My 1st Butt on #2, a little dry?

[KyDog]

I smoked my 1st butt yesterday and some of it was a little dry. I read a few post about cooking till 190 IT for pulling the meat and the small section on top above bone was a little dry, the bottom was still good and moist. It went on at 9:30 pm and didn't hit 190 IT till 2:30 the next afternoon, approx. 17 1/2 hrs. i rubbed it and cooked at 220' on the top rack with fat side up. Next time i will try 180' IT. it had a good flavor and nice bark, over all it was cook and tasty.
LIve and learn. Dave

 

[jpittssr]

Dave, I also have a #2 and am getting good results. It has the Auber and the controller bypassed but I did just as well with the standard controller.
I cook @ 225 for a internal temp of 195 for pulled pork. I put a mini loaf pan almost full of apple juice next to wood box and let it touch the box. I used about 3 oz of wood.
Before I bought the Auber I just monitored the internal temp with A Maverick remote. A 7 lb butt went for about 14 hrs.
I think one of the most important things I have learned about cooking a butt is to get it out of the smoker @ about 195-198 wrap it in 2 layers of heavy foil. At this stem, some people like to dash a little apple juice over the butt then finish wrapping. Wrap this bundle in a heavy towel to help hold the heat, put in cooler and let it rest for 2 hours.
The rest seems to make a LOT of difference in my cooking.

 

[NDKoze]

Ed is right about cooking at 225 to 195.

I also use a mini-loaf pan with juice/beer place right up against the smoke box.

If you did not brine your butt, I would definitely try brining it next time. There are several good threads in the pork section about brining butts. It really does make a difference. I have brined every butt that I have ever smoked in my SI and I have never had one that was even remotely dry.

The 1-2 hour rest, double-foiled, in the cooler with towels on top is also vital.

I think at 180 Internal Temperature you will definitely not have all of your fat and collagen dissolved and will not pull very well. I haven't done a slicer yet, but many here who prefer sliced pork butt go to 175.

Did you smoke a Boston Butt or a Pork Shoulder? The pork shoulders are definitely inferior to the Boston Butt and could dry out on you a bit.

Was it a bone-in or bone-less? If you used a bone-less, definitely try a bone-in next time.

 

[KyDog]

I did smoke a Boston Butt (bone -in) and wrapped in foil and towel and put in cooler for 2 hrs. I did not brine it this time but will try that on the next one, also did not have the apple juice in the smoker, my daughter drank it all. all in all it was good, had good smoke flavor, iysed 6 oz. of hickory and the bark was good and heavy.
the dryness was the only fault i had with this smoke, will do the brining next time
Thanks Dave

 

[NDKoze]

I can tell you that the brining as well as a water pan with Juice, Beer, or even water will really make a difference.

Make sure you let us know how the next one turns out.

 

[bigbassnutt]

I agree with the difference in the two cuts of meat. This weekend I smoked a pork shoulder, wasn't looking when I got it, thought it was all the same but a lot dryer than the boston butts I have done. It still went good with the baked beans, wings and ribs. I was doing a demo for a buddy that's thinking about getting one so we did a little of everything. The ribs were the bomb!

 

[DivotMaker]

The picture looks tasty, Dave.  Just as a side-note, you may want to edit your pictures in something like MS Paint, to reduce the size.  Really hard to view giant pictures.

I can't tell if it's a picnic cut, or a Boston butt, or if it's bone-in or boneless.  Believe it or not, not all "pork shoulders" are created equally!  I find the picnics to be drier than Boston butts (picnic is the lower part of the front leg, and shaped more like a ham, and the Boston butt is the upper shoulder, and is more "square").  Like Gregg said, too, try brining.  Once you brine a pork butt, you'll never go back to "plain" pulled pork!

You mentioned "pull it at 180;"  this won't work for pulled pork.  It would be fine for slicing, but the internal fat and connective tissue won't be rendered at that temp.  Heck, most of the butts I do don't even hit the stall until the low 180s!  That's where the real magic happens!

 

[Walt]

ALWAYS use a pan of liquid (apple juice, beer, water, etc) except skin on poultry, jerky or sausage.

 

[DivotMaker]

ALWAYS use a pan of liquid (apple juice, beer, water, etc) except skin on poultry, jerky or sausage.

+1!

 

[KyDog]

thanks guys

 

[mnsmoker]

If they come out a little dry I like to mix some of the apple juice that was in the smoker with some BBQ sauce, pour it over the shredded butt right before serving.

 

[Colt911]

thanks guys

I am a little late here, but I use a short flat foil pan on the shelf underneath with water.  It catches the drippings and provides moisture.  It also most likely helps keep the temp even in my original #2.  Personally, I do not have a problem with the basic temp swings as long as they average out where I am set at 225.  I take to 190-195 then wrap in the cooler for at least a couple hours.  Mine have always been slow to cook, and very moist.  I then pull, they usually just fall apart, chop the bark, add a finishing sauce, then put back in a larger foil pan and put back on smoke for 10-15 min, then stir again.  We like a lot of smoke flavor.  Cole slaw and BBQ sauce on a bun.  Works for us.

Good luck in fitting your taste buds for the day.