Top 48 How Long Does Smoke Penetrate Meat The 106 Correct Answer

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Contents

How long does smoke get into meat?

To figure out how long you need to smoke your meat, you have to take three factors into consideration: the type of meat, the thickness of the meat, and the temperature of the smoker. On average, you will need 6 to 8 hours, but brisket can take up to 22 hours.

How long will a Boston butt absorb smoke?

Other factors to consider are the size, shape, and type of the meat being smoked. In your case, smoking a whole six pound Boston butt at 225°F would normally take around one and one-half hours per pound, more or less, to become tender enough to pull or shred (internal temperature of 190+°F), or up to 9 or more hours.

How long will brisket accept smoke?

Our general rule of thumb is to plan on between 30 and 60 minutes per pound. For example, a 16-pound brisket cooked at 275 degrees Fahrenheit will take between 10 and 12 hours. The entire process from trimming, injection, seasoning, and cooking will take between 18 and 20 hours.

Can you smoke meat too long?

Taking your meat off too early will leave you with risks such as foodborne illness and too long of a smoke will turn the meat into a bitter bite.

Why am I not getting a smoke ring?

Humidity – Higher humidity, and a moist meat surface, results in a better smoke ring. Oxygen Levels – Oxygen is required for combustion to take place. A lack oxygen will mean smoldering fuel, less nitric oxide and no smoke ring.

What temp does meat stall at?

What is the Stall? The stall, the plateau, or the zone occurs when smoking or cooking larger cuts of meat at low temperatures for extended periods of time. It is when the interior temperature of that meat reaches about 150°F to 170°F and stops going up. This state can last for hours.

How long should a pork butt rest?

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.

How long does it take to smoke a 5 lb Boston butt at 250?

In general, you smoke a pork shoulder for 75 minutes per pound at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. But the duration is only a rough gauge and the actual cook time depends on internal temperature. A safe internal temperature is 185˚F, however, the ideal internal temp for tenderness is 190-200˚F.

Is it better to smoke brisket at 225 or 250?

According to some pitmasters, you should always aim for a smoker temperature of 250 degrees when making smoked brisket. At this temperature, the meat will cook more quickly than it would at 225 degrees, but it will still have the time it needs to achieve a nice tender texture.

Can you smoke a brisket in 8 hours?

Smoke the brisket until it is at least 160°F internally AND has a dark, almost black, exterior. This can take anywhere from 5 – 8 hours depending on the size of your brisket. 6.

Can you smoke a brisket in 6 hours?

Rub the entire brisket with the spice mixture, place on a baking sheet, cover and let stand in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. Prepare the smoker according to manufacturer’s directions. Place the brisket in the smoker, fat side down, and smoke for 4 to 5 hours or until extremely tender.

What meat can you smoke in 4 hours?

Top 11 Best Quickest Meat to Smoke
  • 1 – Smoked Pork Chops. …
  • 2 – Smoked Salmon. …
  • 3 – Smoked Chicken Wings. …
  • 4 – Smoked Steak. …
  • 5 – Smoked Turkey Breast. …
  • 6 – Chicken Thighs. …
  • 7 – Hot & Fast Smoked Pork Ribs. …
  • 8 – Smoked Tri-Tip.

What is the hardest meat to smoke?

What is the hardest meat to smoke? Brisket is the holy grail of smoking. Everyone from competitive cooks to dedicated pit masters and barbecue enthusiasts agree that beef brisket is the hardest meat to get right.

Does a smoke ring mean anything?

So the smoke ring is really a remnant. It’s a biological marker of how quickly the meat cooked, and how much NO was able to stick to the meat before it turned brown throughout. (That’s the short version.

What can be smoked in 4 hours?

Top 11 Best Quick Meats to Smoke
  • 1 – Smoked Pork Chops. …
  • 2 – Smoked Salmon. …
  • 3 – Smoked Chicken Wings. …
  • 4 – Smoked Steak. …
  • 5 – Smoked Turkey Breast. …
  • 6 – Chicken Thighs. …
  • 7 – Hot & Fast Smoked Pork Ribs. …
  • 8 – Smoked Tri-Tip.

