Temps (again)

Hey guys. Smoking an 8 pound pork butt
Used all the above advice and I have a locked in temp around 225*
Not playing with the vents has solved this for me - at least so far!
Thanks for the help
Hopefully I get this butt done right.
Weirdly it is below freezing today
Maybe that helps!
 
At 225 that is going to be a long cook. Have you tried cooking at the higher temps like people on this thread have suggested or are you still stuck at cooking at 225?

Cooking in colder temps makes it easier to keep the cooker at lower temps.

I never smoke anything at 225 anymore. 250 is the minimum for me. Food gets done faster and I just like it better cooked at the higher temps.

Good luck on your cook.
 
70monte said:
At 225 that is going to be a long cook. Have you tried cooking at the higher temps like people on this thread have suggested or are you still stuck at cooking at 225?

Cooking in colder temps makes it easier to keep the cooker at lower temps.

I never smoke anything at 225 anymore. 250 is the minimum for me. Food gets done faster and I just like it better cooked at the higher temps.

Good luck on your cook.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I’ll try kicking it up
 
70monte said:
At 225 that is going to be a long cook. Have you tried cooking at the higher temps like people on this thread have suggested or are you still stuck at cooking at 225?

Cooking in colder temps makes it easier to keep the cooker at lower temps.

I never smoke anything at 225 anymore. 250 is the minimum for me. Food gets done faster and I just like it better cooked at the higher temps.

Good luck on your cook.
Click to expand...
If he can maintain 225 deg, he has his temperature control nailed. I rarely cook at that low a temp, but still do so every now and then, just for fun.
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You get a several hour rebate on your life if you bump the cooking temps up to 275F. Hey, just sayin'.



From what I have experienced in my BBQ lifetime, I truly believe some cookers like to run at or above certain temps in order to be truly in the zone. Too low of a temp may cause issues in some cookers such as choking down a fire and causing it to smolder when chasing a lower temp than the cooker is happy with. The smoldering means dirty fire, which means creosote buildup on the meat.


The whole 225F is the magic number thing makes me ill, as I've actually left a few BBQ forums because they were so stuck on that idea. There have also been a few members of this forum who couldn't believe a bunch of us were cooking at 300F+ with great results, they got ill and bailed on us lol.


I suspect those are the same people who cook to temp instead of probe tender :loco:


Long story short, there are lots of different ways to put out great BBQ. There is no magic number, none, nada, doesn't exist. This is one reason I tell people to ignore 99% of the BBQ videos on youtube.
 
El Ropo said:
You get a several hour rebate on your life if you bump the cooking temps up to 275F. Hey, just sayin'.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. I might have to kick up the temp my next cook
I started at 6:30am and I’m at internal meat temp of 173.

It gets dark soon and I’m getting hungry :icon_smile_tongue::heh:

If i didn’t use recipes or rules how would i know what to do?
 
Crotonmark said:
Thanks man. I might have to kick up the temp my next cook
I started at 6:30am and I’m at internal meat temp of 173.

It gets dark soon and I’m getting hungry :icon_smile_tongue::heh:

If i didn’t use recipes or rules how would i know what to do?
Click to expand...
Make it up as you go like most of us.

At this point, there is no reason not to raise the temp to finish quicker, you have nothing to gain by not doing so. Many a butt has been finished in the oven to save time, for that matter.
 
Ok. Done
It started pouring so first I opened the summit top vent to 100% open
That drove the temp,to 300for about half hour
Then it really started raining. I took advice and put in the oven covered in foil at 275 for a half hour
Came out completely pullable and soft as butter
Delicious
Thanks!
 
Alot of pages here, I didn't read all of them. I just wanted to add, if it wasn't said, leave your top vent open 100%, and adjust the bottom vents for temp control. I found it a lot easier to maintain low temps this way.
 
Crotonmark said:
I have ranted about this before but I am back
Started a pork butt at 7AM
Got the Weber Summit to 225* but it then drifts
It goes to 250* so I adjust the upper vents
it goes to 215* so I adjust again
finally it goes to 225* again but again it starts to move
What am I doing wrong
I keep reading the this cooker is stable but not for me

Also the temps I am quoting are from the FireBoard
The dome thermometer is about 10+* cooler

It is in the 50's where i am

Help is appreciated

Mark
Click to expand...

Here is what I would suggest doing. Do a test run with a pork butt. Set the vents and just let it settle in at whatever temp it settles in at. For that setting you now have the temp that it will run at. Then after you have figured that out Change the vent settings to either run cooler or hotter and see where that settles in. Keep doing that until you have a known group of vents positions where you know what temp the pit will maintain.
 
Sounds like you did the whole smoke cranking your smoker
temps up and down.

I like to think of the temperature as a range of temps.

If I'm Low and Slow. I shoot for 225°, and accept anything within 25° plus or minus.
Since I'm not cooking in competition, I cook to suit myself.
I like to Smoke Hot and Fast, so I prefer to be somewhere between 275°
and 350°. If I'm smoking on the hot end, I check my meat a little more frequently.
BTW: With practice Hot and Fast can produce pretty good BBQ.
If you are afraid the BBQ will be tough, Smoke it, wrap it,
then unwrap to finish it. Don't leave the meat wrapped too long or it will
get mushy.
 
lunchman said:
As others have mentioned, stop obsessing over that magical, mythical 225 deg temp. When I first got the Bubba Keg I fussed over the vents much as you're doing to try and keep my low and slows at that temp. Bottom vent open a scant 1/8" inch, top barely a hair, the Keg always wanted to cook at 250 to 275, so I let it do so. Finished product always turns out wonderful.

Even after all these years of grilling I can say none of my grills can easily be set for 225. Do I care? Nope. You've got a good grill there, enjoy using it and don't worry about trying to get it at 225.

Ya know what I use 225 for? Keeping food warm in the oven.

-lunchman
Click to expand...

I had a stick burner that burned it's best (Cleanest) at 275°.
My UDS depends on how full my basket is...
Once you learn where the sweet spot is, you do what you have to do to have great Q.
Every one of my smokers work best when the Exhaust is wide open.
I control my temps with my Intakes.
 
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