How Long to Smoke Pork butt

An 8 lb pork butt takes 8 h 50 m to 12 h 50 m at 250°F. Plan for 11 h 10 m, then rest it 45 minutes or more.

8 h 50 m – 12 h 50 m

Plan for 11 h 10 m at 250°F · 8 lb pork butt (shoulder)

Light the cooker	13 h 45 m before serving
Stall	starts near 160°F
Pull at	about 203°F and probe-tender
Rest	45–120 min
Cooked meat you get	4.2 – 4.8 lb

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Pork butt smoke times by weight

Weight	225°F	250°F	275°F	300°F
4 lb	6 h – 8 h	4 h 25 m – 6 h 25 m	4 h – 6 h	2 h 25 m – 4 h
6 lb	9 h – 12 h	6 h 35 m – 9 h 35 m	6 h – 9 h	3 h 35 m – 6 h
8 lb	12 h – 16 h	8 h 50 m – 12 h 50 m	8 h – 12 h	4 h 50 m – 8 h
10 lb	15 h – 20 h	11 h – 16 h	10 h – 15 h	6 h – 10 h
12 lb	18 h – 24 h	13 h 10 m – 19 h 10 m	12 h – 18 h	7 h 10 m – 12 h

How much pork shoulder per person

Buy about 0.5 lb of raw bone-in pork butt per adult when pulled pork is the main dish, 0.33 lb when it is one of two meats, and 0.75 lb for big eaters. A butt keeps 52–60% of its raw weight after smoking and pulling (USDA Food Buying Guide).

Party	Raw butt (main dish)	Butts of ~8 lb	Pulled pork you get	One of two meats	Big eaters
10 guests	5 lb	1	2.6–3.0 lb	3.3 lb	7.5 lb
15 guests	7.5 lb	1	3.9–4.5 lb	5.0 lb	11.2 lb
20 guests	10 lb	2	5.2–6.0 lb	6.6 lb	15.0 lb
25 guests	12.5 lb	2	6.5–7.5 lb	8.2 lb	18.8 lb
30 guests	15 lb	2	7.8–9.0 lb	9.9 lb	22.5 lb
40 guests	20 lb	3	10.4–12.0 lb	13.2 lb	30.0 lb
50 guests	25 lb	4	13.0–15.0 lb	16.5 lb	37.5 lb
75 guests	37.5 lb	5	19.5–22.5 lb	24.8 lb	56.2 lb
100 guests	50 lb	7	26.0–30.0 lb	33.0 lb	75.0 lb

Boneless butt: buy about 10% less. Picnic shoulder: about 10% more, because it has more bone and skin.

How we calculate

Time range = weight × hours per pound from the sources below (ribs, chicken, tri-tip and belly are timed per piece).
The plan sits 60% of the way from the short end to the long end. Finishing early is easy to fix with a longer rest; finishing late is not.
Several pieces: time follows the biggest one, plus 10% when the smoker holds 3 or more.
Wrapping: where a source gives wrapped times we use them; otherwise we take about 10% off for butcher paper and 20% for foil (our estimate).
Light the smoker at: plan + rest + a 1-hour buffer + 45 minutes to light and settle it. Cooked yield is from the USDA Food Buying Guide.
Spare ribs: our source gives one 5–6 hour estimate for pork ribs; we use it at both 225 and 250°F.

Sources disagree by an hour or more on big cuts; that spread is why we show a range. Always finish by internal temperature. Data as of Oct 2026. Full list of sources: How we calculate.

Cut	Pit	Range	Source
Pork butt (shoulder)	225°F	1.5–2 h per lb	traeger.com
Pork butt (shoulder)	250°F	1.1–1.6 h per lb	destination-bbq.com
Pork butt (shoulder)	275°F	1–1.5 h per lb	traeger.com
Pork butt (shoulder)	300°F	0.6–1 h per lb	destination-bbq.com
Pork butt (shoulder)	300°F, foil	0.9–1 h per lb	blog.thermoworks.com

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