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Danny Gaulden's How to Smoke Pork Butt and Shoulders

Pork butts are wonderful cuts of meat to barbecue, and one of my favorites. As so many on the List have said, "they are very forgiving", and a great choice of meat for a novice at barbecue to start with. Why? Mainly because of the fat marbling they have, plus just plain great flavor. If you undercook one just a bit, it may be a little tough, but still eatable when thin sliced.If you over cook it, it will still be pretty darn good, and not too terribly dry. Not so with a brisket. Undercooked, it is tough as alligator hide, overcooked it is dry, crumbly, and tasteless. So a butt is a great piece of meat to barbecue in a larger cut, plus it's not very expensive. Choosing a butt is not that difficult. Most come in the 6 to 9 lb. range. I like 'em about 7-8 lbs. or so. A nice fat cap of about 1/4 to 1/3 inch is good, and try to pick one with some marbling in the meat itself. Sometimes butts can be too fat, so be careful. You want a fat cap and marbling, but not too much. I like to start it out the same as a brisket. Generously apply a rub on it, wrap in clear wrap, place in refrigerator overnight, and barbecue it the next day. Set the butt out of refrigerator about 30 minutes before putting it in the smoker, or put it on cold, right out of the frig.When the smoker temperature reaches 225 degrees, place the butt in the smoker fat side up and smoke until extremely fork tender. Putting it fat side up lets the natural fat juices work over and through the meat and acts as a natural mop. As with smoking ribs, I have found that if I'm using an off-set firebox smoker, I need to turn the meat. For a pork butt or picnic, turn and mop it every two hours. If you're using an insulated, efficient pit that holds humidity, you can leave it fat cap up all the time, just mop it every two hours. I like to smoke at 225 to 250F constantly. 240 degrees is my "sweet spot". This generally takes about 70 minutes a pound, or 8 1/2 to 9 hours for a 7 1/2 pound butt. Time may vary!!! The pork butt should come out of the smoker when it is "fork tender". Not long ago, I measured the internal temperature of a bunch of pork butts smoked in my commercial smoker. Here's is what I found: For a sliceable pork roast, take it out at 180-185F. For an easily pulled pork, take it out at 190-200F. After you take it out of the smoker, let it cool for 30 minutes or so. DO NOT fork the butt in the fat area to check for doneness. This will be misleading, for the fat will become tender way before the meat (muscle) around the bone area. Always check for tenderness and temperature in the meat area under or above the bone in the solid muscle area. If you are not going to eat the butt within the first hour after barbecuing, double wrap it in foil, set it in a non-drafty area, or a small ice chest (no ice in chest), and let sit until it's time for dinner. As long as the butt stays between 140 to 160F internally, it will not spoil. Check with a meat thermometer every once in awhile, or stick thermometer into meat after wrapping in foil so that you can periodically monitor the internal temperature. Sometimes I like to apply a finishing glaze on the butt as soon as it comes off the smoker. It is the same one I use on my ribs, and has become very popular with many folks on the List. As soon as the butt is off the pit, baste it once with the glaze. Then let it stand a couple of minutes, and baste again. Then either let the pork sit a few minutes before preparing it for the table (you don't want to cut it while it is too hot, for it will be difficult to handle, and turn brown), or store as stated above. Smoking times and internal meat temperatures for tendernesswill vary depending on how accurate a fire tender you are, how often you open your smoker to take a peek, the natural tenderness of the meat and the quality of smoker you have. These are just general guidelines and will most likely vary every time you barbecue, but will help you get started on the road to success.