Smoking labor

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I cook at 225 until it reaches 190-200 then wrap in foil and heavy towel then drop into a cooler for at least an hour before chopping/pulling, bone pulls out 99% clean, I pull it apart to where its a bunch of fist sized pieces then just chop it up and pic out the waste/fat. Some of the more fatty areas I may do a little more pulling than chopping.


Too low and slow for me..on most pits. If I was a gauge watcher I would attempt to dial in 260-275 or so for a nekked butt. Would quit cooking when the bone came out easy then follow the good wrapping advice dispensed above. It dont bother me a bit to let one swelter half a day wrapped and in the hot box. Now if somebody is cooking on a fancy commercial pit or something..I can go much lower on the temp. All depends on the airflow and moisture content of the pit environment.
 
Too low and slow for me..on most pits. If I was a gauge watcher I would attempt to dial in 260-275 or so for a nekked butt. Would quit cooking when the bone came out easy then follow the good wrapping advice dispensed above. It dont bother me a bit to let one swelter half a day wrapped and in the hot box. Now if somebody is cooking on a fancy commercial pit or something..I can go much lower on the temp. All depends on the airflow and moisture content of the pit environment.

Cant rush quality Q man... lmao. I think cooking at lower temps for longer periods helps with rendering out the fat.
 
It's a matter of personal preference. And, like B-dub said, it depends on the pit. On my BGES, 225 is where it likes to run, so i let it. With my offset smoker, I'm comfortable with 275 for a butt. I could cook one butt in each one, and in a blind taste test, betcha can't tell the difference! So, in my opinion, you're both right. But my opinion isn't worth a turd on a stick, so feel free to debate the issue further, I enjoy you guys' witty banter!
 
Low temps and rapid air exchange is what is called a dehydrator. Works great for jerky but not worth a caca for bbq "unless" you have a pit which does not have a brisk airflow. Egg might do the trick. Does not work well on most unwaterized log burning offsets or typical R2D2 gizmos. Chum who has a big Southern Pride cooks at 195..but he cooks large amounts of meat for long periods of time and not much moisture escapes. Oylers work the same way. BBQ chain down here uses em. Can turn a brisket to mush if thats the way a person wants em. Too mushy for me.
 
Low temps and rapid air exchange is what is called a dehydrator. Works great for jerky but not worth a caca for bbq "unless" you have a pit which does not have a brisk airflow. Egg might do the trick. Does not work well on most unwaterized log burning offsets or typical R2D2 gizmos. Chum who has a big Southern Pride cooks at 195..but he cooks large amounts of meat for long periods of time and not much moisture escapes. Oylers work the same way. BBQ chain down here uses em. Can turn a brisket to mush if thats the way a person wants em. Too mushy for me.

I add a water pan in my vertical smoker while cooking, could be why it doesnt dry out. Thanks for pointing that out, I was just stating what had worked for me. With my cheap store bought vertical smoker I can run 225 with vents almost closed down for about 3/4 hours from a small pan of charcoal.
 
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