Blind Pork Butt?

[PitBull]

A friend of mine is going to attempt to cook 240 pounds of pork butt (for pulled pork) for his sister’s high school reunion. He was asking me how he should go about cooking that many at once. Cooking that many butts for pulled pork sort of eliminates the use of temperature gages and wrapping. If you weren’t going to use the meat temperature as your guide, how would you go about this? 45 minutes a pound or something to that affect? :? I have a method for brisket, but not pork.

I did search the forum before asking the question with no result. 8)

[TexLaw]

If he really isn't comfortable on judging by look and feel, he can keep tabs on one or two of those butts with a probe thermometer and spot check the others with a Thermopen or other instant read thermometer.

Timewise, you're looking at about the same for a brisket. Maybe a little less, and maybe a little more. It's barbeque. :) It's hard to overcook a butt, so he does have that going for him.


TL

[Mic]

Ditto what TexLaw said! He can easily eliminate wrapping but I wouldn't skip a temp check now and then! :wink:

Mic

[Michiana Mark]

Pit Bull, last year I did 28 butts on the Predator, for a grad party. I started the fire at 4 am and was done pullin at 4 pm, just in time. And I was done pullin, that's a lot of pork. Anyway, I put a temp probe in the biggest one I had, and the littlest one. When the little one hit 165 I wrapped all the small ones quickly. Then moved the probe to a little bigger one and repeated the process. I'd remove the probe, stick it in another one, and just kept probin and wrappin. Got to work fast, and having a helper is a good idea. Got to open and close them doors quick. It's a good idea to have a little extra heat in the pit at this time, so It doesn't low as much heat that way. By the time I got the last one wrapped, the first one was ready to pull. Go baby go. Have fun.:)

[Zeeman]

With that amount of cold meat in a pit it could take a few hours for pit temp to start to rise. Don't rush it. I cook at around 220ish and would allow at least 1.5 hours per pound of average butt weight if not foiling them.

After about 5-6 hours pit temp should be leveled out. At the 8 hour mark I would check the internal temp of the butt(s) located in the hottest spot of the pit. Then check again in an hour. Won't hurt them if go you over a little.
All butts will not be done at the same time. Rotate them to hottest spot as you remove the ones that get done first.
No need to spray them. Remember, if ya looking ya ain't cooking.
z

[droller]

A friend of mine is going to attempt to cook 240 pounds of pork butt (for pulled pork) for his sister’s high school reunion. He was asking me how he should go about cooking that many at once. Cooking that many butts for pulled pork sort of eliminates the use of temperature gages and wrapping. If you weren’t going to use the meat temperature as your guide, how would you go about this? 45 minutes a pound or something to that affect? :? I have a method for brisket, but not pork.

I did search the forum before asking the question with no result. 8)

Hey, PitBull. I'm trying to figure out your friend. He's got a smoker large enough to smoke @ 30 pork butts and doesn't have an idea how to do it? What's he been smokin' in the past? That thing gotta hold a lotta chicken and ribs! What's wrong with using thermometers? When the smaller ones reach 200 degrees, tell him to take them them off and wrap them to to keep them warm and continue to smoke the others! Cooking that many pork butts should not eliminate the use of thermometers and, if desired, wrapping.

[PitBull]

droller, the pit he has is a 3'X8' offset. It's actually his Dads. He generally does the cooking for his Dad's 4th of July bash, but he only knows how to cook brisket and sausage (I've had his brisket and its ok). He said he's never done pulled pork and that's why he asked me. He knows I have. I just haven't done that many. On a swag I told him pretty much what Texlaw said., but I just wanted some experienced input so I wouldn't steer him wrong. :)