Why does smoked meat make me sick?

Smoked meat is linked to several bacteria. For instance, it might be contaminated with Listeria or Clostridium botulinum, resulting in a foodborne illness. Clostridium botulinum can also cause extreme vomiting, slurred speech, muscle weakness, and double vision.

Can you smoke chicken and beef at the same time?

The short answer: Yes, it is possible to do and you can still turn out some delicious barbecue in the process. Whether you are smoking or barbecuing multiple pieces of the same type of meat or different types of meat, there are some things to keep in mind to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Why does smoked meat last longer?

The smoking process kills bacteria because they die at 160 °F (71 °C) and hot smoking brings the external temperature of the meat to 225 °F (107 °C). The smoking process also dries the outside of the meat and leaves smoke deposits which inhibit bacteria growth and help in preserving freshness.


Smoking Meat Week: Smoking 101
Smoking Meat Week: Smoking 101


How long does meat actually take on smoke? | Smoking Meat Forums – The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth!

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about How long does meat actually take on smoke? | Smoking Meat Forums – The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth! There is no time limit on smoke absorption. The ring stops when the meat hits about 170°F and myoglobin loses its oxygen retaining ability, not … …
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How long does meat actually take on smoke? | Smoking Meat Forums - The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth!
How long does meat actually take on smoke? | Smoking Meat Forums – The Best Smoking Meat Forum On Earth!

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Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue Updating …
  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue Updating Smoking requires three things: low temperature, slow cooking time, and delicious smoke. Learn about choosing a smoker and smoking meat properly.
  • Table of Contents:

What you need to cook meat low and slow

Selecting a Smoker

Using Hardwood

Choosing Cuts of Meat

Controlling Temperature

Sustaining the Smoke

Maintaining the Moisture

Calculating Cooking Time

Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue
Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue

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Learn How Long to Smoke Boston Butt at Various Smoking Temperatures

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Learn How Long to Smoke Boston Butt at Various Smoking Temperatures Updating How long to smoke Boston butt depends on smoker temperature. At 225°F, up to 90 minutes per pound. Boston butt smoking time at 275°F is considerably less.
  • Table of Contents:
Learn How Long to Smoke Boston Butt at Various Smoking Temperatures
Learn How Long to Smoke Boston Butt at Various Smoking Temperatures

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How to Smoke a Brisket – Traeger Grills

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for How to Smoke a Brisket – Traeger Grills Updating Learn how to smoke a brisket. This guide will teach you how to trim, season, smoke, wrap, temp, rest, and then cut a brisket on a wood-pellet grill.
  • Table of Contents:

How to Prep a Brisket

How to Trim

How to Season

Best Wood Pellets For Smoking Brisket

Should You Cook Brisket With Fat Side Up Or Down

How to Smoke a Brisket on a Pellet Grill

How to Wrap a Brisket

How to Tell When Smoked Brisket Is Done

How Long Should You Let Brisket Rest Before Slicing

How to Cut Brisket

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Brisket

Tips For Smoking Brisket

Burnt Ends

How to Add Extra Flavor

Keep it Simple

How to Reheat Brisket

Getting Serious About Smoked Brisket

Summary

Brisket Recipes & Guides

Recommended Products

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How to Smoke a Brisket - Traeger Grills
How to Smoke a Brisket – Traeger Grills

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Howto Get a Good Smoke Ring | Barbecue Tricks – YouTube

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Howto Get a Good Smoke Ring | Barbecue Tricks – YouTube Updating My FREE BBQ cookbook http://bit.ly/freeBBQcookbook Competition quality Brisket – http://bit.ly/snakeriverBBQRecommended BEEF/free bacon -http://bit.ly/BaconF…billwestbs, gratetv, barbecue, barbeque, bbq, greattv, tips, tricks, grilling, cooking, howto, smoke ring, tender quick, Food, Brisket (Food), traeger
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Howto Get a Good Smoke Ring | Barbecue Tricks - YouTube
Howto Get a Good Smoke Ring | Barbecue Tricks – YouTube

