How long does it take to smoke a pork butt or how long to smoke a chuck roast? Ever find yourself asking that question? It is a very common question on many of the Facebook groups I am a part of. Guys that have been smoking forever will say, don’t smoke to time but to temperature and when its done its done. Yes, I agree with that but with that being said, if you have guests coming over or a family to feed, you want to have a general idea on when to start. Most will agree that the general rule is 1.5 hours per pound on whatever meat you are smoking. Now that will vary depending on what temperature you are smoking at, but in this case, use 250° as the baseline temperature. That will not take into account how you deal with the stall but it sets a starting point when you are trying to figure out how long a smoke with take and when you may want to start.
As mentioned above, there are aspects that should be taken into account depending on what you are smoking. If you are doing a chuck roast, you are going to pull that around 180° as opposed to if you are going to shred it, that will be closer to 200° -205°. A shredded chuck roast, may stay on for an extra hour or two while getting to that higher temperature. There will always variables in what you do. I can honestly say I probably never start early enough. One thing you can do if you are looking to start early but afraid of finishing to soon, you can always wrap your meat in either foil or butcher paper and then some towels and throw it in the cooler. It lasts far longer than you might think, gives the meat that time to rest and takes some of the pressure off, especially if you are smoking for a crowd.
In just about every case you do not want to smoke to a specific time but the IT. The guide of 1.5 hours per pound gives a good gauge as far when you need to start. How and when you finish is ultimately dependent on what you are smoking and to what temperature and if there is a stall involved.
Good luck and keep that smoke rolling!
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