Cooking a Boston Butt for BBQ
- Thread starter sherpa
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sherpa
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Thanks folks for all your help. We are going to sit down and look at all these good tips and get it ready. Tomorrow is going to be the big day for us. I will let you know how it taste!
Sherpa
Sherpa
moeh1
Gold Member
You can also find some great info on the virtual weber bulletin board
The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board - Powered by eve community
The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board - Powered by eve community
MarkV
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Great advice and I am with the cook long at a low temp (under 250) crowd. We use a smoker with a remote fire box but it can be done on a charcoal grill. If your grill is large enough I would suggest you start with a smaller pile of charcoal off to one side of the grill than you would normally use. Place your meat on the highest rack setting on the other side of the grill. Close your vents down to the minimum you can and still keep the fire going. You are trying to smoke rather than grill and want a smoldering fire away from the meat as much as possible.
We have had good success with taking the extra meat after pulling and adding BBQ sauce to it in a crock pot for another couple of hours. We will then bag and freeze in servings for a good quick BBQ meal in the future.
YOU ARE MAKING ME HUNGRY!
MarkV
We have had good success with taking the extra meat after pulling and adding BBQ sauce to it in a crock pot for another couple of hours. We will then bag and freeze in servings for a good quick BBQ meal in the future.
YOU ARE MAKING ME HUNGRY!
MarkV
forgeblast
Elite Member
Hehe this whole thread has made me miss carolina bbq. (We use to live in raleigh). When i make it at home i just cook the meat first and then add the apple cider vinegar and i use a red and black pepper mix. It gives you that awesome taste. After we eat that a couple of times we throw bbq sauce in to it and eat it again. For some reason with great bbq you never have too many leftover and even if you do you dont mind eating it.
later
later
I have found that the oven works well on the Boston Butts. I put it in there at 250 for 8-10 hrs depending on it's size and they are then ready for pulling apart. I take the shredded meat and dump on some "Sweet Baby Ray's" BBQ sauce and simmer for an hour or so on the stove top. I find it easier than fooling around with the grill and really can't taste the difference when eating it in the "pulled" style. I have also done them on the charcoal grill lighting the fire on one side and placing the meat on the opposite side with all the vents off. This keeps the temp low but I still have to restoke the fire with fresh coals half way through to keep the fire going long enough to cook through. As previously stated this is a very forgiving cut of meat and as long as you use a meat thermometer you can't mess one up.
John
John
Glenn9643
Veteran Member
Boston Butt is one of my favorites, as its about bulletproof.
I have a Great Smoky Mountain propane smoker that's my favorite way to cook them, but they do great in the oven if you don't want to go to the trouble.
I prepare the meat the same for either. I like to insert slivers of garlic cloves randomly deep in the roast. Then I sprinkle liberally with chili powder, greek seasoning, and black pepper with a good coating on all sides.
If I'm cooking in the smoker it goes in naked as prepared and stays at about 210-220F for 10-12 hours depending on size.
If cooking in the oven I put it on a roasting rack in a pan and cover with foil. (Don't wrap the meat - cover it, sealing against the pan; if the roaster is large enough you can just put the lid on the roaster) Set the oven temp to 220F or so and go about my business for the day. If you cook it in the oven the roasting rack will allow the fats to drain to the bottom of the pan away from the roast.
I have a Great Smoky Mountain propane smoker that's my favorite way to cook them, but they do great in the oven if you don't want to go to the trouble.
I prepare the meat the same for either. I like to insert slivers of garlic cloves randomly deep in the roast. Then I sprinkle liberally with chili powder, greek seasoning, and black pepper with a good coating on all sides.
If I'm cooking in the smoker it goes in naked as prepared and stays at about 210-220F for 10-12 hours depending on size.
If cooking in the oven I put it on a roasting rack in a pan and cover with foil. (Don't wrap the meat - cover it, sealing against the pan; if the roaster is large enough you can just put the lid on the roaster) Set the oven temp to 220F or so and go about my business for the day. If you cook it in the oven the roasting rack will allow the fats to drain to the bottom of the pan away from the roast.
Trahere
Bronze Member
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NIce butt!
Where can I get some!
Where can I get some!
bmac
Veteran Member
With all due respect to the crock pot and oven crowd, those of us south of the Mason Dixon line will all likely agree that if it ain't been smoked, it ain't BBQ. In other words, just adding BBQ sauce to a piece of cooked meat doesn't do it around here. Nope. You need smoke to provide a a nice black bark under which is a band of pink meat, characteristics of real BBQ. The sauce just enhances the flavor of the smoked meat.
I used to think that one had to cook BBQ with either all an wood fire or charcoal fire to which chunks of harwood (hickory is my favorite for pork) has been added. I've since learned about and purchased a CookShack electric smoker Cookshack, Inc. - Barbecue Smokers | Barbeque Smokers | BBQ Pits . As easy as an oven with the advantages of real smoke. Some purists would argue that the electric smokers don't yield as good a product as a charcoal smoker. I might agree. But for me, the difference isn't worth the extra work a charcoal smoker requires. As mentioned, keeping a charcoal smoker at 225 degrees requires a considerble amount of babysitting. Not so with the electric smoker. I set the temp, add a few chunks of hickory, put the meat in and leave it alone. By adding a wireless digital thermometer, I've gotten even lazier as the receiver beeps when the meat has reached the desired internal temperature. Then, I just remove the meat, wrap in foil and place in a cooler for awhile to allow the juices to set and then its supper time. Then, the meat is pulled and sauced to taste. Now I'm hungry.