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When Does Meat Stop Absorbing Smoke? – Pioneer Smoke House

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for When Does Meat Stop Absorbing Smoke? – Pioneer Smoke House Meat will stop absorbing smoke when it is removed from the smoker. The smoke ring you often see on meat will stop expanding when the temperature reaches … Meat will stop absorbing smoke when it is removed from the smoker. The smoke ring you often see on meat will stop expanding when the temperature reaches 170°F (76°C), which is when the myoglobin will no longer retain oxygen. However, the smoke ring’s size does not affect the smoky flavor.
  • Table of Contents:

What Temperature Does Meat Stop Absorbing Smoke

Smoke Flavor vs Smoke Ring

How Long Does Meat Absorb Smoke

How Cooking Methods Affect Smoke Absorption

Conclusion

When Does Meat Stop Absorbing Smoke? - Pioneer Smoke House
When Does Meat Stop Absorbing Smoke? – Pioneer Smoke House

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The Science of Smoke – Smoked BBQ Source

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  • Summary of article content: Articles about The Science of Smoke – Smoked BBQ Source Meats that are smoked for longer tend to have smokier flavors, it is a myth that meat stops taking on smoke after two hours! Proved you keep … …
  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for The Science of Smoke – Smoked BBQ Source Meats that are smoked for longer tend to have smokier flavors, it is a myth that meat stops taking on smoke after two hours! Proved you keep … It is important to understand the science of smoke in order to achieve the best flavor of your BBQ. Find out what is smoke and how it affects meat taste.
  • Table of Contents:

What is smoke

How smoke flavors meat

The two-hour smoke saturation myth

Too much of a good thing

How to generate smoke

The best woods for barbecue

How wood burns

Good smoke vs bad smoke

The smoke ring

You can smoke more than just meat

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The Science of Smoke - Smoked BBQ Source
The Science of Smoke – Smoked BBQ Source

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BBQ Myths Debunked — 41 Things You Thought You Knew About BBQ

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for BBQ Myths Debunked — 41 Things You Thought You Knew About BBQ Conser it nothing but meat juice, certainly not blood, and a perfectly normal and acceptable thing to see. 4. The Smoke Ring is a Sign of Skill and Flavor. If you know, you know. Except when you don’t! In this article, we’re going to do away with 41 common, but wrong, BBQ myths. It’s a fun ride!
  • Table of Contents:

