Ribs not too shabby, pulled pork next-need some advice

[Jazzbone]

1st attempt in the OBS were pork back ribs....marinated over night in a sauce I concaucted up and into the smoker at 9am...let em smoke up for 4hrs of mesquite and cooked for another 3.5hrs past that...
Not a bad result, good smoke flavor, good and tender...was a hit with the family.. :)

Now the real test for the smoker is tomorow...
Got (2) pork butts, both appx. 10lbs a piece, trimmed some fat but not all, maybe a 1/4" left on it....Rubbed em up with CYM and am trying a caribbean BBQ rub we picked up in Tortola last winter while on vacation...
Had them marinating in the fridge since 5pm Thursday...will hit the smoker at what I think around 8pm tonight...

I figure if I get the OBS to 200 F, how long do ya figure it would take for both butts to get to 190-195 IT,  Lotsa people coming this long weekend and we'd like to sit down around 4-5pm Saturday...
Should I get them cooking before 8pm?  I'm hoping 16hrs will be enough time to cook then just FTC for a couple/few hrs until we're ready to eat but since I'm just a rookie at this I'm throwing darts in the dark here...

Cheers
Jazzbone

[Gizmo]

16 to 18 hours should put you in the ball park but I would either error on the side of finishing sooner. 
You didn't mention if you were going total time in the BS and not wrapping in foil or if you plan to wrap in foil and either continue in the BS or pop in the oven.  If you foil after the 4 hours of smoke, and push comes to shove on time to reach the IT, you can run the temp up to speed up the process.

[Mr Walleye]

Time is a difficult thing to judge on butts. One smoke to the next can very a fair bit. In my experience I would say you will want to start earlier. I wouldn't be supprised to see them take 18 hours or more. If your intended "chow" time is around 4pm Saturday, I would start them around 4 or 5pm Friday. If they are done early you can easily FTC them for 5 or 6 hours. For butts, you always want to take advantage of using FTC for a time buffer.

Good Luck & keep us posted.

Mike

[westexasmoker]

I'm with em, butts are alot like brisket and timing can vary quite a bit!  Better to have it done early and then FTC till dinner time!

C

[Jazzbone]

Thanks guys....
Yup, I plan on finishing in the OBS without foil...just pop em in, rotate and spritz them with juice from time to time...
If the IT isn't close by 12 or 1 tomorow I MIGHT finish them in the oven but would prefer not to...Sure hope that rain holds out... ;D

Jazzbone

[KyNola]

Nothing more I can add.  Last time time I did butts approximately the same size you are talking about at 200, it took a full 24 hours to get to 180 IT as they hit the "plateau" and stalled for several hours.  Don't rush the "plateau" as that portion of the cooking process is critical in my opinion.  I finished mine in the house oven.  I actually prefer it that way as I can control the heat better.  I do not wrap them in foil during the cooking process.

Smoke on and have fun!!
      KyNola

[Jazzbone]

Thanks again guys...
Being new to the smoker's world I'm still trying to accept the 20-24hr cook times it takes....being a griller all my life makes it hard to realize low and slow is the way to go...


Jazzbone

[Wildcat]

95 percent of my smokes are butts and brisket.  I do it all in the BS.  For butts, I try to maintain an average cooking temp of 205.  Two butts normally take 20 to 26 hours for me.  A single butt around 18 hours.  Time will vary considerably from one smoke to the next.  If you keep your cooking temp around the 200 to 210 mark, you can stop cooking at a lower temp (say around 175 to 180 internal.  You can then either FTC or just wrap in foil and rest on the counter for a couple of hours or longer.  Butts will retain heat a long time.

[Jazzbone]

Just put em in the smoker...they look fan-damn-tastic so far...got it sitting at 200F with 4hrs of mesquite just starting to roll  ;D
Took some pre-pics, will put em all up once I take em out tomorow....

Just wanna say all you guys are awesome with the hints/tips and tricks....a wealth of knowledge on these boards and I for one appreciate it...


Cheers
Jazzbone

[FLBentRider]

You seem to have it well in hand. When I do butts they are usually in the 18-22 hour range, depending on how many and how big. 10's shouldn't take too long. It's the monster ones 14+ (and then I'll do 4) that take forever.

[Habanero Smoker]

When smoking at 200°F I only take my butts to 175°F and they pull easily. If you see you are running short on time and they are at least at 175°F use the fork test. Take a fork, long handle works best, stick it in the pork and twist it. If the pork breaks apart easily it's ready for pulling.