Pork butt help...

You didn't do anything wrong. Eggs are so efficient that you're using less fuel which means less nitric dioxide for the SR formation.

You could try colder pieces of meat and or smoke at a lower temp so that it spends more time absorbing smoke before it reaches the 140 area. Meat will accept smoke flavor the whole cook though.

Also you had to be cooking way hotter than you think because that was a super fast cook, you definitely need an accurate therm. What size butt did you have anyway?

fwismoker said:

you didn't do anything wrong. Eggs are so efficient that you're using less fuel which means less nitric dioxide for the sr formation.

You could try colder pieces of meat and or smoke at a lower temp so that it spends more time absorbing smoke before it reaches the 140 area. Meat will accept smoke flavor the whole cook though.

Also you had to be cooking way hotter than you think because that was a super fast cook, you definitely need an accurate therm. What size butt did you have anyway?

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^ +1 ......

My thoughts exactly.

A 4.5 hour cook is CRAZY fast. I don't mean that it's "bad" fast, but I'd never guess that you'd be able to properly cook a butt at 250 in that short a time. Even if it were a small butt, it typically still needs time to fully render out and for the connective tissue to give up. I did 6 butts on Saturday on my drum. I started at 250 and dropped to 225 after the wrap (which happened after about 8 or 9 hours) and the entire cook still took 13 hours. I just can't imagine that you were really cooking at 250.

My LBGE's thermo is junk. It's not really accurate at all. It always reads extremely low. Sometimes as much as 75-100 degrees low. You may have the same issue? I'm betting you were cranking along at above 300, possibly even 350 at that cook time.



I don't see anything off with your technique at all, but IF you were cooking at a higher temp, then since the meat isn't going to have as much time in the smoke, then it's not going to take on as much smoke. If I'd recommend anything, it would be to get a new thermo for the lid or at least use another remote thermo during the cook to double check. Perhaps do a test run or something with a couple of cheap oven thermos on the cook grate? I'm thinking you're current thermo is lying to you.

Thermometer calibration

It sounds like you might want to calibrate your thermometer. Boil some water and use something that allows the thermometer to rest in the water without touching the bottom. You can adjust the thermometer by using a small wrench to rotate nut on stem. Adjust it to 212 degrees and back in the water to see if it keeps that temp. My lbge was off by about 50 degrees before I did this. Good luck.

I dont get a good smoke ring on the egg, but I have never really had a problem getting the smoke flavor. When cooking on the egg I usually run it pretty low around 235*.

Sounds like the others have you covered, but I've always noticed a bit of "smoke immunity" the day of a cook. Seems that since I'm around it all day, my clothes, skin, hair all smells like smoke, so I can't taste it in the meat.

The next day, with the leftovers, it always tastes much more smokey. My wife says it tastes the same both days. :crazy:

Bama10 said:

Thanks for the input guys. Sounds like I need to get a new thermometer. One other quick question - if you put too much dry rub on can it affect the smoke getting into the meat?

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I have no real evidence to support my opinion, but I don't think the amount of rub affects smoke penetration.

More time, less temp. My last pork butts took 16 hours at 225. Nice bark, flavor and smoke ring. I usually do 275 for a faster cook time but wanted to really test the IQ110.

Do another with a good thermometer...I recommend a Maverick. I got a feeling you were up about 350 if it cooked that fast.

I did a 9.5lb butt on my large a few weeks back and it took 21 hours at 220. Rockwood and hickory lumps and it had great smoke and bark. Never had problem Getting plenty of smoke on a butt in the egg.