West Central IL | I go 225-250 with the temp. I smoke it until internal is around 204. Sometimes a little less. I have taken them off at 190. When the meat probe pushes into it like going into a soft stick of butter it's done. You can wrap it at around 165 if you want to speed up the cooking as it will stall there for a long while as the moisture starts evaporating and cooling the meat. you will lose some bark texture by wrapping it though. Don't have to worry about the moisture, as when you get to the high temp the fat starts breaking down and that's where the flavor and juice is at. Make sure you have plenty of time. If it gets done early you can hold it in a cooler wrapped in foil and towels for up to 5 hours and it will still be warm and at a safe temp to slice when you take it out. As far as seasoning, there's hundreds of ways to go, but it doesn't need a lot, salt and pepper go a long way. |