Boston Butt sometimes is just ok

[Jag ReDDoG]

Hello all,I use the MB electric smoker.Heres my preparation for boston butt.Wipe dry inject with apple juice and alittle sugar.Let it sit for 4 hrs in refrig. then use the typical mustard and rub method.She sets overnight.Fire up the smoker around 240f for the first 4 hrs(adding apple chips all during this part).

Then she gets wrapped up in foil pan for 2 hrs.Same temp.Then unwrapped and sprayed with apple juice until internal temp reaches 205.

Cover up and rest for 1hr.This is where I have my issues.Sometimes the bones pulls clean-sometimes not.Sometimes I have to actually use a knife to cut some of the larger pieces.

It seems to be hit and miss.Watching tv -youtube-ect the butts just fall apart.And sometimes mine dther times half is falling off then the other is not so much tuff it doesn't just fork-fork pull apart.
BTW most of these butts are 6.5-8lbs Smithfield quality(top grade around my area)

Thanks for advice.peace

 

[aawa]

Stop cooking by internal temperature. The way to test if the pork butt is done is to wiggle the bone. If the bone releases no effort, the meat is done.

 

[gtr]

You have to cook it until the bone wiggles like a loose tooth - the meat will tell you when it's done more so than a clock. If there's no bone, go for probe tender, i.e. like a warm knife through butter - check in a couple spots, there's one in particular (don't know how to describe where it is) that seems to always give up last.

 

[Schooly D]

Your temp is likely off, you may be hitting the bone which will give you a false high reading, or you may not be going deep enough.

Either way, going by temp like others have said is unreliable. A 6 hr. cook for a 7lb butt (guessing) seems on the quick side for the temp that you're at too.

Keep at it, bruv, you'll get there.

 

[grantw]

I personally think that the secret to cooking by temp is rest time, and foiling and unfoiling could have hurt you as well. This is what i do, get the colour on it, temp will be around 160 in a dry cooker and 170 in a water cooker, wrap it and put a probe in and DO NOT UNWRAP until you hit at least 203, seal the probe hole, then rest for a minimum of 4 hrs and DO NOT UN WRAP .

 

[aawa]

I personally think that the secret to cooking by temp is rest time, and foiling and unfoiling could have hurt you as well. This is what i do, get the colour on it, temp will be around 160 in a dry cooker and 170 in a water cooker, wrap it and put a probe in and DO NOT UNWRAP until you hit at least 203, seal the probe hole, then rest for a minimum of 4 hrs and DO NOT UN WRAP .

The method you are suggesting here you are using carry over cooking to finish the butt. The good thing with pork butts is even a overcooked pork butt is good. The bad thing is, you will never acheive consistent results with that method. The butt will continue cooking for an undetermined amount of time and temperature as opposed to allowing it to cook to the perfect consistency and then cooled to have it stop cooking.

 

[1buckie]

The method you are suggesting here you are using carry over cooking to finish the butt. The good thing with pork butts is even a overcooked pork butt is good. The bad thing is, you will never acheive consistent results with that method. The butt will continue cooking for an undetermined amount of time and temperature as opposed to allowing it to cook to the perfect consistency and then cooled to have it stop cooking.

I seem to do OK doing that......looking for the bone pull / wiggle, no wrap on cooker, breathe it just a little to slow the heat, then wrap, towel, tight in the cooler (not a lot of space around it) seems to end out fairly consistent @ about a 2 hour hold...........

 

[stickburner plus]

yup bone wiggle is right to check doneness .I haven't use a thermo pen in yrs ,been doing it so long there are things to look for .It will come with experience .

 

[IamMadMan]

I have to agree with the above, DON'T COOK BY TEMPERATURE. Use the temperature as a guide to know when to start checking. The differences between pork butts can be like the difference between night and day.

I've had bones wiggle and the butt done at 187 and others have been done at over 200.

I do rest my butts in an insulated cambro/cooler for a few hours, but I do not wrap tightly. I simply pan and tent the meat in the cambro.

.

 

[captndan]

Just make sure all the butts came from Birkshire hogs. They all cook the same.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Some Pigs just taste better than others.....Cows too.......

 

[smokin30-06]

Mobile phone and user error. I thought I was clicking on new thread!

 

[Bludawg]

Quit Farkin with it!!!!! Rub it and smoke it !!!
I rise and dry mine. Wet the surface with wosty sauce shake on some rub drop it in a 300 deg pit and wrap at 4 hrs. Toss it into a 300 deg oven Takes about another 1-2 hr and the bone pulls clean I have no idea what the meat temp is. Rest for 2 hrs I wack it with my palm and it falls apart.

 

[Mo-Dave]

If it is taste you are lacking, and insist on using an injection, you really need some salt in the injection. After it is pulled lay in more apple juice and rub as needed. Agree with others about doneness.
Dave

 

[BigDon]

Have you verified your smoker temps? 6 hours is quick for those butts. I have tried hot and fast but still prefer the low and slow. I have cooked mine up to 12 hours plus but when she is done with about a 2 hour rest it falls apart! Also make sure you're getting decent butts. I can almost never find any good ones at Foodlion but HT always has pretty ones.

 

[Jag ReDDoG]

Wow great advice,just learned a lot from what I was doing to what I will be doing next time.Thanks a lot.But I can do a rough temp check just to see how things are going but mainly go by the bone wiggle correct?Thanks everyone.

I know you guys/gals probably get the same questions over an over. So thanks for not beating up a rookie bbq wannabe.lol Peace

 

[smoke ninja]

Testing temp is fine. It's hard to not check. Curiosity gets the best of most. Try not checking temp til you think it's done. I've cooked til probe tender with no temp check but can never hold back just seeing where it finished.

Don't worry about asking the same old questions. It's part of what makes this forum great.

 

[aawa]

We here at the BBQ Brethren don't mind answering questions and helping anybody out. I think the community here would much rather answer the same question a million times over to help people produce quality bbq, than have anybody eat bad bbq.