Smoked Boston Butt
I smoked a Boston Butt today. It was a 9.5lb monster that went on at 4AM today. This hunk of meat took 11 hours to cook to pull temps. I need a nap!
I rubbed the Butt with a pack of the free rub’s Chow found (I used the original), and then finished with my own rub since the free rub pack was too small for this big piece of meat.
I used a full chimney of coals in the water smoker, and in manipulating the lower air dampers, was able to hold 225 for 6 hours on one chimney of coals. I added Hickory chunks every hour or so for 6 hours of smoke.
After the first 6 hours, the first batch of coals was spent. I pulled the top cook chamber off the fire pit, emptied the ash, and added another full chimney of coals, and a few more pieces of hickory. This was the last batch of wood.
After 7 hours of cooking, I checked the temp, and it had plateaued at 163.
I checked the temp again after 9 hours of cooking, and it had busted the plateau and was climbing. The temp at that point was 188.
I usually don’t foil my meats, but decided to go ahead and do it this time. So after 9 hours, I brought the meat in and foiled it. It then went back on the smoker.
Two hours later (11 hours in) I checked the temp, and it registered 198 in most spots, and 200 in some. Time to take it off.
I put it in a Styrofoam cooler and let it rest for 1 hour. Even after that hour of resting, it was still steaming hot. Then, I pulled the meat. It shredded and fell apart like butter. The bone slipped clear of the meat with no effort at all.
Now, I have a LOT of pulled pork to deal with! We’re giving a lot away to neighbors and friends, freezing some, and of course, will be making sandwiches for tonight and the next day or so.
Here’s the Butt rubbed and ready for the smoker. It’s got a small fat cap on it, so it will go in the smoker fat side up.
After 9 hours of cooking, it has broken the plateau and has hit 188 degrees. The fat has darkened and is beginning to melt away. Time to foil it and return it to the smoker until it hits 195 – 200.
It hit 200 and then I brought it in to let it rest. After resting 1 hour, it is still steaming hot. If you look at the lower portion of the pic where the meat has split and pulled to the right, you can see the bone through the gap in the meat.
A slight pull with the tongs shows it is a success.
Into a large bowl, and the meat gets pulled. Notice all the bright pink pieces which is the smoke ring.
Here is the bone that came out of this one.
I smoked a Boston Butt today. It was a 9.5lb monster that went on at 4AM today. This hunk of meat took 11 hours to cook to pull temps. I need a nap!
I rubbed the Butt with a pack of the free rub’s Chow found (I used the original), and then finished with my own rub since the free rub pack was too small for this big piece of meat.
I used a full chimney of coals in the water smoker, and in manipulating the lower air dampers, was able to hold 225 for 6 hours on one chimney of coals. I added Hickory chunks every hour or so for 6 hours of smoke.
After the first 6 hours, the first batch of coals was spent. I pulled the top cook chamber off the fire pit, emptied the ash, and added another full chimney of coals, and a few more pieces of hickory. This was the last batch of wood.
After 7 hours of cooking, I checked the temp, and it had plateaued at 163.
I checked the temp again after 9 hours of cooking, and it had busted the plateau and was climbing. The temp at that point was 188.
I usually don’t foil my meats, but decided to go ahead and do it this time. So after 9 hours, I brought the meat in and foiled it. It then went back on the smoker.
Two hours later (11 hours in) I checked the temp, and it registered 198 in most spots, and 200 in some. Time to take it off.
I put it in a Styrofoam cooler and let it rest for 1 hour. Even after that hour of resting, it was still steaming hot. Then, I pulled the meat. It shredded and fell apart like butter. The bone slipped clear of the meat with no effort at all.
Now, I have a LOT of pulled pork to deal with! We’re giving a lot away to neighbors and friends, freezing some, and of course, will be making sandwiches for tonight and the next day or so.
Here’s the Butt rubbed and ready for the smoker. It’s got a small fat cap on it, so it will go in the smoker fat side up.
After 9 hours of cooking, it has broken the plateau and has hit 188 degrees. The fat has darkened and is beginning to melt away. Time to foil it and return it to the smoker until it hits 195 – 200.
It hit 200 and then I brought it in to let it rest. After resting 1 hour, it is still steaming hot. If you look at the lower portion of the pic where the meat has split and pulled to the right, you can see the bone through the gap in the meat.
A slight pull with the tongs shows it is a success.
Into a large bowl, and the meat gets pulled. Notice all the bright pink pieces which is the smoke ring.
Here is the bone that came out of this one.
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