I decided to do another $0.99/lb pork butt to see if I could duplicate the great and fast pull from my cook the last time I used the 18.5" smoker. Trying it on the 14.5" smoker, I could not get it to pull as easily last time.
The butt was cut in half like the previous two times... directly right down the middle, meaning it was thicker than I have cut them in the past. The pit temp was set for around 270 degrees for most of the cook time. I wrapped the meat and put in some water in an aluminum foil pan at 3.5 hours into the cook when the meat hit the stall.
Checking on the temp, at 5 hours into the cook, the pit temp was around 249 degrees. The meat was at 186.3 degrees for the portion that had the bone and 193.5 degrees for the one with the bone.
At 7 hours, it was done. The meat never rose past 97 degrees, and was starting to drop, so I figured it was done. I checked with a Thermoworks Thermapen IV thermometer and it was very tender so I knew it was ready.
To see the pull, go to this video I made of the cook and pull: https://youtu.be/eoD2W33pvqA
The meat totally fell apart like the last cook on the 18.5" smoker. At first, I thought it had to be the meat quality. But this one was from Smithfield just like the one on the 14.5" smoker and that one did not pull as easily. Not sure why, but this one was really great.
