what happened to my butt?

crackher · 08-09-2010, 01:33 PM

OK So the flavor was great, but it could have been easier to pull. If was on for 13-14 hrs and the internal temp (measured in several places on both sides) was 180F It would not get any hotter. I read that 200-225 is the temp to remove the butt at, but it would not get there
HELP

Smoker
UDS
Held at 185-215F the entire time (mainly at 200F) according to the termometer place 3" below the grill/butt

colonel00 · 08-09-2010, 01:37 PM

Well, your smoker temps are probably a bit low. Hard to get the meat above 180 when the smoker is only 185. I always shoot for a smoker temp of at least 225*. Also, you want your internal temps above 195 usually. One option in a stall like that is to foil the butt and finish in foil.

sewerrat · 08-09-2010, 01:37 PM

Not cooked long enough
Probably could have cooked it with a pit temp 50 degrees higher

How big was it?

Lake Dogs · 08-09-2010, 01:37 PM

I'm thinking your cook temperature was too low. Cant expect the internal temp
of a piece of meat to ever get higher than your cook temperature. Cook at 250.

deguerre · 08-09-2010, 01:37 PM

Think you hit a stall. The temp could have stayed the same for a long time before starting to climb again. Bigabyte had a butt that went for over 20 hours a month or so ago...

Whoops, did not see your cook temps before posting the above. Too low.

hamiltont · 08-09-2010, 01:38 PM

I like to run the smoker @ 225F-250F. Once the butt is @ 160F it gets foiled & 1/4" apple juice & back on the smoker until it's 200F. Then wrapped with a towel & into the cooler until it's time to eat. Pull it & pour most if not all of the juice back over the pulled pork. Never had a dissatisfied customer yet....YMMV

Bbq Bubba · 08-09-2010, 01:39 PM

Undercooked and cooked at incorrect temp.

Run your drum 240ish (find the sweet spot) Cook to 195 and start probing for butter.

Wampus · 08-09-2010, 01:56 PM

Yeah, I agree with all of the above comments. Need higher cooking temp (225-250), and let it hang through the stall. I cooked a butt last year that took 20 hours. The thing stalled at about 155 for like 3 or 4 hours! Not that uncommon.

If you're pit was at, say 240 or 250, and your meat was at 185, I'd say just pull it, foil, wrap and cooler it, and should come up another 5-10 degrees, but when the pit's only at 185-190? It's gonna be a while.

The main thing is not temp, but BUTTAH!......when the probe goes in with NO resistance.....THEN it's done.

early mornin' smokin' · 08-09-2010, 02:04 PM

there's no incorrect temp for a butt, as long as it's about 200, cuz that's right around where you want to pull it.

FretBender · 08-09-2010, 02:07 PM

I find that a butt doesn't pull well until 195 at the lowest. I've tried 190 and it is tough to pull, 185 a pain. The meat will be done and tasty, but not pull friendly. I usually atart mine at 180 for the first 3 hours or so, then to 225 until done. I only start at 180 since I use a pellet grill and that low temp makes some nice smoke to start. On the UDS I go 220 start to finish.

deguerre · 08-09-2010, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wampus

The main thing is not temp, but BUTTAH!......when the probe goes in with NO resistance.....THEN it's done.

Or, if you can just pull the bone free. I may have seen that somewhere today.

huminie · 08-09-2010, 02:39 PM

The bottom line on your butt is that it wasn't "done". "Done is not determined by time nor temperature. It is only "done" when it is the desired tenderness for pulling (or slicing if that is what you are after).

There is no need to cook at that low of a temperature IMO. It will only server to stretch out the amount of time it takes to get "done". Fat renders better in the 225 - 275 range.

Each piece of meat is different so you will never know how long it will take to be "done", but if you get your temps up higher, it will likely take less time the next go around. 16 - 18 hours for a butt is not uncommon however, and there is no shame in foiling after about 160 to speed things up a bit.

chambersuac · 08-09-2010, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wampus

Yeah, I agree with all of the above comments. Need higher cooking temp (225-250), and let it hang through the stall. I cooked a butt last year that took 20 hours. The thing stalled at about 155 for like 3 or 4 hours! Not that uncommon.

If you're pit was at, say 240 or 250, and your meat was at 185, I'd say just pull it, foil, wrap and cooler it, and should come up another 5-10 degrees, but when the pit's only at 185-190? It's gonna be a while.

The main thing is not temp, but BUTTAH!......when the probe goes in with NO resistance.....THEN it's done.

Come on, Wampus - when was the last time you were around pork butts?

