn roaster I converted years ago into a smoker. 12 racks on a Chain Drive system. It is something to see.. lol.. Kinda redneck but it does a great job.

Sounds cool, will be waiting on the pics.


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[Caneyscud]

Caney, I'll shoot some pics of my baby. It is an old corn roaster I converted years ago into a smoker. 12 racks on a Chain Drive system. It is something to see.. lol.. Kinda redneck but it does a great job.

12 racks - that thing must be huge!  The one we made has six in it (I forgot) with chain drive also.  It was as big as we wanted to go to keep the costs down.

[sparky1]

welp, this butt was better.  i started the cook w/ 2 hours of smoke and then to 240º the rest of the cook until 195º.  the whole thing was under 12 hours.  way better for me.  and, it tasted good.  me and the wife already polished it off.  butt beans, butt pizza, butt cold salad.  its was good.  i do want to thank you for all your input.  i learn that i do like cooking at 240º better than 225º.  i also like the molasses on the butts. 

[Sailor]

Sparky I don't have a stick burner or a pellet popper, just the OBS Bradley.  I cook my butts at 225 to 230.  I get the Bradley up to temp and put the butts in and roll smoke for 3 or 4 hrs.  I use a PID so I don't get any temp swings.  I pull them at 190 to 195 IT.  Some take longer than others.  I know the guys that have the stick burners and pellet poppers can turbo the butts and briskets.  Using the OBS I just load her up and start the smoke and then make lots of trips to the beer fridge.   ;D

So many ways to do Butts.  Everyone has there favorite way and favorite rub.  Don't recon that I have turned out a bad butt yet.  Some tasted better than other butt they all got ate  ;D

[grnhs]

sparky I did two 7+ lb bone in this weekend on the mak and they took right on 16.5 hours.
I did 225 to an IT of 100 then went to smoke for 4 hours then back to 230 to an IT of 195.
I too am going to crank it up a bit on the next cook. 
They were real good but I had guests waiting when I pulled them out of the smoker and rested them for 20 min.

[ghost9mm]

Sparky I run my Bradley at 250 for butts, I think the thirty degrees difference from 220 to 250 is (for me) much better...I agree that low and slow is the way to go, but at 220 and waiting 18 hours was no better then what I do at 250 in 12 hours..just me..