How long to smoke pork butt
8 lb pork butt at 225°F takes
9h 35min to 15h 35min
- Pull at
- 195–203°F
- FDA safe minimum
- 145°F
Your cook
5–12 lb
At each smoker temperature
| Smoker | Time |
|---|---|
| 225°F answer | 9 h 35 min – 15 h 35 min |
| 250°F answer | 7 h 55 min – 13 h |
| 275°F answer | 6 h 20 min – 10 h 25 min |
| 300°F answer | 4 h 45 min – 7 h 50 min |
By weight
| Weight | 225°F | 250°F | 275°F | 300°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 lb | 6 h – 9 h 45 min | 4 h 55 min – 8 h 5 min | 4 h – 6 h 30 min | 3 h – 4 h 55 min |
| 6 lb | 7 h 10 min – 11 h 40 min | 5 h 55 min – 9 h 45 min | 4 h 45 min – 7 h 50 min | 3 h 35 min – 5 h 50 min |
| 7 lb | 8 h 20 min – 13 h 35 min | 6 h 55 min – 11 h 20 min | 5 h 35 min – 9 h 5 min | 4 h 10 min – 6 h 50 min |
| 8 lb | 9 h 35 min – 15 h 35 min | 7 h 55 min – 13 h | 6 h 20 min – 10 h 25 min | 4 h 45 min – 7 h 50 min |
| 9 lb | 10 h 45 min – 17 h 30 min | 8 h 55 min – 14 h 35 min | 7 h 10 min – 11 h 40 min | 5 h 20 min – 8 h 45 min |
| 10 lb | 12 h – 19 h 25 min | 9 h 55 min – 16 h 10 min | 8 h – 13 h | 6 h – 9 h 45 min |
| 11 lb | 13 h 10 min – 21 h 25 min | 10 h 55 min – 17 h 50 min | 8 h 45 min – 14 h 15 min | 6 h 35 min – 10 h 45 min |
| 12 lb | 14 h 20 min – 23 h 20 min | 11 h 55 min – 19 h 25 min | 9 h 35 min – 15 h 35 min | 7 h 10 min – 11 h 40 min |
When it is done
- Take it off at
- 195–203°FPull temperature: the internal temperature at which the meat comes off the smoker, read with a food thermometer whose tip sits at the center of the meat.
- Safe from
- 145°FFDA safe minimum: the internal temperature the FDA gives for Beef, pork, veal and lamb (chops, roasts, steaks), as measured with a food thermometer. The meat must reach it before it is served.
- Rest
- 3 minRest: the minutes the meat stands off the heat before it is cut. The FDA gives Beef, pork, veal and lamb (chops, roasts, steaks) a 3-minute rest at 145°F.
Cited guides take pork butt to 195–203°F, well past the FDA minimum of 145°F, for texture rather than safety: ThermoWorks brings collagen-rich cuts to 195–205°F so their connective tissue breaks down.
What each source says
What each source says (2)
Each figure as the source states it, and restated at 225°F by this site's formula.
-
Masterbuiltpulls at 195°F
- As stated
- 60 min/lb at 250°F
- This site
- 72.0 min/lb at 225°F
-
ThermoWorkspulls at 203°F
- As stated
- 116.4 min/lb at 225°F
- This site
- 116.4 min/lb at 225°F
-
ThermoWorkspulls at 203°F
- As stated
- 58.2 min/lb at 300°F
- This site
- 116.4 min/lb at 225°F
Other cuts
- How long to smoke baby back ribs 5 h 15 min – 6 h
- pork loin smoking time 4 h 15 min
- pork tenderloin smoking time 2 h 5 min
- How long to smoke spare ribs 6 h 20 min
- How long to smoke whole turkey 6 h 45 min – 10 h 15 min
- Smoking brisket 10 h 50 min
Sources
Figures built September 2026.
Where these figures come from (3)
- Cook times: Masterbuilt, “Smoking Time and Temperature Guide”, retrieved from https://www.masterbuilt.com/blogs/master-it-blog/smoking-time-temperature-guide on 2026-09-23. Restated as numbers and normalised to 225°F by the formula on this site; no text or table is reproduced.
- Cook times: ThermoWorks, “Smoked Pulled Pork: Delicious Results in Almost Half the Time”, retrieved from https://blog.thermoworks.com/pulled-pork-time-temperature-matters/ on 2026-09-23. Restated as numbers and normalised to 225°F by the formula on this site; no text or table is reproduced.
- Safe minimum internal temperatures: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures”, August 2017, retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/media/107000/download on 2026-09-23.
Times are estimates for planning. Meat is done when a food thermometer reads the safe minimum internal temperature, not when a timer ends.