1 Searing Seals in Juices

2 Red or Pink in the Meat Means it’s Underdone

3 Red Liquid is Blood

4 The Smoke Ring is a Sign of Skill and Flavor

5 A Smoke Ring is Mandatory

6 Get as Much Smoke Going as Possible

7 Resting Meat After Grilling is an Absolute Necessity

8 Soaking Wood in Flavorful Liquids Will Make Your Food Taste Better

9 Beer Can Chicken — For Beer Tasting Birds

10 In Carryover Expect a Temperature Difference of 5 To 10 °F

11 Breakdown of Connective Tissue Causes the Stall

12 Meat Should Be at Room Temperature Before Cooking

13 Pink Pork Will Kill You or Make You Very Sick

14 Membranes in Food Block Flavor Penetration

15 Leave Bones in to Enhance Flavor

16 More Fat Equals More Flavor

17 Only Ever Flip Steak Once

18 Lookin Ain’t Cookin

19 Grill Marks are Important

20 Use the Pop-up Test to Know When Ribs are Done

21 Smoke Comes Only From Solid Chunks of Wood

22 Tars and Oil Droplets in The Smoke Create the Pellicle and Color in the Food

23 Creosote is Bad!

Creosote Source Matters

24 Meat Stops Taking on Smoke After 1-2 Hours of Cooking

25 Soak Wood to Prolong Smoking Time and Prevent Wood Flare-Ups

26 Oil Grill Before Use

27 Meat Should Always Be Fall off the Bone

28 Sauce is the Most Important Thing

29 Marinade Penetrates Deep

30 Marinade Tenderizes

31 Stabbing With a Fork Helps Marinade Penetrate

32 Vacuum Marinators Are A God Send

33 Only Season After Cooking

34 Use Your Fingers to Test Doneness

35 Poking or Cutting Meat Leaks Juices

36 Spray Bottle Works Best For Flare-Ups

37 Clean Gas Grills With High Heat

38 Soak Bamboo Skewers to Prevent Burning

39 Clean Grill Immediately After Cooking

40 High BTU = Hotter Grill

41 Boil Ribs To Make Them Tender

Conclusion

Resting Meat — How Long Why What’s the Benefit Is There Any Point

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BBQ Myths Debunked — 41 Things You Thought You Knew About BBQ
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Smoke absorbed by meat only up to 140 degrees | The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board

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Smoke absorbed by meat only up to 140 degrees | The Virtual Weber Bulletin Board

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Smoking Meat 101 – [Complete Guide] Smoking & Types of Smokers

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How long does meat actually take on smoke?

Oh you guys……….

What you have asked is drawing many more of the never endding discussions out. Its all a can of worms.

Lets take the smoking device completely out of the discussion. There are numerous aux. smokers most of which deliver quality smoke. AMP’s is one of them.

Smoke rings, smoke rings are casued by a chemical reaction, they make a pretty presentation, but evidenced by the lack of with an electric smoker, its not a taste advantage.

Smoke is smoke, they will all give a taste. They will all give a good taste if properly applied. White or blue smoke. Its the time and application that matters.

Heres what I have read, I don’t know its true but with me believeing it, and doing most all my smokes this way for over 30 years in both analog and digital, vented and closed smokers, I tend to believe it. I have read and even seen it said one here that, as mentioned above food will always take smoke but there is a sweet spot from approx 100 to 145 IT. This is where the meat holds on to the most smoke. It still takes smoke above and below but at a dimished capacity.

What happens is there are so many different ways to smoke a meat, and every persons bends their way to best coexist with their smoker type suddenly any rule can be proven right or proven wrong by territorialy thinkers. Seriously not only is a stick burner different than an electric, then you hot and cold smokes, then add wet and dry and digital and analog while taking into whose and what flavor split or chuck or chip or pellet and you still are only half way to looking all all the MAJOR differences.

Back to the original question:

“Do you guys look at internal temps when deciding when not to add more smoke? Is it a function of hours? Whats the general rule of thumb to prevent excess pellets from being wasted? Thanks!”

Yes, I think that IT is the most important number to a new smoker. I smoked over 50 years and never even heard of IT, it was for resturants who’s cooks needed the help. I know better now, its just a good working tool. You’ll note when foiling (to help break the stall time), you’ll normally see the foiled around 155/165, yes its a stall temp but its also within the upper limit of the smoke absorption.

Yes I do try to maintain smoke from 100 to around 150 IT, I do a preheat, or dewater/ drying cycle on nearly every smoke which involves high temp causing a jump start, for 45 mins. to an hour THEN I had smoke, either chips shells or pellets. I would love to try dust someday soon also.

No, it can’t be a function of time because different folks use different chamber temps normally reflecting to what type smoker they have and their smoking style with it.

When you are finished smoking, just close the vent. No draft/no oxyen means the pellets will starve out and die out.

Lastly all this is my opinion and in smoking its all about, opinions, cause there is only what you want to believe and do for yourself.

Smoking 101: Introduction to Barbecue

The modern method of smoking foods has evolved from a process of preserving. Long before refrigerators and chemical preservatives, smoke was used to extend the shelf life of food, particularly meat.

