Two Butts in the "electric chair"

[wickerdave]

I'm hosting a neighborhood BBQ gathering for around 25 people on Labor day weekend, I'm cooking ribs, pork butt, pork belly and sausage. I will have two pellet smokers, a masterbuilt electric smoker, and an outdoor griddle to accomplish the cook. I have never used an electric smoker before but I have been watching all the youtube videos I can find on using one. Due to the amount of cooking space available, it looks like I will be using the Masterbuilt to smoke the two 10 lb. pork butts. My concern is the smoke time. I'm torn between an overnight smoke at 225 degrees or a shorter early in the morning cook start, at 275 degrees. We are eating at 5opm. Help please..

 

[KClandcruiser]

Always better to have it done early than not done on time

I'd go overnight, then let them get down to 140-150 and throw them back in the electric smoker as low as it'll go and use it as a warming cabinet

 

[Fooball]

If you do overnight, you'll probably need to wake up at times to feed the smoker new wood chips unless you like a light smoke profile, otherwise it will just cook like an oven.

I used to have a Masterbuilt electric, could get maybe two hours of smoke before refill needed. Not sure what model you have or if they have changed any in 15 years.

 

[mike243]

feed it chips or chunks every hour for 4-5 hours, go over night if it were me

 

[Back9Q]

275-325 and wrap when color looks good. Start at 8am and plenty time for 2-3 hour rest


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[sudsandswine]

Cook the pork butts in advance on the pellet smoker and reheat day of.

 

[Kevin James]

Not sure if you have the option of Sous Vide... but the easiest way to accomplish this easily would be cook them the day before, let them cool down to 145ish, vac seal them whole, and either refrigerate and reheat in the sous vide the day of, or just use the sous vide as a hot hold at 141-145 until ready to eat. No staying up all night required, and no waking up at the butt crack of dawn required. I've done this with a pork butt and it turned out great. I do it with briskets all the time and they are always awesome as well. I will never do an all nighter or wake up earlier than I do work again just to cook some BBQ. There's no reason for it. Work smart... not hard.

 

[CaptainQ]

Pulled pork is as good or better the second day. I recently started cooking pulled pork the day before. It really takes the pressure off of trying to time the finish/rest time.

 

[oldgfbbq]

If this helps things.....you can cut the butts into 2-3 pieces and season as usual, they should cook in roughly the same amount of time as ribs, with more surface area on which to form bark. I did it numerous times for timing purposes. I think it also looks nicer in a chafing pan with a little more bark visible.

 

[Cat797]

Be advised, my Masterbuilt electric always ran quite a bit hotter than the set point, so make sure you understand that before you throw your butts on and go to bed.....