Same Issue with addtional comments / ? - original post started July 11, 2013

[dpetz28]

I haven't smoked anything in awhile, not since before Christmas - rough / cold winter up here in Michigan.

I been having an itch to kick-off the 2014 season smoking either a brisket or a pulled pork, I opted for pulled pork. I purchased a nice hunk of pork butt Friday afternoon, 5.57 lbs / bone-in for $21 at a local meat market. If you live in Macomb TWP, Michigan, go to Messina Meats on 21 Mile Road and Hayes, awesome meat market and John Biondo does a great job!!

I started the smoke at 7am; my plan was to eat dinner around 6-6:30 pm at the latest. I was finally able to pull the pork butt out at 9 pm (IT of 197F). The family couldn't wait any longer, we decided to order Chinese and eat the pork on Sunday.

What the heck am I doing wrong? Every time I smoke something, it always takes an additional 2-hours to cook. Frustrating!! My family doesn't want me to smoke meat anymore because we are always eating 2-hours later than we should. I know every piece of meat is different, but this has happened more than once.

When I pulled the meat out, I wrapped it in foil and a towel and let it rest for an hour. When I pulled-it and tasted it, it had good flavor but a bit dry.

I wanted to make sure that my Maverick ET732 was working properly, so I purchased a digital thermometer to compare readouts. Both readouts were within +/- of 2 degrees between both.

I was reading a few other posts, how important is it to have a water pan in the smoker? I have never added a water pan. Could this be part of the problem?

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[swthorpe]

You are correct that every piece of meat is different, so exact cook times are hard to come by.   I have done butts that required 2+ hours per pound to reach 200IT, so I always plan for more than 2 hours/lb.

What temp were you using for the butt?   You might want to increase it a bit.   When the unit is cycling on and off, what kind of temp swings do you see on the Maverick?   I am wondering if the unit exceeds your temp setting...for example, I typically see swings of +/- 15F from my set temp.

I would try the small loaf pan of apple juice to see if that helps the moisture.  I now use a small pan for every smoke.

[NDKoze]

First off, I would strongly agree with Steve on using a mini aluminum loaf pan.

You can fill with Apple Juice/Cider, Beer, or even water and place it directly next to the smoker box on the bottom of the smoker. This will help stabilize the temperatures swings as well as provide additional moisture to help from drying out the meat.

Also, brining your butt overnight will really help keep it moist. There are several brine recipes in the Pork section.

All of my butts have taken a minimum of 2 hours per hour. So, I routinely start mine at midnight the night before and it hits 200 or so usually 12:00-2:00 the next day. If it gets to the desired internal temp early, I have lowered the smoker temp to 140 and held it until 2 hours prior to my meal. Two hours prior to my scheduled meal time, I pull the butt, double foil wrap it and let it rest in my cooler with towels over the top for two hours before pulling.

This method is pretty much fool proof and you can eat on time every time.

Don't worry, even after a 2 hour rest, the but is still VERY warm if not still hot. But extremely juicy.

BTW, I have seen that others smoke their butts at 240 with good results. I choose to stick with 225 and just start earlier.

[dpetz28]

I set the smoker to 225F and you are right, I do see around +/- 15F swings on the Maverick.

Like I have posted before and this is not the first time this has happened (other pork-butts, brisket, ribs, fatties). I just want to know what I need to do in the future?

Do I need to just plan on extending all my smoke times 2-hours? Will a water pan make that much of a difference.

[NDKoze]

What smoker do you have?

My preference would still be to start the night before. But at a minimum, I would start 2-3 hours earlier. Worst case scenario, is that it gets done early and you rest longer or reduce the heat to 140 on the smoker for awhile.

[swthorpe]

I would go ahead and start earlier on the cook time, and as ND pointed out, you can always lower the temp to 140F for a warm and hold period if the meat finishes early.

[DivotMaker]

Sound advice here.  Allow at least 2 hours per pound, use a water pan next to the smoke box (it really does make a difference), place the meat as high as possible (temp is most stable at the top of the smoker), and try brining a pork butt (you'll never go back to "plain").

You might even want to set your temp to 235-240.  Butts and briskets will still cook fine there, and it may speed things along a little more.

[es1025]

Dpetz
I smoke port butt at 240 with a water pan and on the third rack.
I foiled after five hours and continue to cook until it of 200 and then rest for st least an hour.
I found with the weather and other factors the higher temperature works much better.

I smoke all meats at 240 and have had not issues with doneness.

[Grnzy88]

hey guys - just ordered the #3 - smoking 10lbs of pork butt and 10lbs of brisket......so should I plan on 40 hours of smoking time.......?!  seems excessive.......but if 2 hours per pound x 20 lbs..........hmmm - thanks

[NDKoze]

I would say you are looking at 15-20 hours give or take. This is not an exact science.

You don't need to add all the separate pieces of meat together and take that times 2.

Depending on when you are planning on serving, I would probably start the night before. If you get the meat to internal temp (I usually go to 200) sooner, you can just lower the smoker temp dial down to 140 and let go until 1-2 hours prior to serving.

When you get to 1-2 hours prior to serving, pull the butts, double foil wrap and store in a cooler with a bunch of towels on top. This step is very important.

Make sure that you use a water pan of some type. I use mini loaf pans filled with Apple Cider/Juice or Beer placed directly next to the smoker box on the bottom of the smoker.

Sounds like you are going to have a heck of a party.