My butts need some help!!!

muzzy17is · Nov 22, 2017

I got a Masterbuilt electric smoker last year for Christmas and have been doing a lot of chicken and a few boston butts. Got the chicken down pretty good but still can't get my pork just right...I've been rubbing down and wrapping over night then wrapping in wrapping in foil and cooking for 8 -10 hours or until 180 degrees is reached...it's been good but just a little dry...any help will be appreciated for that.

Also looking for some recipes that will really wow a group to cook on my smoker as well. Thanks in advance

sinclair1 · Nov 22, 2017

Oh wow, you're gonna need an expert. 180 and I would be half rendered and two hours from done and a long way from dry.

One thing I learned from the pros on here, was to sit the butt out to bring the temp up before putting it on the smoker. I was drying out the outside trying to raise the internal temp straight out of the fridge to the smoker.
Following the thread

mguthrie · Nov 22, 2017

I only use an offset smoker. Sometimes I'll inject a butt most times not. I'll smoke 4-6 hours before I wrap in foil. I keep my fire at 250-275. It should temp at 8-9 hours. Then I let it rest in a cooler for an hour or so. It's still pretty hot when I pull it. Resting is important to keeping it moist. I'm not a pro by no means but I've smoked my fair share of meat and mine still come out dry from time to time

HuntinJake_23 · Nov 22, 2017

When I do my butts I put the rub on as I’m firing up the smoker, I have a UDS. I set my smoker to 275* and then place the butts on unwrapped. I also do not trim any fat from mine, some people do, and I cook fat side down. I pull them at 195-200* internal temp, wrap them right in aluminum foil and placed in a insulated cooler for at least 30 mind to rest. Never had one go dry on me. Here’s one I did last night that was very moist and juicy!!

elfiii · Nov 22, 2017

Inject/rub and let it sit overnight. Pull the butt out of the fridge and let it warm to ambient temp before cooking. I cook mine at 250-275 until I get an internal temp of 215-220. I used to foil but not anymore.

beretta · Nov 22, 2017

200 degrees, then remove and wrap in a towel, put in cooler.

buckmanmike · Nov 24, 2017

I use a Masterbuilt elec smoker and love it. Rub butts, let sit covered till room temp. Set smoker to 225-230. Use hickory or pecam chips and smoke for 6-7 hours. Wrap in foil, put nack in smoker for 4-6 more hours till internal temp is 205. Remove and put in cooler till it cools enough to pull.
The thermometers on my Masterbuilt are off by several degrees, so be sure to check yours and adjust if needed.
Easiest smoking Ive ever done. Dont have to babysit smoker.

buckmanmike · Nov 24, 2017

Oh, and I use the water pan. Fill it with hot water or it takes a long time for smoker to heat water.

Dub · Nov 24, 2017

180 is way sooner than I take mine off.

I wait until I can stick a skewer in all sections of it and have zero resistance. It's done then....when it's tender. The internal temp may be 198 or as high as 208. I don't worry so much about the temp as I do ensuring that it's perfectly tender.

K80Shooter · Nov 24, 2017

Dub said:
180 is way sooner than I take mine off.

I wait until I can stick a skewer in all sections of it and have zero resistance. It's done then....when it's tender. The internal temp may be 198 or as high as 208. I don't worry so much about the temp as I do ensuring that it's perfectly tender.

This, I never pull by temp anymore, I do start checking it for probe tenderness around 190. I have never had one done at 180 for pulled pork.

If you insist on going by temp try one at 205 just once, I think you'll enjoy it much better.

Lindseys Grandpa · Nov 24, 2017

180 is fine if you want to chop or slice. If you want to pull 195 minimum.

muzzy17is · Nov 25, 2017

Thanks for all the reply’s fellers...I’m gonna try another one next weekend..Wanting to smoke around 20 lbs on Christmas Eve. How long do you recon that will take?

Lindseys Grandpa · Nov 26, 2017

A lot of factors . Smoker tenp and weight of butts. I occasionally see 10lbs butts but they are not the norm. The ones I cook average 8. If time is a factor cook them in smoker for couple of hours to get smoke flavor then remove put in a pan cover with foil and turn them up to 350 .

NCHillbilly · Nov 26, 2017

I'm not an expert by any means, but a couple things I notice in your post:

If you have them wrapped in foil the whole time, you're not smoking them. You need the meat exposed to the smoke to get smoke flavor, and to build up bark to hold the moisture in. I sometimes wrap mine after they hit about 170* internal if I'm in a hurry to get through the stall faster, but they have absorbed all the smoke they're going to by that point. Cooking them in foil the whole time, it's exactly the same as cooking them in an oven.

180* is way too soon to take them off. 90% of the magic of bbq happens somewhere between 180* and 200* or so, when the collagen starts breaking down. I cook mine until a probe stuck into one feels like it's sliding into butter. That's usually somewhere around 205-210*. Basically, if you can pull the bone out with your fingers and chop the meat up with it, it's done. 180* is still in the tough, dry zone.

Don't be afraid to crank the smoker temp. I've been cooking mine at 275* or more for years, and get a lot better results than when I did the 225* thing, and they get done a lot quicker, too. I also use a drip pan in the smoker with a mixture of apple juice and beer or water. Makes a big difference, in my opinion.

I usually rub them down with a thin layer of mustard, then a heavy layer of rub before smoking. The mustard doesn't show up taste-wise, but it helps the rub stick to the meat, build bark, and it helps the rub absorb down into the meat. I used to do it the night before, but I usually rub them right before throwing them on the smoker now. With a salty rub, overnight can start to cure the meat, and you get a layer of ham on the outside.