Nowadays smoking—as it relates to barbecue—is about taste and texture, not so much making food last longer. Smoking adds flavor, it tenderizes, and it turns some of the worst cuts of meat into a wonderful meal.

When we consider smoked meat we may initially think of smoked ham, bacon, or fish. But in the world of traditional barbecue, whether it is Texas or North Carolina, smoking means something else. In barbecue, smoking is cooking food “low and slow,” requires a special piece of equipment (or a charcoal grill set up a special way), and takes anywhere from 1 hour to up to 20 plus hours.

Smoking is far more art than science, involves a lot of time and patience, and is much different than simply placing a slab of meat on the grill.

Selecting a Smoker

Put simply, when it comes to supplies and equipment, to smoke food you need a container to hold in the smoke, a source of smoke, and the food to smoke.

A smoker can be anything from a hole in the ground to a $20,000 smoker and the fuel can range from electricity to hardwood. Which type of smoker you buy will depend on a few factors: the space you have, the fuel you’d like to use, the amount of effort you want to put into it, and your budget.

Smokers can range in size from a small drum smoker to a large box smoker, and so the amount of food each model can hold will vary Once you know how much your smoker can handle, then you can move on to looking at what type of fuel the smoker requires.

Some smoking aficionados will say hardwoods such as hickory, oak or apple are the only way to go, but smoker fuel can also be charcoal, wood pellets, propane, or electricity. Smokers that use charcoal are often the least expensive while electric smokers that heat up the wood are the most hands-free.

Choose the type of fuel you think best suits you, but keep in mind if you don’t use hardwood, your smoker may not impart a satisfying smokey taste to the food.

Using Hardwood

If the signature smokey taste is the most important aspect of smoking meat, then you need to choose a smoker that uses hardwood. Freshly cut hardwood is the best as half of its weight is water and therefore will produce a nice, moist steam that will help flavor the meat.

Although dried hardwood has only 5 percent water, it still contains a lot of sugars and carbohydrates which impart a smokey taste. The species of wood, as well as where it is grown, will have a direct effect on the food’s flavor. Hickory, for example, has a very smokey taste reminiscent of bacon, while maple wood is sweeter and milder.

If using hardwood, it is important to soak the wood in water for about an hour before using—wet wood will last for hours while fresh wood can burn away in 20 minutes. If you are using wood chips, after soaking them, place them in an aluminum foil pouch and puncture with several holes. This will make them smoke for several hours.

Choosing Cuts of Meat

What type of meat to smoke is purely a matter of taste. The most popular meats are ribs, brisket, and pork shoulder (usually to make pulled pork). But don’t limit yourself to these—you can also smoke prime rib, leg of lamb, or lamb shoulder—as well as whole poultry and fish, and even cheese and nuts.

1:27 Watch Now: How to Make Perfectly Smoked Prime Rib

The process of smoking has grown around tough cuts of meat that traditionally don’t turn out well when cooked by any other method, like brisket, which is not very easy to eat unless you cook it very slow at a low temperature.

Controlling Temperature

Smoking requires good temperature control. Meat smoking is best in the range of 200 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. To be safe, most meats need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and poultry to 165 degrees.

However, to get real tender barbecue you want a higher final temperature, say around 180 degrees. Basically, smoking is a long process of overcooking tough meats to get a tender and flavorful meal.

It is best to have two accurate thermometers for smoking, one inside the smoker in the area where the meat sits to tell you the smoker temperature, and one meat thermometer placed in the meat to tell you the internal temperature of what you are smoking.

There are two reasons to keep the temperature low: One is to give the smoke enough time to sink into the meat, and the other is to naturally tenderize the meat. Slow cooking gives the natural connective fibers in meat time to break down, become tender, and change into gelatin.

Collagen, the tough connective tissues in meat (think gristle), break down into several types of gelatin when cooked slowly. This gives the meat a succulent flavor.

