First Pork Butt

[JZ]

I started my first pork butt today ( well I think it's a butt - the label said "shoulder blade" ). I lathered it with mustard then covered that with Jan's rub and had in a baggy in the fridge for 12 hrs. Put it in the preheated smoker this morning at 7:30 temp set at 220* with 4 hrs of hickory. The IT is now 155* and the Bradley recipe says to pull the roast when the IT hits 160* and baste it with their sauce recipe and put it back into the smoker for another hr. I see on other threads that the recommended IT is between 195* and 200*.

So should I wait to baste the little devil until it gets closer to an IT of 195* or baste it at 160* and leave the baste to dry out longer?

[squirtthecat]

Yep.  Blade roast = boston butt = pork butt.

Leave it in until 195° or so..      I wouldn't mess with baste/mopping it.

[mikecorn.1]

I would go to 190'/195'. Mo need to baste. IMHO. And don't open the dam door :D


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[JZ]

Thanks - will leave it til 195 (no basting).

I opened the door twice so far. Once to add some Seemore nuts to the smoke and once to pull them out. Pulled them about 4 hrs into the smoke. OK I won't open the dam door again until it hits 195*.

Just curious though, why is it important to leave the door closed?

[squirtthecat]

Heat recovery...    The temps drop like a stone when you open the door and will take a good 15-20 minutes to come back.  Just adds more time to your cook.

[ArnieM]

The door should automatically lock until the food is done  ;)

You can always stick a fork in and give it a twist when you think it's done.  If it doesn't want to twist, leave it a little longer.  One advantage to this method is that you can eat what's on the fork  ;D

[JZ]

Good point about the heat recovery and I like the fork idea. Test and eat at the same time. Its a winner.

[ghost9mm]

The 195 you are looking for is the IT temp of the butt...ok

[JZ]

Yup, shooting for 195* IT (of the Butt), but it is taking forever. The little bugger only weighs 5 lbs and has now been on for 9 hrs and has only hit an IT of 176. I guess it won't get an FTC, just a short rest before we dig in.

Glad I didn't baste it with the Bradley recipe sauce. I tasted it after the wife mixed it up and I wasn't too keen about the taste. Maybe its an acquired thing. But you should have seen the wifes expression when she tasted it. Wish I got a picture of that. I can tell you that stuff is not going on anything she eats.

[squirtthecat]

Hang in there...   176° means it is going through the stall.   The magic is happening.   This time will feel like an eternity.

It could very well be a 12+ hour cook..

[JZ]

Well it hit 183* and the wife was getting hungry. So I pulled it and put it into the 350* oven, wrapped in foil. When it 195* I pulled it and we dug in.

The taste was awesome .... where have these things been all of my life. The wife figures it could have been cooked a little less as some of the outside was a Little dry. My guess is that once it sits in the fridge overnight (in a baggy) it will all be just great.

Can't wait for tommorrow.

[cajunboudreaux]

Good job on your first butt.. I was so glad to see you waited till temp was reached. It only gets better from here trying new things with those butts, there are so many ways to prepare them.. once again Good Work.

[JZ]

Thanks -- If it wasn't for this forum and all of the recipes, info and help from its members I wouldn't have heard of this or tried it. Same with the whole chicken I had the other night. The wife and I both agreed the chicken was the best we ever had.

Love this forum and love smmmmmoooooookin.