? about smoking a boston butt

Well I don't want it to be tough, but I also don't want to get up at 5:00 a.m. on saturday to smoke a boston butt. Any suggestions? Its about 7 pounds I'd say.

quote:

---

but I also don't want to get up at 5:00 a.m. on saturday to smoke a boston butt.

---

what kind of smoker are you using? i set mine at night and just let it go till morning. i will get up a couple of times to check the temp and make sure it holds steady.

I often finish large cuts in the oven. You probably have all the smoke flavor you are looking for after 8-10 hours.

Place it in a large foil pan, cover and bake in a 275 degree oven until you get the desired tenderness. I like this method because it produces great gravy.

My guess is your temp is too low. Try to keep it steady at 215-225 degrees and you shouldn't need to smoke it that long. 9-10 hours for an average Boston Butt and it should be falling apart.

The smoke is really only going to penetrate the meat until the meat reaches 140 degrees or so. After that you're just potentially going to make the meat bitter.

Also the smoke needs to be a thin blue line..if its billowing white smoke out, its not flavoring the meat the way you want.

Although no smoking purists like to admit it, you can take it out and foil it after it hits 140 and finish it in the oven and it will turn out just fine. Leaving it on the pit will help the 'bark' form on the outside but that's about it.

I cook my butts to temperature, not for time. I cook mine to an internal temp of 180, then I wrap with heavy foil and add some apple juice inside the foil with the butt. I then cook it to a temp of 205, pull from cooker and let rest in foil for about 1 hour. Each piece of meat is different and cooking times can vary a lot. I have cooked in many BBQ competitions and have learned this lesson the hard way. I usually allow about 14 hours to be sure, but have seen them cook in as little as 7. I cook at 225 to 250 degrees. If you are pressed for time or sleep, put the foil wrapped but in the oven after it hits 180. I have done this and set the oven for 300 degrees for a couple of hours. This will get you to the 205 degree mark pretty quick.

Great thread....so far I have learned
we want 225 to 250 degree cooking temp

The smoke is transferred in the first half of cooking time

wrap in foil and add apple juice(like that)

you can use the oven for the last half of cooking time

you are going for 205 degrees finished product

let it rest covered for 1 hour

and(my favorite)...butts are forgiving

to all that contibuted

Thanks for the tips!