Let me state for the record, before it is posted by someone else, that I recognize that the CookShack smokers carry quite a hefty price tag. And that, for the money and quality result, a charcoal smoker can't be beat. And many folks like the challenge of babying the charcoal fire throughout the day knowing that with due diligence, their efforts will pay off with a sumptuous piece of perfectly smoked meat. But, I am lazy and easily distracted. Therefore, the electric smoker has worked well for me.
And, BTW, CookShack has a pretty good discussion forum too, for those who want a good BBQ resource (recipes, techniques, etc.).
I used to think that one had to cook BBQ with either all an wood fire or charcoal fire to which chunks of harwood (hickory is my favorite for pork) has been added. I've since learned about and purchased a CookShack electric smoker Cookshack, Inc. - Barbecue Smokers | Barbeque Smokers | BBQ Pits . As easy as an oven with the advantages of real smoke. Some purists would argue that the electric smokers don't yield as good a product as a charcoal smoker. I might agree. But for me, the difference isn't worth the extra work a charcoal smoker requires. As mentioned, keeping a charcoal smoker at 225 degrees requires a considerble amount of babysitting. Not so with the electric smoker. I set the temp, add a few chunks of hickory, put the meat in and leave it alone. By adding a wireless digital thermometer, I've gotten even lazier as the receiver beeps when the meat has reached the desired internal temperature. Then, I just remove the meat, wrap in foil and place in a cooler for awhile to allow the juices to set and then its supper time. Then, the meat is pulled and sauced to taste. Now I'm hungry.
Let me state for the record, before it is posted by someone else, that I recognize that the CookShack smokers carry quite a hefty price tag. And that, for the money and quality result, a charcoal smoker can't be beat. And many folks like the challenge of babying the charcoal fire throughout the day knowing that with due diligence, their efforts will pay off with a sumptuous piece of perfectly smoked meat. But, I am lazy and easily distracted. Therefore, the electric smoker has worked well for me.
And, BTW, CookShack has a pretty good discussion forum too, for those who want a good BBQ resource (recipes, techniques, etc.).
OP
sherpa
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OK the BBQ is done!!!!!. Here is my report:
We decided after hearing everyone’s comments that we should cut the meat in half. Well when we opened the package it was already cut in half, and right then I knew it was going to be a good day. We also decided to cook the Butt in a smoker instead of using a charcoal grill. My neighbor has a small smoker sitting on the back porch of his vacation home next door. I went over and got the smoker off his porch and called him for directions on how to use it. He was not at home in Raleigh, NC but I tracked him down with his cell phone number in Tucson, AZ. He was glad to hear from me. He gave me all the info on how to use the smoker and the dos and do nots. After smoking this meat all day with some hickory wood, which I cut right off of a hickory tree laying up in the woods here about 600 feet from the house, we figured it was done. We brought it in the house and started to cut on it last night about 7pm and found out it was not completely done. We decided the only thing left to do was cook it in the oven awhile. We put it in a cooking bag and placed it in the oven. I guess we cooked it for about 2-3 hours. Cut the oven off and went to bed. The wife sit the whole thing on the counter this morning before she left to go to town for an appointment and some supplies. She said she thought we might have ruined it as she went out the door. It looked really bad sitting in that bag, all black and done, maybe too done! Well it has been about an hour since she left and I just now cut it open to investigate. Well folks I am here to tell you, after peeling back that black that is some great BBQ!! I eat about a medium helping before I could stop, I mean it is cold meat. I decided to heat me up a batch, talk about good, it is so tender it just falls apart and moist, who need BBQ sauce? MY oh my am I happy! I thought I would pull it apart like yall said, it don’t take any effort to do that, I even left a big chunk so the wife could experience it. She is going to be soooooo happy.
Sherpa
We decided after hearing everyone’s comments that we should cut the meat in half. Well when we opened the package it was already cut in half, and right then I knew it was going to be a good day. We also decided to cook the Butt in a smoker instead of using a charcoal grill. My neighbor has a small smoker sitting on the back porch of his vacation home next door. I went over and got the smoker off his porch and called him for directions on how to use it. He was not at home in Raleigh, NC but I tracked him down with his cell phone number in Tucson, AZ. He was glad to hear from me. He gave me all the info on how to use the smoker and the dos and do nots. After smoking this meat all day with some hickory wood, which I cut right off of a hickory tree laying up in the woods here about 600 feet from the house, we figured it was done. We brought it in the house and started to cut on it last night about 7pm and found out it was not completely done. We decided the only thing left to do was cook it in the oven awhile. We put it in a cooking bag and placed it in the oven. I guess we cooked it for about 2-3 hours. Cut the oven off and went to bed. The wife sit the whole thing on the counter this morning before she left to go to town for an appointment and some supplies. She said she thought we might have ruined it as she went out the door. It looked really bad sitting in that bag, all black and done, maybe too done! Well it has been about an hour since she left and I just now cut it open to investigate. Well folks I am here to tell you, after peeling back that black that is some great BBQ!! I eat about a medium helping before I could stop, I mean it is cold meat. I decided to heat me up a batch, talk about good, it is so tender it just falls apart and moist, who need BBQ sauce? MY oh my am I happy! I thought I would pull it apart like yall said, it don’t take any effort to do that, I even left a big chunk so the wife could experience it. She is going to be soooooo happy.
Sherpa