Sustaining the Smoke

Another basic rule of smoking is to place the meat in the smoker so that it is surrounded by smoke. You want a good, thick stream of smoke around the meat at all times to give the meat the kind of exposure needed to enhance the flavor. The smoke needs to be moving to prevent the smoke from turning the meat bitter because of a build-up of creosote.

Maintaining the Moisture

In addition to making sure your smoker is smoking, you also need to make sure it is steaming. Keeping the water pan full—provided in most smokers—is a crucial part of the smoking process. If you have a large smoker, you will probably need to refill the water pan a few times while smoking.

Adding a marinade before cooking or a sauce while the meat is smoking will assist in keeping the meat moist, but this is completely up to you.

Calculating Cooking Time

To figure out how long you need to smoke your meat, you have to take three factors into consideration: the type of meat, the thickness of the meat, and the temperature of the smoker. On average, you will need 6 to 8 hours, but brisket can take up to 22 hours.

When smoking, some cooks will follow the “3-2-1 rule.” The first 3 hours the meat is left to smoke; then the meat is wrapped in aluminum foil for the next 2 hours so the interior of the meat cooks properly. For the last hour of cooking, the foil is removed to allow the outside of the meat to develop a crisp exterior.

If you’ve cooked the meat correctly, you will see a pink ring (which is the nitric acid) around the meat just inside the dark outside layer.

Learn How Long to Smoke Boston Butt at Various Smoking Temperatures

How Long Does it Take to Smoke a Boston Butt?

A Reader Asks:

I need to find out how long it takes to smoke a six pound Boston butt. I’m cooking one on my electric smoker. What would the smoking time be with my electric smoker set to medium?

Pork Butt Smoking Times

by: Donnie Robertson

It’s not so much time in the smoker as it is an issue of temperatures. Temperature of the smoker, and final temperature of the meat. Every piece of meat takes a different amount of time to cook, even if they’re the same size. Individuals, I guess.

Two Boston Butts On a Weber Smoker

I bought a wireless temperature probe at Lowe’s for about 20 bucks. Best money I ever spent. I don’t have to lift my lid as often.

It signals me inside the house when my Boston butt reaches 195˚. I watch the temperature, but time seems to be at least 8 hours, no matter what the size of the butt is.

Boston Butt Smoking Time in an Electric Smoker

Foil Wrapped Boston Butt In Electric Smoker

Without knowing what the internal temperature of your electric smoker is when it’s set on medium, it’s impossible to give you a good answer to your question.

Smoking time and smoker temperature are two things that have an inverse relationship with each other – the higher the smoker temperature, the shorter the smoking time will be. A lower temperature will require longer smoking time.

Other factors to consider are the size, shape, and type of the meat being smoked. In your case, smoking a whole six pound Boston butt at 225°F would normally take around one and one-half hours per pound, more or less, to become tender enough to pull or shred (internal temperature of 190+°F), or up to 9 or more hours.

Now if you just want it cooked enough to slice and eat safely (an internal temperature of 145°F), it could take only 4 to 6 hours. But when cooked to a lower temperature, a Boston butt can be a tough bite to swallow.

The shape of the meat makes a difference, too. If you were to take that same 6 pound butt roast and slice it into 1 inch thick steaks, it would take less time to become fall-apart tender.

But thinner cuts tend to dry out more if cooking to the shredding stage. However, if you were cooking the pork up to 145°F, you’d save a considerable amount of time.

About smoker temperature, when yours is set on “Medium”, you really don’t know what the temperature of the smoke chamber is. (on a vertical electric smoker, you’d consider the smoke chamber to be the level at which the meat is…not at the top of the lid, where some smoker thermometers are mounted)

To have a better idea of how long it will take you to smoke meats, you need to find out exactly how hot your smoker cooks at the different settings. One way to check would be to set an oven thermometer next to the smoking butt roast, but there is a better way.

To do this, you’ll need to get a good dual probe smoker thermometer. One of the probes monitors the meat temperature, and the second probe clips to the grate, next to the meat and measures the temperature of the smoker. That way, you know the exact cooking temperature while the butt is smoking.

