Smoking plateau - 6# - 13.5 hrs (so far)

[DaveMW]

Originally Posted by Montgolfier

Dave, I see that you're right down the road from me. It's been cold and pretty breezy at my house today. Is your smoker out in the wind?

I used to have a brinkmans propane smoker that wouldn't (couldn't) get meat to a finished temperature when it was in any sort of cold breeze. The wind would strip the heat off the smoker box faster than the burner could replace it. It would get in the range of mid 140s to mid 150s, but no further.

Can you place your smoker in a protected location? Just a thought.
Good luck.

Behind a wind block and temp on smoker thermo & grate thermo are within 5 degrees of each other. Thanks for the suggestions, comments etc.!

[Montgolfier]

Well, you're out in front of the obvious stuff. Please keep us posted. Good luck.

[blackdog043]

Wow that's taking forever!!! Have you probed it with a skewer or anything to see if it goes in like butter? "edit" after 160 internal, pork is safe to eat. That can tell you if it's done also, not just temp. The subject of tossing it was bought up, so here's a response I got back from the USDA on smoking meats. I would eat it when it's done as long as the temp in the smoker was above 225* the whole time.
To: mphotline.fsis@usda.gov
Subject: Message from Internet User - smoking meats danger zone

Hi,
I get my smoker to 250*, before I put my meats on. Sometimes the meat
will take longer than 4 hours to reach an internal temp of 140*. As long
as my smoker is keeping temps above 225*, how long is it safe to still
keep smoking the meat? If it takes 6-7 hrs to reach 140*, is it still ok
to eat, as long as I get the internal temp over 160*?
Thanks, in advance for your time.
Bill
Dear Bill:
Thank you for writing the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline.

As long as the smoker is at least 225 degrees F it is safe. The amount
of time it takes for food to cook in a smoker can vary widely, and when
it is cold outside it can take longer to cook as well. The most
important thing is that you monitor the temperature of the smoker and
the internal temperature of the food you are cookng. If the smoker stays
at 225 or higher, the food is safe to eat, no matter how long it takes
to cook.

We have more information at:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/fact_sheets/Smoking_Meat_and_Poultry/index.asp


Sincerely,
Meat and Poultry Hotline Webmaster
To speak to a Food Safety Specialist,
call the Hotline at 1-888-674-6854
e-mail: mphotline@fsis.usda.gov

Food safety information is also available 24/7, by going to "Ask Karen,"
our automated virtual representative at www.askkaren.gov. You may type
your food safety question directly into the automated virtual
representative feature.

[DaveMW]

Blackdog - good info - thank you!

[Montgolfier]

Black dog, that's a great resource. Thanks for sharing!

[blackdog043]

Your welcome. I've had 8 lb butts take 16 hrs @225. You might want to consider wrapping it in foil at this point to speed it along also. Just a thought.

[J'ville Grill]

@blackdog Thank you posted that response from the USDA. I knew I've seen it posted here before but I counl not find it. I'm going to book mark it.

[DaveMW]

At 165 - foiled (looks and smells awesome). This will have to wait until tomorrow. At this point 16 hrs is all i can devote to a pork butt on a Sunday. Update with pron coming tomorrow.

[BBQchef33]

you can throw them in the oven now since they are foiled.. shut the smoker and watch some tv.

:)


unless of course, u want to babysit some more.

[DaveMW]

Originally Posted by BBQchef33

unless of course, u want to babysit some more.

That would be a big "NO" Pooh. I will use the oven from here until done. Thank you all for the input. Appreciate every bit of input.

[J'ville Grill]

Got to admire your devotion Dave, way to stick with it . And remember there is nothing wrong with finishing in the oven or a gas grill, we've all done it.

[OL' Timer]

What I will say is the meat was in the danger zone for way to many hours and not safe to eat according to HACCP guide lines. Since my products are eaten by the public it would go in the trash can. I can find it for you but its been posted here many times. Its not worth getting sick over a hunk of meat, but that is your prerogative. Anyone who is HACCP certified will tell you this. It's kinda like playing Russian roulette, sooner or later it will get you IMHO. check out this thread http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=101550

[DaveMW]

The Pork Butt in question is below. Still not sure I will risk eating it. I let it cool and then put it in the fridge a little after 11PM last night & that is where it still is. I have to tell you, I am hesitant to eat it but, it will kill me to toss out all that meat (and waste money). This was an epic failure. Next time I will smoke at a higher temp. I'm disppointed at my first smoking failure even if this was only my third smoke ever.

[smoke-n-my-i's]

I have to admit, I too have thrown away many pieces of meat.... better to be safe than sorry.

[Lake Dogs]

Unless you paid $10 per pound, throw it away. Seriously, it really sounds to me like
the actual surface temperature was somewhere around 180. At 250 surface temp that
should've been done done done at 7 hours, but probably done at 5.5 to 6 hours. That's
a very small butt. Looking at it, it's only now starting to pull away from the bone. The
fat has quite a bit more to go to get fully rendered. You've probably had too much time
under 145, so it's dangerous to eat it.

I've thrown away over $100 of meat at one time. I fell asleep and let the cook temp
drop to 100... 2 large fresh hams and 2 butts; gone.