Butt Temp Question

Sweet Daddy-D

Sweet Daddy-D

Knows what a fatty is.
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I've read several places that an internal temp of 205 is good for pulling. Preping to smoke my first butt-does that mean leave it on until it reaches 205, or take it off and wrap a little lower and let it rise after its wrapped?
 
Cook it til it probes like buttah! that usually happens in the temp range you are talking about, but depending on the meat and your method it can vary, probe tender is always reliable.

KC
 
Yep, ignore the temp and go by the bone and the probe tenderness. While it should almost certainly be done at 205, every piece is different and it could be ready even sooner. So, pull it when it probes like butter or you can pull the bone out cleanly, and then wrap it and rest it for a while before serving.
 
BBQ RULES FOR SUCCESS

YOU CAN NOT COOK GREAT BBQ ON A CONSISTENT BASIS BY COOKING TO AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE OR BY TIME ( XXX MIN PER LB) YOU MUST COOK BY FEEL! For Brisket it must pass the poke test(probe like soft butter in the thickest part of the Flat) Ribs pass the Bend Test, Pork Butts when the bone wiggles loose. These are the only reliable methods to ensure that your cook will be a success. There is one exception to these rules and that is Poultry which must achieve and internal temp of 170 deg in the thickest part of the thigh and 165 in the breast.
 
I start probing my butts around 198 degrees. I use a kabob stick and to keep heat in I just remove enough foil to probe the meat. You will know it is done when it goes in easliy.
 
The only temp gauge I use anymore is the one that tells me how hot the smoker is running. I've quit taking temps of butts altogether. When I can pull the bone out relatively easily, it's time to foil.
 
Bob in St. Louis said:
The only temp gauge I use anymore is the one that tells me how hot the smoker is running. I've quit taking temps of butts altogether. When I can pull the bone out relatively easily, it's time to foil.
Click to expand...

So you pull it off and foil it to rest, or you foil it to cook it some more?
 
Once it probes easily you wrap in foil to let it rest. Once it has rested for awhile open it up and pull it and enjoy!
 
I take it to 150-160 foil it then take it to 200-210 (depending on how it probes). Then I rest it for 1 hr. I know some members don't like to go by temp, but I find those numbers useful so I don't have to wait around next to the food poking at it. I set my maverick to alert me at those temps while I do other things around the house.
 
While probe tenderness is the best way to tell when something (butts, brisket, chuckies, etc) is done you can absolutely use time and temp as a guideline for when bbq is done. I start probing for doneness around 195. The idea of it's done when it's done is fun to say, but if their are time constraints you can make temp/time estimations to help decide when to start cooking.
 
fnbish said:
While probe tenderness is the best way to tell when something (butts, brisket, chuckies, etc) is done you can absolutely use time and temp as a guideline for when bbq is done. I start probing for doneness around 195. The idea of it's done when it's done is fun to say, but if their are time constraints you can make temp/time estimations to help decide when to start cooking.
Click to expand...

Its not just fun to say. It is true you cannot rely on temp alone if you do you will not have consistent results. You can troll this point all you want but it won't change reality if you pull your meat early because of time constraints, it means you didn't plan properly, every piece of meat is different and I have had buts done anywhere from 195 to 210.

I really think you need to get out a dictionary and then carefully re read this quote you keep arguing against, nobody is saying to not plan or set a schedule around loose guidelines, it is just that you cannot be consistent with every Juno of meat with just temp or just time
 
I agree with everyone else, that temp is a guideline as to when to probe for tenderness but if you are pressed for time or are getting pulled away from the cook you could probably get away with just pulling the meat off at 200 degrees, wrapping it and putting it in a cooler with some towels to rest. The internal temp will carry over another 5 or 6 degrees and I've encountered very few butts or any other large cuts that required a higher internal temp than 205 to be done. Not saying that you can always rely on this but in a pinch it can be done.
 
What's the purpose of letting the butt rest after you take it out? Just to let it cool down? Or does it have some effect on the meat?
 
code3rrt said:
Cook it til it probes like buttah! that usually happens in the temp range you are talking about, but depending on the meat and your method it can vary, probe tender is always reliable.

KC
Click to expand...


this !!!!!
 
Deeg said:
What's the purpose of letting the butt rest after you take it out? Just to let it cool down? Or does it have some effect on the meat?
Click to expand...


I've found that it allows moisture to redistribute within the butt. It seems that it's absorbed throughout the butt and not pooled up in places.

Instead of being left with a dry bark, the bark seems to take on a better texture/flavor that blends in really well when I pull and shred thing up.

It really makes a much larger impact on brisket.
 
Butt Temp Question-Update-Pron

Finished my first butt. I went until it "probed like buttah". It turned out fantastic in my opinion. It seemed like it took forever. Over 12 hours for a 5.7 lbs butt. After 6 hours it hit the stall and stayed at about 172 for 3 hours. It was only my second smoke on my WSM 18.5, or anything for that matter. Started probing it at about 185, when it hit 195 at hour mark 12:20, I couldn't take it any more! It was probing well, but the bone wouldn't come. Pulled and wrapped it for about 30 minutes. After that, the bone pulled out easy and it pulled great. It tasted great, I'm very encouraged.
 

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Well done. Looks like you "read the meat" and did the right thing based on your gut feeling instead of what some temp gauge told you to do.
Won't be very many more cooks, and you might decide to give up the probe all together.
 
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