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Pork butt smoke time and pull temp

Smoke at 250°F for 8 to 16 hours, and pull at 203°F.

Time8 to 16 hours
Pull at203°F
  1. Smoke8 hr
  2. Start checking8 hr
  3. Rest30 min
Cook at250°F
Wrap at160°F
Rest30 to 60 min
Safe at (USDA)145°F
  • Cook to the temperature, not the clock: pull at 203°F, probe tender, for pulling. The time gets you close; a thermometer in the thickest part tells you when.
  • At the stall, wrap at about 160°F, in foil or butcher paper. Wrapping pushes the meat through the stall.
  • A pellet grill swings around its setting, within about 25°F either way on a good day (Traeger), so the range allows for it. A new or freshly cleaned grill runs long: Traeger says an extra 1 to 2 hours on a 4 hour cook.

What are you smoking?

MeatPork buttChange

Beef

Pork

Poultry

Lamb

How big is it?

Units
lb

Your smoker

Cook at
Cooker

How long to smoke pork butt

Smoke pork butt at 250°F for about 60 to 120 minutes a pound, and pull at 203°F, probe tender, for pulling. That is for pork butt (bone-in shoulder); the calculator above fits the time to your weight and your heat.

At the stall, wrap at about 160°F, in foil or butcher paper. Rest 30 to 60 minutes before slicing or pulling. USDA counts pork butt safe at 145°F with a 3 minute rest; a thermometer in the thickest part tells you more than the clock.

Pork butt

Questions

What temperature do you pull pork butt at?

203°F, probe tender, for pulling. Cook to that temperature rather than to the clock.

When should I wrap pork butt?

At the stall, about 160°F, in foil or butcher paper. Wrapping pushes the meat through the stall; left unwrapped, the meat builds more bark and takes longer.

How long should pork butt rest?

30 to 60 minutes, loosely covered or wrapped, before slicing or pulling.

Should I cook to time or to temperature?

To temperature. The time tells you when to start and when to start checking; the meat is ready when the thickest part reaches its pull temperature.

Does my smoker change the time?

Not at the same temperature, as far as any cooker maker or test says. What changes is how steady it holds: keep the lid or door shut and the fire even, and the time holds too.