Cooking 1st Butt - Time??

[Jimbo]

I picked up a 7 lb butt that I plan on smoking Wed night / Thursday.  I plan on holding the cabinet temp around 210-225 deg.  Any ballpark guesses on how long the total cook time will be?  This will be my first Butt so I am not sure how long it'll take.  Thank you!

[IKnowWood]

If you let it warm up for at least an hour before smoking and watch tghe temp, 10 to 16 hours of cook time to get to temp.

Make sure to not overcook it with to much heat.  it may take less time, but it could get dry.  Try to stay at the lower end of the spectrum of heat.

Let us know how it goes Jimbo.

[Biggun]

Jimbo-

      Always allow for 1.5- 2 hours/lb. You didn't say if you have a thermometer, but temp is much more important than time- cooking times vary greatly. Get that bad boy to 190-200* and you should be good. Another good test of doneness is checking the bone, if it is still present. Wiggle it a little- if it moves easily, or twists out, you are ready to pull and pull! Good luck and follow the most important rules- experiment and have fun!

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the replies guys.  I have a Maverick 73 thermometer and from searching this the forums it sounds like it I'll take it out of the smoker at around 195 deg internal and FTC for at least 2 hrs.

[BigSmoker]

Thanks for the replies guys.  I have a Maverick 73 thermometer and from searching this the forums it sounds like it I'll take it out of the smoker at around 195 deg internal and FTC for at least 2 hrs.

Sounds like a good plan ;D.

[asa]

I agree - sounds like a good plan Jimbo. Actually, I think there are probably a number of different techniques and game plans that will produce good to excellent Q with the Bradley. After reading the forum for a while, I realize that my approach is somewhat heretical. Now I'm perfectly willing to try the smoke/cook to 195 in the smoker and then FTC for a couple of hours, and will try it soon. But I worked out a somewhat different method prior to buying the Bradley 2 wks ago and it seems to have worked for me for the past two weekends on 4 butts and 4 racks of ribs in the BS. I will try to give you the differences and reasons for what I do, especially when they differ from the CW of this forum. And I'd appreciate comments from anyone who cares to contribute - all of this is in the spirit of experimentation - I don't pretend to have the best system, just a damn delicious one that works for me.

1) As others have suggested, apply a rub (I'd be glad to share my recipe) to the pork and let it sit overnight in a plastic bag. I've used whole butts with good success, but now that I have access to boneless shoulders, find some advantages with them. The boned meat separates into a thick piece and a thinner, more irregular piece. The thicker one seems better for sliced Q or coarsely chopped, and the other 1/2 to 1/3 seems fine for chopping or pulling. My theory is that by spreading a boned shoulder out you have more surface area for both a flavorful rub and smoke absorption.

2) The next day, place the meat on racks and set into the Bradley. So far, I've not preheated (the first heretical statement, since most hereabouts seem to suggest preheating the Bradley). The reason for this is that rather than sit around for 1-2 hours while the smoker preheats, I figure I might as well have the meat in there absorbing smoke. I don't know the temp for which smoke absorption is optimal, but it seems to work at cold temps as well as (and perhaps better than) at hot temps. I'll crank the temp control all the way to the right, and the air temp will gradually come up to the 180-225 range. And I'll also fill the water bowl with boiling water instead of cold tap water - that seems to help things along.

3) I agree with folks that say smoking for 3-4 hours is usally enough. (so far I've used hickory for my pork). By that time I am moving the temp control down to 5/8-3/4 throttle, because once the meat starts to heat up, I don't want the air temp to be significantly above 212 degrees, so as not to cause the outer muscle fibers to boil their liquid, dry out, and shrivel up.

4) After 3-4 hours of smoking, you have options.
     a) you can continue to cook until the internal temp gets up to, say 190 or so, and FTC it as others have suggested . . . OR  (my second heretical statement)
     b) I take the pork out of the Bradley and put it in a small covered roasting pan (I use an inexpensive thin blue enameled steel one), splash it with my Carolina-style sauce, and stick it in my kitchen oven overnight, at say ~150-170 degrees. By the next morning, the house will smell great. Also, the shoulder will have stabilized at that temp. By holding it at that temp for a number of hours, you can promote the breakdown of tough collagen fibers into gelatin that infuses the meat and makes it succulent. (I have experimented with higher temps and feel that the longer you need to hold it before cutting, the lower you can keep the temp). [So, an alternative, to enable you to do all the cooking in one day, would be to marinate overnight in a rub, smoke the next morning for 4 hrs, then hold in the oven at 175-190 for say 6 hours and then cut and serve. If you use the thinner, boned shoulder, this should be long enough.] But I think it is a good idea to keep the atmosphere inside the covered pan very moist with sauce. Others might wrap in foil at this point and continue cooking in the smoker.

5) Finally, prior to cutting/pulling/chopping, I'll pour off all of that dark, syrupy stuff in the bottom of the pan into a measuring cup and put it in the fridge or freezer. In a short while, the fat will rise to the top in a waxy sludge and you can remove it (discard unless you relish cooking with spicy pork fat - maybe I'll send several pounds of it to Emeril). What you have left is a glorious, heavenly, de-fatted goop, that is rich, slightly spicy, and gelatinizes when refrigerated. I will then warm this glorious goop, and pour it back over the chopped or pulled pork, along with a little more of my vinegar-based sauce. I believe this is at least one trick that has made my chopped BBQ so well-received so far.

