Cant seem to get the shoulder hot enough

You're in the plateau for temp... it will resume after a few hours.

Congrats on your first run!


Here's the deal with butts. Running with low and slow in the low 200 range... may take 12-16 hours overall.
The key is not just the finished internal temp, but what is the overall texture/density of the meat.

When butts cook down... you're cooking a bundle of muscles/fibers surrounding a few bones and a shoulder ball and socket joint.
Its a bunch of connective tissues which holds it all together.

There's a time during the smoke ... (around 155-165) - which is where you're at right now - will see a physical transition inside the meat. It will appear the thermometer will stop and "hang" for a few hours... and that's normal. The slow heat will be dissolving the connective tissue over a long time... slowly dissolving collagen and gelatin.

After that time period... about 175 and hotter... check with the bone "wiggle" test. ... should feel like a very, very loose tooth. What you're seeing is how much of the connective tissue freed up around the bone. It will start to free up. If not... let it ride a bit longer. For deeper aspects... use a long thin rod/probe (a thermo stem works, too) and press into the center of the meat... feeling for density of the meat lightening up. The probe should slide "like soft butter" easy all of the to the center of the meat. If you do hit resistance... not ready yet. Utimately... somewhere between 195-205... checking for texture/tenderness with the probe.


Short answer: that's what is known as "It's done when its done".
The meat will tell you when its done.

To ourselves... could be a 12-16 hour process.

Good luck on your run... you can do it!

You have hit a stall. Keep cooking it. Plan to cook past 190 too. If you want, wrap it in foil now and it will push through the stall.

Sometime those picnic can be a pain, just keep on cooking and make sure your therometer is right BtW If you like you can boost the heat up too arond 270-300

Needs more time. I usually cook @ 8lb buuts and they take about 9-10 hrs. If you were to go off a meat termometer it would be done but it will be tough. You wont get a tender product until you reach about 190. I check mine at 180-185 and then leave it on until the bone wants to fall out. Just be patient it will get there.
Also have you wrapped if up. I find that they will get to temp a little faster if you warp in foil and return to the smoker.
Good luck.

ColaQ said:

Should I raise the cooker temp or just leave it at 245 and wait for the meat to come through this plateau?

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Grab a nice lawn chair, a few drinks and ride it out at 245. This is the part of the smoke when patience becomes key.
Or you can do what someone else suggested and wrap it in foil to help the process.

Raise the temp, foil, and wait it out. And follow Bandit's advice...

Let it ride thru...

Others have more experience than I do, but from what I have read, resist the urge to increase the temperature. Either wait out the stall or wrap in foil and it will power past the stall.

I cooked two butts last weekend, both around 7 lbs. or so (first time for me too) and the stall was right about 160 for both butts. I ended up foiling them at this point. Interesting one was probing tender at 185 and the other took until about 195.

Like I said, I am new to this stuff too, so if my advice conflicts with more experienced people, disregard.

ColaQ said:

@ M&H - I just got a new Redi Chek 732 so I would hope it is reading accurate. I love the remote sense of both cooker and meat.

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Just got the same one, haven't used it yet mabye tomorrow but we have a fire ban so I don't know. I was wondering how they worked. Bought mine beacuse I wanted the remote and to be able to have both temps.
As far as the meat goes its looking great, I would wrap in foil now and leave the pit temp at 230-250 unitl it's done. You will want to check the bone from time to time as not all cook the same, I have had them come out eazy at 185 and had some that went past 200 so now is the time to keep a close eye on it.
Keep us posted.

Picnics are a pain. That bone in the middle affects the temp a lot more than that flimsy little blade in butts. I LnS my butts but picnics are powered hot cuz you need to get the heat thru that thick bone.

Patience paid off. Lookin' forward to pics.

Crack another cold one sit back and enjoy the ride big boy