Traeger Pellet Grills Are Great for Smoking Pork

for what its worth

by: Dan

I’m smoking my first Boston butt this weekend. Can’t wait. In the past, I’ve smoked 2 briskets at once, 9 racks of baby backs at once, and a brisket with 3 racks of ribs at once.

It seems to me that it cooks relatively equal. Meaning its more about the total weight of that 1 piece than the weight of total pieces, but I do hear pork butts are in a league of their own. Post your results.

How Long to Smoke a Boston Butt at 225 Degrees

Checking On My Boston Butts. Looks Good!

Boston Butt Smoking Time

by: Smokio

Pork butts can be notorious for taking a long time to smoke. The internal temperature often hits a plateau, then just sits there for what seems like hours before starting to rise again. It may be that the large pockets of internal fat are absorbing all the heat.

Depending on the type of smoker you’re using, it may take more than 1-1/2 hours per pound to smoke a Boston butt. It will be absorbing a lot of heat, so the temperature rise will be slower unless your smoker can crank out the heat.

Just to make sure they get done in a reasonable amount of time, I’d try to run my smoker at 225 degrees, maybe a little higher if possible.

Many consider it cheating, but to speed up cooking, the butts can be wrapped in foil after they’ve gotten a good dose of smoke flavor, say after the first 4 or 5 hours of smoking.

They could even be transferred to your oven indoors, and finish them off at 300 degrees until the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees or so. Or until the meat is fall apart tender.

Wrapping Boston Butts in Foil Will Decrease Total Smoking Time

Foil Wrapped Butt Finishing On My Ancient Traeger

It can really speed things up if you wrap the pork in foil after it’s smoked for a few hours. A pork butt will hit a point as it’s smoking where its internal temperature stays at the same point without rising, and this usually happens when it reaches 150-160 degrees.

It can stay at this temperature for hours before the temperature starts to rise again. The reason is that the moisture coming out of the pork is evaporating away, which carries the heat away with it. So what do you do to prevent the temperature stall?

Wrap it in foil, or in uncoated butcher paper if you have it. When wrapping a pork butt in foil after it’s smoked for at least 4 hours, it already has plenty of smoke flavor, so it won’t be a problem.

The foil or butcher paper seals in all the moisture that would have been evaporating from the meat’s surface. And that can get you past the temperature stall, or prevent it from happening all together.

After wrapping it, you don’t need to use any more wood chips or chunks. All the pork butt needs is heat. Continue cooking it at 225˚ in the smoker, or you can increase the smoker temperature to speed up cooking even more.

It wouldn’t hurt a thing to finish cooking the foil wrapped pork butt at 250˚, 275˚, or even at 300˚.

Keep a remote smoker thermometer probe in the pork to monitor its temperature as it finishes cooking. With it wrapped, you should see a fairly steady rise in temperature.

When it reaches 190˚ F, it might be tender enough to pull apart, but if wait until it’s hit 200 degrees, it’ll be very tender, with no doubt.

After the Pork Butt is Done Cooking, Let it Rest For a While

Finished Cooking and Resting In a Cooler

The resting period makes a huge difference in the quality of the smoked Boston butt. Some of the juices that were released into the foil will reabsorb back into the meat, making it more juicy and flavorful. Resting also allows the meat fibers to relax, which makes pulling the pork a lot easier.

A beer cooler is the perfect container to rest the smoked meat in. Being careful not to tear a hole in the foil, remove the cooked butt from the smoker the wrap it in a heavy towel, and place the whole thing into the cooler. Shut the lid and start waiting.

One hour of resting time is the minimum. Two hours is better, and four hours is best. After 4 hours the resting Boston butt will still be nice and warm and will shred easily.

Save any juice that remains in the foil, and pour it into the pork after it’s shredded and mix it in. It will be quickly absorbed, and will add a lot more flavor and juiciness to your pulled pork.

Try This Tasty Pork Butt Recipe!

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