Good luck, and remember you probably can't go wrong unless you overcook the shoulders and dry them out at too high a temp. Low and slow is the way to go, as I recall someone saying on this forum.
     Art

[Habanero Smoker]

Asa;
Looks like an interesting technique. That's the thing about smoked food and barbecue; there are many different techniques on how to get the job done, just as there are as many differences on ones taste and preference of meat texture.

I myself prefer to have bone-in shoulder. The bone gives the meat a better flavor. I always cook my butts to 170-175F, and it can be pulled at that temperature. Connective tissue starts to break down at 165F, therefore you don't have to bring you butts or brisket up to 185-200F. As you mentioned the trick is to sustain the break down at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, but I prefer to cook completely in the BS. I am pretty lazy and I don't want an extra pan to clean.

How long does it take the BS to get up to your set smoking temperature?  My preference is to get up to your smoking temperature as soon as possible.

[Malc]

I just did my first on on Saturday.  It was a 5.5 lb. boneless shoulder.  I preheated to about 225, smoked for three hrs and cooked to an internal temp of about 185.  I kept the BS at about 210 during cooking and smoking.  It took 12 hrs in the BS plus a 1.5 hr. FTC and about an hour to preheat.  Plan to wake up early if you want to eat that night.  It is definitely worth the wait, though.

Malc

[asa]

I myself prefer to have bone-in shoulder. The bone gives the meat a better flavor. I always cook my butts to 170-175F, and it can be pulled at that temperature. Connective tissue starts to break down at 165F, therefore you don't have to bring you butts or brisket up to 185-200F. As you mentioned the trick is to sustain the break down at a lower temperature for a longer period of time, but I prefer to cook completely in the BS. I am pretty lazy and I don't want an extra pan to clean.

I've always heard that "The bone gives the meat a better flavor" but I've never had the patience to test it (double-blind controlled would be best). But I'll accept it. On the other hand, the attraction of the thinner pieces and more surface area for smoke and rub attracted me to the alternative.

How long does it take the BS to get up to your set smoking temperature?  My preference is to get up to your smoking temperature as soon as possible.

I'm not sure - really sorry that I didn't keep closer tabs on what was happening. Because I was only interested in the Bradley for smoking and not long-term cooking, I didn't really pay attention. But my impression is (after two decent-size loads in the BS so far) that the air temp got up to above 150 within an hour. (Remember, I also started with boiling water in the pan - that's an extra pound or so of liquid that doesn't have to be heated, and, in fact, gives off some heat). I won't be doing anything for another week or two, but will try to remember to track it better and let you know (it will also depend on how much I have in there).

So what do you think? Does "cooking" meat with a surface temp of >160 or so absorb more smoke or does cooler meat, before it starts cooking, or is there any difference?

Regards . . . .

[Habanero Smoker]

The colder the surface of the meat or other product that you are smoking, the more smoke penetration will be obtained. There is a point at which smoke will not penetrate the surface, and adhesion to the surface is lessen.

You can try searching the forum, there are several discussions on smoke penetration and at what point smoke will no longer penetrate. The general consensus is 140F.

[asa]

Ahah! So there is some method to my madness, even though I didn't really know what I was doing. (or perhaps A and B and not related)? Anyway, that's very interesting. The surface of the meat won't get above 140 for a while, even after the air temp is well above that, because the inside of the meat being cool will keep the surface relatively cool also. So it seems to me that preheating the smoker should cut down on the total smoking time available to you. Therefore, if you want maximum smoking efficiency, then start smoking cold, without preheating - no?.

So it goes . .

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Asa,

Remember, you want to take decades and measured quantities of adult beverages before you solve all of these challenges. If you solve all of this fast, it will be back to "Honey-Do"s on the weekends rather than experimentation with the BS.

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Habanero Smoker]

Ahah! So there is some method to my madness, even though I didn't really know what I was doing. (or perhaps A and B and not related)? Anyway, that's very interesting. The surface of the meat won't get above 140 for a while, even after the air temp is well above that, because the inside of the meat being cool will keep the surface relatively cool also. So it seems to me that preheating the smoker should cut down on the total smoking time available to you. Therefore, if you want maximum smoking efficiency, then start smoking cold, without preheating - no?.

So it goes . .

I wish it was so black and white, but there are other factors that come into play. Such as the surface of the meat. If it is wet (moist), that will reduce smoke penetration and adhesion. So you can speculate that starting with a preheated cabinet will dry off the surface of the meat, therefore being more smoke efficient, then if you started with a cold cabinet.

Evaporation of moisture from the meat will also keep the surface of the meat and the surrounding air temperature cooler, than the rest of the cabinet temperature. That is why I try to keep my cabinet temperature probe at least a couple of inches away from the meat.

[iceman]

I've gotta agree with arcs about the research time frame. As near as I can figure I'll be way into 2020 before I start getting answers to my smoking questions. To bad Ann, No Honey Do's today, gotta go, cold ones to drink, I mean er I need to practice with the smoker. Yeh that's it, practice.  Ha!  :D ;D

[MallardWacker]

(the first heretical statement...
(my second heretical statement)

Now that's funny around these parts...we have/are heretics from time to time on this board.

My .02347 cents worth.

4 hrs of smoke at 225 till an internal of 185 and FTC the puppy for two hours....way too easy AND for a brief moment of time you WILL BE the king of butts, at least a different butt.

Good Luck Jumbo...