Someone tell me what the heck is going on with my pork butt!

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Plaid Palace

Knows what a fatty is.
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Put the 3.7lb pork putt on the Kamado Joe this morning at 9:20. It is now after 5:00 and I am only at 178 degrees (two thermometers checking it). Temps of the Kamado have varied between 205 and 260.

So I am well over 7 and a half hours and still around 12 degrees from when I wanted to pull it. Am I doing something wrong?

Would wrapping it in foil help it finish quicker? Other than added a 2nd oven thermometer to it I haven't done anything.
 
You are allowing it to get too cold if it is fluctuating down to 205F, that is killing your cook. Personally, I would pull it and stuff it into the oven at 400F and get it done. Raise the pit temperature to 300F or more. You can wrap, I would add some apple juice or liquid, foil wrap, that will help.
 
landarc said:
You are allowing it to get too cold if it is fluctuating down to 205F, that is killing your cook. Personally, I would pull it and stuff it into the oven at 400F and get it done. Raise the pit temperature to 300F or more. You can wrap, I would add some apple juice or liquid, foil wrap, that will help.
Click to expand...

It got down to 205 one time. The majority of the time today it has been between 215 and 230.
 
I've had them take 19 hours at 225. It just takes a long time sometimes. If you get desperate and guests are getting hungry, you can always put it in a 275 oven to finish up.
 
Sounds like something is off...

Has the Kamado thermo been verified?
Are you using analog, digital, or bi-metal thermos?

Should have been done by now if everything has been verified.
If everything ok, should be another hour... nearing the end of the stall.

If tired of waiting; wrap it and finish off in the oven above 300.
 
BBQ Bandit said:
Sounds like something is off...

Has the Kamado thermo been verified?
Are you using analog, digital, or bi-metal thermos?

Should have been done by now if everything has been verified.
If everything ok, should be another hour... nearing the end of the stall.

If tired of waiting; wrap it and finish off in the oven above 300.
Click to expand...

KJ temp and Maverick temp have been within 30 degrees of one another the entire time. KJ temp for the most part has read a little warmer than the Maverick temp.

The Maverick food and the cheap oven temp both read the same temp and both are stuck at different parts of the middle section.
 
I'm thinking something is off too. A 3.7lb butt shoulda been done by now. Are you checking it a lot, AKA, opening the lid very often?
 
BamaMatt42 said:
It got down to 205 one time. The majority of the time today it has been between 215 and 230.
Click to expand...

I have found at those temps they take forever to get done. I have been doing mine in the 275 range and it cuts the cook time way down.
 
Ok, wrapped it in foil and pour a little coke in the foil (all I had).

Internal temp of the butt has jumped from 180 to 185 in less than a minute.

Edit: Letting the grill get between 275 and 300 now.
 
Looks like you are almost there. The foil will get it done pretty quick now. Course, since it's in foil and no longer getting any smoke, oven it and get to eating faster if you want.
 
landarc said:
You are allowing it to get too cold if it is fluctuating down to 205F, that is killing your cook. Personally, I would pull it and stuff it into the oven at 400F and get it done. Raise the pit temperature to 300F or more. You can wrap, I would add some apple juice or liquid, foil wrap, that will help.
Click to expand...

+2! The oven is your friend at this point!

wallace
 
BamaMatt42 said:
KJ temp and Maverick temp have been within 30 degrees of one another the entire time. KJ temp for the most part has read a little warmer than the Maverick temp.

The Maverick food and the cheap oven temp both read the same temp and both are stuck at different parts of the middle section.
Click to expand...

Now that it's in the oven it's not important for this cook... but for future cooks, I'm confused about the thermometer use here.... but I'm easily confused. :p

Typically the dome thermometer in a ceramic cooker reads higher than the actual cooking temp (at the grate), 20 to 30 degrees in fact. So, going from your dome temps, it appears you have actually been cooking at 185° to 230°.... or am I confused? If so, this still seems like a long time for a small butt, but if we average those temps, you were cooking around 208°, and since you are going to a finish IT of 200°, it will take a long time to get there (your pit temp -to- finish temp is almost a 1:1 ratio)
 
Smoothsmoke said:
Sometimes you hit a big stall running at those temps. 275 is the sweet spot for me.
Click to expand...

Lesson has been learned for me. I am very new to this Kamado grilling. Virtually everything I have tried has been a first for me. Doing a pork butt is a first. I found a recipe that said cook at 225. So I tried to keep my temps around that time.

What I am learning in this business is that 225 sounds great but more times than not 250-275 is more effective.
 
landarc said:
You are allowing it to get too cold if it is fluctuating down to 205F, that is killing your cook. Personally, I would pull it and stuff it into the oven at 400F and get it done. Raise the pit temperature to 300F or more. You can wrap, I would add some apple juice or liquid, foil wrap, that will help.
Click to expand...


What he said!
 
thirdeye said:
Now that it's in the oven it's not important for this cook... but for future cooks, I'm confused about the thermometer use here.... but I'm easily confused. :p

Typically the dome thermometer in a ceramic cooker reads higher than the actual cooking temp (at the grate), 20 to 30 degrees in fact. So, going from your dome temps, it appears you have actually been cooking at 185° to 230°.... or am I confused? If so, this still seems like a long time for a small butt, but if we average those temps, you were cooking around 208°, and since you are going to a finish IT of 200°, it will take a long time to get there (your pit temp -to- finish temp is almost a 1:1 ratio)
Click to expand...

Now, dome temp has read about 30 degrees warmer the entire time. So the Maverick (which only got down to 205 1 time for about 15 minutes) stayed between 215-235 most of this cook. The dome temp read 240-275 the entire. time.

At this current moment Maverick is read 357 and dome is reading 325.
 
BamaMatt42 said:
Now, dome temp has read about 30 degrees warmer the entire time. So the Maverick (which only got down to 205 1 time for about 15 minutes) stayed between 215-235 most of this cook. The dome temp read 240-275 the entire. time.

At this current moment Maverick is read 357 and dome is reading 325.
Click to expand...

Okay, we're getting closer.... where on the grate are you placing the pit probe in order to measure the actual temp? Like, is your probe close to the meat, above the meat or what? Too close to the meat will cause false readings. Also some ceramic cookers have a hot spot. Mine is in the rear, so I avoid putting the pit probe back there. I also don't place it close to the edge of the plate setter.
 
thirdeye said:
Okay, we're getting closer.... where on the grate are you placing the pit probe in order to measure the actual temp? Like, is your probe close to the meat, above the meat or what? Too close to the meat will cause false readings. Also some ceramic cookers have a hot spot. Mine is in the rear, so I avoid putting the pit probe back there. I also don't place it close to the edge of the plate setter.
Click to expand...

Pit probe is sitting about 2 inches to the side of the meat. Right at halfway from the meat and the edge of the heat deflector.
 
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