Predict my cook time: 23.9 lb bone-in Pork Butt

[DarienJim]

Ok been savings this piece of meat for about a month since I ordered it online: I have a 23.9 lb bone-in Pork Shoulder from Snake River Farms I am going to start smoking this afternoon.

I will probably carve 1-2 lbs of fat off (although through the package it looks like SRF did a pretty good job getting it ready to smoke).

My plan is to start at 4pm in Super Smoke mode it at 160 degrees until probably go to bed, then push it to 225 Super Smoke overnight while I sleep

Plan to get up and wrap in paper at 165ish and cook to 198. I might push it to 275 after the wrap (any thought on that idea?) Then I will rest for several hours in a Yeti cooler.

I have never smoked anything this large (mostly since it would have never fit in my medium BGE) and hence why I got the Timberline 1300...

How long do you predict it will take to hit 198 with the wrap at 165ish? How many hours? I am thinking 20 hours,

 

[RoadRunner18]

To many variables here to predict a cook time on such a large piece of meat (meat thickness, your actual grill temp, outside temp). Obviously if you purchased this Pork shoulder from Snake River Farms you already invested a good chunk of change on this Shoulder so you want it done right. If I were smoking this meat, I would not be going by time. I would be going by internal meat temperature.

You have alarms on the 1300 via the Traeger app. Set your meat probe alarm for 165 degrees, but make sure its calibrated first. This way you can start your grill the night before, set the grill smoke temp for whatever you want (I believe you said 225 Super Smoke), go to bed and the alarm will wake you via your cell phone Traeger APP when your internal meat temp is 165. I personally would set the grill temp for 200 so I get as much smoke as possible (the lower the grill temp, the higher the smoke concentration is the rule of thumb here.)

When your alarm goes off, wrap it and set your internal meat probe for 198, set your grill temp for whatever temperature you desire (you said you might push it to 275) and repeat the process. Now you know your shoulder is done the way you want it!

I use this method when I cook a Brisket or a similar large cut of meat.

 

[DarienJim]

To many variables here to predict a cook time on such a large piece of meat (meat thickness, your actual grill temp, outside temp). Obviously if you purchased this Pork shoulder from Snake River Farms you already invested a good chunk of change on this Shoulder so you want it done right. If I were smoking this meat, I would not be going by time. I would be going by internal meat temperature.

You have alarms on the 1300 via the Traeger app. Set your meat probe alarm for 165 degrees, but make sure its calibrated first. This way you can start your grill the night before, set the smoke temp for whatever you want (I believe you said 225 Super Smoke), go to bed and the alarm will wake you via your cell phone Traeger APP when your internal meat temp is 165. I personally would set the grill temp for 200 so I get as much smoke as possible (the lower the grill temp, the higher the smoke concentration is the rule of thumb here.)

When your alarm goes off, wrap it and set your internal meat probe for 198, set your grill temp for whatever temperature you desire (you said you might push it to 275) and repeat the process. Now you know your shoulder is done the way you want it!

Agree on all of this other than you think starting at 200 vs. 160 might be just as good.

As far as thickness I have smoked a lot of smaller pork butts this one is average thickness at about 9". Temperature outside is cold around 25-30 at night and 35-40 surfing the day.

I always cook by temp not time btw,

 

[RoadRunner18]

Agree on all of this other than you think starting at 200 vs. 160 might be just as good.

As far as thickness I have smoked a lot of smaller pork butts this one is average thickness at about 9". Temperature outside is cold around 25-30 at night and 35-40 surfing the day.

I always cook by temp not time btw,

But in your topic you asked to predict your cook time?

 

[DarienJim]

But in your topic you asked to predict your cook time?

Yes back to the question....I am still thinking 20 hours. Basically an hour per pound.

 

[DJLind]

Ok been savings this piece of meat for about a month since I ordered it online: I have a 23.9 lb bone-in Pork Shoulder from Snake River Farms I am going to start smoking this afternoon.

I will probably carve 1-2 lbs of fat off (although through the package it looks like SRF did a pretty good job getting it ready to smoke).

My plan is to start at 4pm in Super Smoke mode it at 160 degrees until probably go to bed, then push it to 225 Super Smoke overnight while I sleep

Plan to get up and wrap in paper at 165ish and cook to 198. I might push it to 275 after the wrap (any thought on that idea?) Then I will rest for several hours in a Yeti cooler.

I have never smoked anything this large (mostly since it would have never fit in my medium BGE) and hence why I got the Timberline 1300...

How long do you predict it will take to hit 198 with the wrap at 165ish? How many hours? I am thinking 20 hours,

I just did a 20# last week. I don't peel off the fat and I don't wrap during the cook. 24 hours on the Traeger then 3 more in a cooler. Everyone that tasted it said it was the best they ever had. See the graph for times & temps.

 

[DarienJim]

How did you get that readout?

 

[DarienJim]

 

[DarienJim]

Got it in a little earlier than I planned at 230pm so the timer is on....

 

[DJLind]

How did you get that readout?

I now use a FireBoard to monitor temps. This was my first cook with it. Absolutely worth it. In subsequent cooks, the Traeger fire box thermometer was frequently reading 20F above the FireBoard therm.

 

[DarienJim]

I have a Flame Boss 500 I use on my BGE but I think I need to get a FireBoard for the Traegar.

 

[Timmy]

Im going to predict 30 to 32 hrs cook time. I've never cooked one that big either!

 

[DarienJim]

If that happens I’m going to have to buy pizza for dinner tomorrow night.

 

[Timmy]

If that happens I’m going to have to buy pizza for dinner tomorrow night.

Im usually wrong anyway! Lol

 

[Slimpicker]

OK, the BUTT doesn't HAVE TO cook at low temps just cuz you have a Traeger... for 20 years I've cooked Butts on several types of smokers and NEVER was under 250° the whole time... I would also never do a Butt over 9lbs, First thing I would have done was CUT that 23lber in half at least!!! you get better and more bark that way... plus done way before 24 hours...

A smoke tube will give 6-8 hours of good smoke at higher temps and that's about all you need... the BUTT is only 'cooking' once the first inch of meat is done, it no longer takes on any smoke flavor... it can't, smoke does not penetrate past the SMOKE RING, that's why it's a smoke ring in the first place. More smoke maybe helps the bark taste a little better and darker, but that stops at a certain point too.

just my 2 cents