Boneless butts

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Justaguy

Sous Chef
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Mar 1, 2009
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Location
Utah
In a few weeks I’m cooking for a party. Not a big deal but most of the stores around here usually carry smallish butts. If I can’t find larger ones I may resort to boneless ones from Costco. I’ve never cooked boneless butts before so I was wondering if there is any difference in cook time or yield? I assumed I’d have to tie them, but if I didn’t wouldn’t that provide more bark?
 
Nick Prochilo said:
Untied will cook faster and give more bark.


Nick, I assume untied gives more surface area for bark, but why would it cook faster? Not sure why I always tie mine, but I do and it seems to take 14-16 hours at 225° to get to 190°, seems others on the Forum get there in 12-14 hours.
 
bbquzz said:
Nick Prochilo said:
Untied will cook faster and give more bark.


Nick, I assume untied gives more surface area for bark, but why would it cook faster? Not sure why I always tie mine, but I do and it seems to take 14-16 hours at 225° to get to 190°, seems others on the Forum get there in 12-14 hours.
Less mass when it's untied. It's thinner. A 1" pork chop will cook faster than a 2" pork chop.
 
Great point Nick. I always cooks butts fairly fast...260 is a real sweet spot but they humm right along at 275-300 range. That low and slow stuff can dry em out and turn em to thick sliced pork butt jerky aka Tasso. I would not bother to tie. I like to cook one wrapped and one nekked then mix 50/50 when it come time to push and pull. Seems to get the eaters cornfused. Best of fortunes on the cook. The boneless models should yield around 3/4 lb. higher than the bone in models. At least as measured from raw cuz I have weighed a bunch of them 3 D Butt bones when making sauasage and every one I weighed was right at 3/4 lb. with all the meat picked off as good as possible. That might translate into a 1/3 pound gain or less on the cooked pork.

bigwheel
 
I only cook the boneless butts from Costco. All the other stores near me carry enhanced products. Anyway, the way that the butchers remove the bone leaves the butt kind of mangled. If you dont tie it up you'll have a section that will be very dry and over cooked. I always tie them up and have great results. I sell a lot of pulled pork and find the yield is always around 45%.

Al
 
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