EMERGENCY!!!! (Maybe)

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jeffsee

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Hey all, remember my 12.33 pound putt with picnic that we thought would take 20 hours to get done? I started it at 6:00 PM tonight (Thursday) at a little over 250.

It is now 11:15 (5.5 hours) and the meat is sitting just a smidge over 150 (I do not have a Maverick, so I am relying on a turkey thermometer on the butt). We had a brief (very brief-15 minutes) spike in temp in the drum to 300. The butt looks and smells terrific and is certainly not yet at the "butter" stage.

Why am I worried? Will this actually get anywhere near 20 hours before done? I fear checking at 4 AM and finding the meat at 195. We don't eat until 6:00PM and I have an hour commute from my home. I don't think anyone wants to eat supper at 8:00 am.

Do I need to worry? Or, should the meet hold on until at least noon (another 12-ish hours).

Any help appreciated. I do not want to bomb a $20.00 roast.

Thanks.
 
You still have a lot of cooking time at 250. It will be fine wrapped in a towel lined cooler for several hours.
 
I wouldn't panic quite yet. Getting to 150 is the easy part. The connective tissue inside the meat hasn't even started to break down yet. That starts about 160-165, and creates a "stall" in temps that could last a few hours. You really want to extend the time between about 160 and 195ish as much as you can to encourage this breakdown which will result in a very tender finished product.

Since you are averaging over 250 temp wise at this point, you may want to dial things down a bit, especially considering your schedule. I would try and get it to settle in at about 225. That should extend your cooking time a bit.

Whenever it IS done, do what was mentioned above. Foil it up real good, wrap in some old towels and then put in an ice chest (no ice). It will stay hot like that all day long.
 
I agree, you are fine on the time. It will sit in the stall for quite a while. At 1.5 hours per pound, 20 hours doesn't sound too wrong to me. It could be less, could be more. Just be ready for it to sit in the 160-165 range for quite a while.
 
I started a 8.5 lb butt at 6:00 pm a week ago and it wasn't done until noon. I think you will be fine.Get the temp down to 225 and step away from the smoker :p
 
OK....OK....it is hanging steady at:

3c7528bc.jpg


I had a brief temp drop (had to add more lump) overnight (I checked temps every 2 hours). The drum is holding steady at:

f75a20ec.jpg


But...I'm sure all you care about it this:

2efced82.jpg


984ecef2.jpg


93726f5e.jpg


I can't wait for the rise to doneness.
 
Now I know why I will save up for a Stoker. Getting a tweet when the charcoal started running low would have saved me a headache. I teach high school English, so unlike some of you talented folks, I cannot fashion my own DIY version of the Stoker.
 
Ooooooh yeah baby!
Lookin good jeffsee!

So the first thermo pic was the meat temp? At 165?
If so, you're right on track! So it took like 8 hours to get from 150 to 165? STALL!!!
 
Looking good:thumb: what temp is the meat up to? How big is your charcoal basket? just curious because you shouldn't of had to add any lump. I'm glad it's going good for you.
 
I can't imagine a 12 lb pork butt ever taking 20 hours at a cooking temp of 250.

Don't worry about it getting done early. When it is done wrap it in foil and towels and place it in a cooler. They can stay in there for at least 4 hours.
 
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