re: What to cook for a party? (updated with pictures on page 4)

Report back!

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Take pictures before during and after!

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Now the pressure is really on.

You need to base the size of your butt upon your desired serving size x the number of people that you want/ need to feed. This calculation needs to be done based on cooked weight. The yield on a cooked butt is @ approx. 60% to 65% of its raw weight. Example: a 9 lb raw butt will yield approx. 5.4 lbs (or 86.4 oz.) of cooked meat (using a 60% yield). If you want your serving sizes to equal 5 oz, you will get approx. 17 servings from the 9 lb raw butt. Hope this helps.

Going to start cooking the Butt at 7 tonight. Any tips on how i should be prepping it? Should i be putting it in a brine bath? Should I put mustard on it and pork rub and let it sit?

Keep the fat cap on it or cut it off?
If keep it, put it up or down on grill?
Hickory or Apple chunks? Should i soak them or layer dry chunks throughout the charcoal?
Put it at 250 dome and wait for meat to get to 190?
Ever open the dome? (I have a remote thermometer)
Should i really clean the egg out, vaccum and all, like i have read and replace it with new charcoal?
How long should a cook time on a 9.75 butt take? Am I timing this correctly for a 12:30 party?
Once done i wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler for an hour. Correct?

Yes

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Should i be putting it in a brine bath? I'm one of the few that brine. I actually brine and then inject with my brine right before I cook. Basic brine/injection should be salt, water, vinegar, rub, and sugar.

Should I put mustard on it and pork rub and let it sit? I know people that do this. I don't.

Keep the fat cap on it or cut it off? If keep it, put it up or down on grill? Keep it. It doesn't matter if its up or down. I typically place mine down because I don't rub the fat cap.

Hickory or Apple chunks? Should i soak them or layer dry chunks throughout the charcoal?I use apple and hickory both when I cook. Do not soak them. Scatter the chunks around the outside of your fire box.

Put it at 250 dome and wait for meat to get to 190? 200-250 is fine. I finish my butts at 205. I like mine to pull apart very easily and to not be firm. Typically, I'll cook mine to about 180 degrees then wrap in tin foil with 1/4 cup of vinegar and put it back on the egg until I hit 205. Leave the butt wrapped and put it in whatever dish you plan on serving in (I use a big metal bowl). Let it rest about an hour or so before pulling. Make sure all the juice from inside the foil stays inside your serving dish and mixes with the meat.

Ever open the dome? (I have a remote thermometer) If your looking, you ain't cooking! LOL. I find I have to stir my fire around a little to keep my wood smoking. No big deal.

Should i really clean the egg out, vaccum and all, like i have read and replace it with new charcoal? Doesn't matter

How long should a cook time on a 9.75 butt take? Figure about 8-12 hours.

Am I timing this correctly for a 12:30 party? Figure 12 hours to cook with one hour to rest and back into the number from there.

Once done i wrap it in foil and put it in a cooler for an hour. Correct? Yes. See above.

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The one thing you didn't ask was about a rub. There are no wrong answers on that. Pick whatever you like. Just make sure that it has a sugar component to it (either brown or turbinado). These sugars have a better melting point than plain table sugar and will caramelize on the exterior giving you that great bark.


Good luck and make sure you post pics. My neighbor did his first butt ever Monday. He literally didn't do anything to it just simply put it on the smoker. It wasn't great, but it was still pretty good. It is the easiest and most forgiving meat to smoke.


ETA: Use you plate setter with the legs up with the grill on top. This keeps the meat from direct heat.

Gotta look after my fellow Aubies.

Butt is on the BGE!

thermo is showing 93 food and 221 egg.

I am excited as hell that my egg has settled at 230.

This is the longest cook i have ever done so I hope the beginners luck is happening for me.

Pics?