Also, they need to rest for at least an hour before you pull them for the best results to let the juices re-distribute through the meat. Wrap it in foil, then a towel, and chunk it in an empty cooler.

I put two butts on the Akorn at 6:30 this morning, and they're already smelling really good.

muzzy17is · Nov 27, 2017

NCHillbilly said:
I'm not an expert by any means, but a couple things I notice in your post:

If you have them wrapped in foil the whole time, you're not smoking them. You need the meat exposed to the smoke to get smoke flavor, and to build up bark to hold the moisture in. I sometimes wrap mine after they hit about 170* internal if I'm in a hurry to get through the stall faster, but they have absorbed all the smoke they're going to by that point. Cooking them in foil the whole time, it's exactly the same as cooking them in an oven.

180* is way too soon to take them off. 90% of the magic of bbq happens somewhere between 180* and 200* or so, when the collagen starts breaking down. I cook mine until a probe stuck into one feels like it's sliding into butter. That's usually somewhere around 205-210*. Basically, if you can pull the bone out with your fingers and chop the meat up with it, it's done. 180* is still in the tough, dry zone.

Don't be afraid to crank the smoker temp. I've been cooking mine at 275* or more for years, and get a lot better results than when I did the 225* thing, and they get done a lot quicker, too. I also use a drip pan in the smoker with a mixture of apple juice and beer or water. Makes a big difference, in my opinion.

I usually rub them down with a thin layer of mustard, then a heavy layer of rub before smoking. The mustard doesn't show up taste-wise, but it helps the rub stick to the meat, build bark, and it helps the rub absorb down into the meat. I used to do it the night before, but I usually rub them right before throwing them on the smoker now. With a salty rub, overnight can start to cure the meat, and you get a layer of ham on the outside.

Also, they need to rest for at least an hour before you pull them for the best results to let the juices re-distribute through the meat. Wrap it in foil, then a towel, and chunk it in an empty cooler.

I put two butts on the Akorn at 6:30 this morning, and they're already smelling really good.

Thanks bud, I'm gonna try about an 8 lb er' this weekend. I've been doing the mustard/rub thing but I'm gonna do it like you said and do it early in the morning. Probably gonna get them on there around 6:30 am.

NCHillbilly · Nov 27, 2017

I put my two nine-pounders on at 6:30 yesterday, and they were completely jiggly fall-apart done by 1:15.

GA1dad · Nov 28, 2017

K80Shooter said:
This, I never pull by temp anymore, I do start checking it for probe tenderness around 190. I have never had one done at 180 for pulled pork.

If you insist on going by temp try one at 205 just once, I think you'll enjoy it much better.

Dub and K80Shooter told you right. As you approach 200 degrees, magical things begin to happen. Each pork shoulder is different, some finish sooner or later than others. At that point the thermometer is just used for probing tenderness. They call it "probe tender".

leroy · Nov 28, 2017

NCHillbilly said:
I'm not an expert by any means, but a couple things I notice in your post:

If you have them wrapped in foil the whole time, you're not smoking them. You need the meat exposed to the smoke to get smoke flavor, and to build up bark to hold the moisture in. I sometimes wrap mine after they hit about 170* internal if I'm in a hurry to get through the stall faster, but they have absorbed all the smoke they're going to by that point. Cooking them in foil the whole time, it's exactly the same as cooking them in an oven.

180* is way too soon to take them off. 90% of the magic of bbq happens somewhere between 180* and 200* or so, when the collagen starts breaking down. I cook mine until a probe stuck into one feels like it's sliding into butter. That's usually somewhere around 205-210*. Basically, if you can pull the bone out with your fingers and chop the meat up with it, it's done. 180* is still in the tough, dry zone.

Don't be afraid to crank the smoker temp. I've been cooking mine at 275* or more for years, and get a lot better results than when I did the 225* thing, and they get done a lot quicker, too. I also use a drip pan in the smoker with a mixture of apple juice and beer or water. Makes a big difference, in my opinion.

I usually rub them down with a thin layer of mustard, then a heavy layer of rub before smoking. The mustard doesn't show up taste-wise, but it helps the rub stick to the meat, build bark, and it helps the rub absorb down into the meat. I used to do it the night before, but I usually rub them right before throwing them on the smoker now. With a salty rub, overnight can start to cure the meat, and you get a layer of ham on the outside.

Also, they need to rest for at least an hour before you pull them for the best results to let the juices re-distribute through the meat. Wrap it in foil, then a towel, and chunk it in an empty cooler.

I put two butts on the Akorn at 6:30 this morning, and they're already smelling really good.

All this ^^ i to smoke mine hotter also 300-325 and like the results, taste and the saved time

NCHillbilly · Nov 28, 2017

GA1dad said:
Dub and K80Shooter told you right. As you approach 200 degrees, magical things begin to happen. Each pork shoulder is different, some finish sooner or later than others. At that point the thermometer is just used for probing tenderness. They call it "probe tender".

Yes. I don't even turn the thermometer on to stick it in the meat after a certain point.

GA1dad · Nov 28, 2017

NCHillbilly said:
90% of the magic of bbq happens somewhere between 180* and 200* or so, when the collagen starts breaking down. I cook mine until a probe stuck into one feels like it's sliding into butter. That's usually somewhere around 205-210*. Basically, if you can pull the bone out with your fingers and chop the meat up with it, it's done. 180* is still in the tough, dry zone.

My bad brother,, I should have included you too my friend. Now chopping with the blade bone is something I'll have to try some time. Just all kinds of good advice in this thread.

My butts need some help!!!

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