bought my first butt...help needed

You are starting out right. Be right back.

Price is great. As for rubs keep it simple for the first time. Trim off the fat cap. As for internal temps don't even pull out a thermometer. Set your pit to 250* - 275*. I do mine at 300* and can have an 9# butt ready in 5-6 hours. When a wooden skewer probes through the center like butter and the bone pulls easy you're done. Wrap in foil and then a bath towel and throw it into a warm cooler for at least 2 hours. Then pull it out and start yankin. A 9#er should give you 4-5 pounds of great eating. Add some more rub when its all cleaned and get some buns. Good luck and post tome PR0N.............

9 pounds is enough for 6 and that is a great price. I usually pay 1.50$ to 1.80$ depending on how much I feel like driving. Meat to fat looks good. I'm on my phone so bear with me.
Don't worry about time, cook 250-300 until a bamboo stick goes in like it will go into soft butter. I wrap mine with foil after I get a nice bark (when I can't pick the rub off with my fingernail) when it probes tender pull it and let it rest at least 30 mins. Go easy your first cook and allow plenty of extra time if you have people over.

Lastly, BBQ is done when its done

Here is a link to a cook I did that was your basic pork butt cook LINKY

There are a few errors in that post, it was a cook from 5:30am to 8:30pm.

And I do a few things different now, but, everything there is applicable and will turn out a great product. Assuming you do not have time to buy rub by the weekend, and you don't have the Simply Marvelous rub, you can make you own easily enough.

I use a home made rub for pork that looks like this...

3 parts kosher salt
2 parts medium grind black powder, no fines
1 part Turbinado sugar
1/2 part each paprika, chile powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion

I now run my cooks closer to 280F to 300F and I think the product is even better.

A butt is a butt it has plenty of fat to meat, figure a bit over 4 lbs after cooking, 1/2 lb per feeds aprox 8, or less hungry soles..

can cook almost any temps, but keep it simple, rub heavily with your favorite rub. go 275 for about 4-5 hours until you like the color, I dont like it black, wrap with foil until done, start probing at 195 and pull when your probe slides in easily all over. wrest in a cooler, or oven that is off for a hour, and pull.
Should take 6-8 hours plus rest time.

rubs, injections, adding juice to foil are all options but this will get you in the ballpark.

I'm by no means any kind of BBQ expert, but I would suggest for your first time to KISS....keep it simple.

Plan to eat 15 hours after you smoke the butt...I like smoking at 225-230 for 12 hours, then rest for about three hours in a cooler wrapped in foil....

I don't go crazy with trimming...pick out a good rub or make your own, but again KISS...

Rub it down good on top, bottom and sides....put in the smoker for 12 hours @225-230. Remove and let rest in a cooler for about three hours....get a large aluminum pan and place the butt into it, grab the bone, should pull out very easy...pull and eat...sauce all or put sauce on table....

A butt is very easy to smoke...don't get crazy for the first few times...simple is better....

Good,luck and post the outcome.

Noob, you didn't mention what you were cooking on, that may help.

landarc said:

Here is a link to a cook I did that was your basic pork butt cook LINKY

There are a few errors in that post, it was a cook from 5:30am to 8:30pm.

And I do a few things different now, but, everything there is applicable and will turn out a great product. Assuming you do not have time to buy rub by the weekend, and you don't have the Simply Marvelous rub, you can make you own easily enough.

I use a home made rub for pork that looks like this...

3 parts kosher salt
2 parts medium grind black powder, no fines
1 part Turbinado sugar
1/2 part each paprika, chile powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion

I now run my cooks closer to 280F to 300F and I think the product is even better.

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^^^^^^^ this!

Here are some BASIC steps for a first cook of a butt:
1. Rub the butt with whatever rub you want. (There are dozens of threads about this.) Let the rub sit for at least an hour, up to overnight.
2. Foil the waterpan, and then fill about half-way with water.
3. Fill the charcoal ring about 2/3 full. Then put 10-15 lit coals in the middle of it. Put 3-4 wood chunks on top of the unlit coals.
4. Open all of the vents, and let the smoker get up to 275-300. When you get to temp, close two of the bottom vents, and close the third about halfway. That should lock your temp in. (Always, always, always keep the top vent open. It keeps the smoke flowing.)
5. Put the butt on the grate, and have a few beverages.
6. You shouldn't need to do anything other than keep an eye on the smoker temp and make small adjustments (if any) to the vents for the next several hours.
7. Seriously, just relax.
8. When the internal temp of the butt gets to 190-200, see if you can grab the bone (with a welding glove, it's gonna be HOT). When the bone wiggles loose, the meat is done.
9. When it's done, take it off the smoker, wrap it in foil, then foil again, then a towel, and put it in a cooler. Let it sit for at least 30 min.
10. Take it out, pull it apart, and eat the best meal you've ever made.

Noob said:

New Braunfels offset with mods in my sig

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ya did great noob!!!

20 years ago when I first started cooking these, the going price was 89 cents lb

like the others said, keep it simple, and keep the peeking to a minimum. if you are looking you aint cooking!!!

Remove it from the package and rinse it under cool water
pat it dry with paper towels
Med coat of Kosher Salt

Bring the pit to 300 with some hickory or pecan put the butt on and walk away if you keep your temp at 300 the bone should wiggle free in 7 hrsYMMV

wrap in foil and into a empty cooler for min 1 hr 2 is better
drain off any juices in the foil and reserve to add back

pull the pork remove any inedible bits pour the reserve juices back over the pulled meat
add a little salt and some E NC Pig Juice

Serve on cheap white buns with slaw and Pig Juice on the side

Eastern N..C PIG JUUICE

Ingredients

1 quart cider vinegar
1/8 cup salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon milled black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1/2-3/4 cup light brown sugar, depending on taste
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce

Warm the vinegar & water enough to dissolve the salt & sugar add the remaining ingredients allow to cool and bottle, no need to refrigerate
cooked at 300 salt & hickory smoke

with butts.. i Rub Heavily.. with favorite rub.. then hit it with Yellow Mustard.... (Helps a little with Bark Formation) and smoke on... just a suggestion.. helps hold that rub on also..

Just put your rub on then Mustard.. rub good.. then hit it with a lil more rub.. and smoke on! :clap:

There's a lot of great advice on ths page. With the exception of the advice the grocery store put on the label. That's how you'd cook it if you wanted to slice it, not pull/shred it.

Enjoy the leftovers noob!!!!!

Noob said:

So 275-300F will get me all done with a juicy final result? No need to go low 200's?

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either way, whatever your pit settles in at.

i have 1 WSM that likes low 200's, the other 275ish. butt comes out the same on either, just a bit different timing.

Noob said:

So 275-300F will get me all done with a juicy final result? No need to go low 200's?

Click to expand...

It's mostly preference and different ways to get same result. I think most can agree that 250 plus will get you there faster than low 200, and with better results.

Most cook in the zone, I have a stoker so I pick a temp and it stays on the money

I've done a total of 3 butts/picnics for pulling w/ great results. No mustard or oil. Simple homemade rub of whatever I have- the usual spices and a bit of brown sugar

I've cooked them ~265-300.