Smoking pig butt: how to resume?
I set out this morning to cook a pig butt. Found out that I was going too a birthday party at such a time that the butt would smoke for six hours and then I would need to pull it.
The shoulder was a seven pound boston butt, bone in, fat trimmed neat, no marinade period, rubbed with "glue" (1/2 cup mustard, 2 tbsp honey) salty rub with marinade injected. I cooked it for 6 hours, flipping every 60-90 minutes, adding chips, mopping and shaking rub on it. Unfortunately (?) the butt never got above 130'F, but it got 6 hours of cooking in. I pulled the meat off, let it cool down a bit, wrapped it in foil, and refrigerated.
- So, how should I finish it off? I used plenty of wood chips and I am pretty confident that the flavor is good on it. It seems the two first-glance options are:
- Start it up smoking again, and put it over more direct heat this time. This would be helpful in really crisping up the bark on the outside, but quite a bit more hassle than...
- Throw it in the oven, maybe wrapped in foil with some orange juice, or coffee and jalapenos, or a little rub of oil. Cook it at ~325'F...
So which technique would yield the best results of just getting it done, but without sacrificing too much in the way of time or flavor? (Aside from using a meat thermometer to ensure it's over 145'F, probably 155-160'F,) How will I be able to tell if it is done or not (if any additional considerations)?
Best Answer
Sadly no mater what you do, you are going to come out with non-optimal results. I would go with the oven method over the grill as you need to get the meat up, but you want to do it with out losing all the juice/fat you have already taken all the trouble to convert to gelatin. The grill is going to raise the outside of the meat much quicker that the inside (mostly, you can use your grill as an oven but in this case I don't think it brings anything to the table that you regular oven doesn't).
The best way, and by best, I mean the one with the tastiest results, is going to be put the butt in a 200 to 250 degree oven and let it come up to temp. This method is going to take the longest but will preserve the meat that come off the grill as close as you could.
Or, you can heat just like a roast and let the outside overcook a bit.
or, depending on how you are serving the finished product, you can slice cold and finish in a skillet to heat though... this would be great if you are doing sandwiches or pulled pork.
If you are feeling adventurous, 130 degrees plus smoke is a little on the rare side but it would still be delicious... not for this one as you let is cool on the counter top and fridged it but on the next one, I might just eat it then.
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How long should you let a Boston butt rest after smoking?
The minimum time that you should rest a pork butt is about 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the internal temperature of your pork butt will continue to climb as it rests. You may see as much as a 10-degree rise from when you remove the roast to when you shred it.Can I pause smoking meat?
Once your meat hits the correct temperature, take it off the smoker. You can then wrap the meat (still wrapped in foil or butcher paper) in a few old towels and leave it in a cooler to keep warm for up to 3-4 hours. The exact amount of time you can store meat safely will depend on how well insulated your cooler is.How do you keep a Boston butt moist when smoking?
Tips for Smoking Pork ButtWhat temperature do you remove pork butt?
Pork butt is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Some pitmasters say you should pull it from the grill at 195 degrees, while others claim that it's better to wait until the thermometer reads 203 degrees. In any case, 200 degrees is a good rule of thumb to follow.How to Smoke Pork Butt / How to Make Pulled Pork Recipe
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Answer 2
When you smoke a butt, you want the internal temperature to reach 195ºF (90ºC), then you take it out, wrap it tight in foil, let sit a couple of hours and then, with two forks, pull it apart. While cooking the temperature will stall at 160ºF (70ºC) or so, then it rapidly rise to 195ºF, so keep a watch out for the rise in temperature.
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