I agree - your cooker was not hot enough and/or the butt was not on long enough. Butts are fickle. At least you got the taste right

jestridge · 08-09-2010, 05:16 PM

I like 250-300

Bacon_99 · 08-09-2010, 06:18 PM

Last butt I did was 250 degrees for 18 hrs just to get to 193 degrees - couldn't get the butt to 200 but it pulled real nice anyway.....

08-09-2010, 01:33 PM	#1
crackher Is lookin for wood to cook with. Join Date: 07-26-10 Location: Caledon Village, Ontario	what happened to my butt? OK So the flavor was great, but it could have been easier to pull. If was on for 13-14 hrs and the internal temp (measured in several places on both sides) was 180F It would not get any hotter. I read that 200-225 is the temp to remove the butt at, but it would not get there HELP Smoker UDS Held at 185-215F the entire time (mainly at 200F) according to the termometer place 3" below the grill/butt

08-09-2010, 01:37 PM	#4
Lake Dogs Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 07-14-09 Location: Lake Sinclair, GA Name/Nickname : Hance	I'm thinking your cook temperature was too low. Cant expect the internal temp of a piece of meat to ever get higher than your cook temperature. Cook at 250. __________________ Hance - MiM/MBN/GBA CBJ and comp cook Lake Sinclair, GA (strategically about an hour from darn near anywhere) My competition daze are probably behind me now; I pretty much cook for family, friends, and frankly the peace and solitude I get from smokin' on an offset... Was Lang 84DX, now Bubba Grills 250R and many Weber grills

08-09-2010, 01:37 PM	#5
deguerre somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-15-09 Location: Memphis, TN...Formerly of Decatur, AL	Think you hit a stall. The temp could have stayed the same for a long time before starting to climb again. Bigabyte had a butt that went for over 20 hours a month or so ago... Whoops, did not see your cook temps before posting the above. Too low. __________________ Guerry [FONT=Book Antiqua]Pit Beeatch for Team Munchkin[/FONT] [FONT=Book Antiqua][B]Avatar by Northwest BBQ [/B][/FONT]"...In nature, there are predators. I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder..." Werner Herzog

08-09-2010, 01:38 PM	#6
hamiltont is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 05-24-10 Location: Lincoln, NE Name/Nickname : hamiltont	I like to run the smoker @ 225F-250F. Once the butt is @ 160F it gets foiled & 1/4" apple juice & back on the smoker until it's 200F. Then wrapped with a towel & into the cooler until it's time to eat. Pull it & pour most if not all of the juice back over the pulled pork. Never had a dissatisfied customer yet....YMMV __________________ If Homebrew & BBQ aren't the answer, then you're askin' the wrong questions... Cheers!!!

08-09-2010, 01:39 PM	#7
Bbq Bubba somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 05-03-07 Location: New Baltimore, Mi.	Undercooked and cooked at incorrect temp. Run your drum 240ish (find the sweet spot) Cook to 195 and start probing for butter. __________________ Owner of Bubba's BBQ & Catering L.L.C. Beer Snob I cook the #bestbrisketnorthoftexas. Get over it. #detroitporkmafia BBQ Person of the Year 2013

08-09-2010, 01:37 PM	#2
colonel00 Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-03-10 Location: Shawnee, KS	Well, your smoker temps are probably a bit low. Hard to get the meat above 180 when the smoker is only 185. I always shoot for a smoker temp of at least 225*. Also, you want your internal temps above 195 usually. One option in a stall like that is to foil the butt and finish in foil.

08-09-2010, 01:37 PM	#3
sewerrat Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 03-26-10 Location: milwaukee, wi	Not cooked long enough Probably could have cooked it with a pit temp 50 degrees higher How big was it?

08-09-2010, 01:56 PM	#8
Wampus somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 06-05-09 Location: Mooresville, IN	Yeah, I agree with all of the above comments. Need higher cooking temp (225-250), and let it hang through the stall. I cooked a butt last year that took 20 hours. The thing stalled at about 155 for like 3 or 4 hours! Not that uncommon. If you're pit was at, say 240 or 250, and your meat was at 185, I'd say just pull it, foil, wrap and cooler it, and should come up another 5-10 degrees, but when the pit's only at 185-190? It's gonna be a while. The main thing is not temp, but BUTTAH!......when the probe goes in with NO resistance.....THEN it's done. __________________ [COLOR="Blue"][B]"Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ." -Mahatma Gandhi[/B][/COLOR]

08-09-2010, 02:04 PM	#9
early mornin' smokin' is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 10-06-08 Location: wading river, ny	there's no incorrect temp for a butt, as long as it's about 200, cuz that's right around where you want to pull it. __________________ L trailer spicewine, webers, 2-26.75's, performer, heineken 22 1/2, 7 level pro-q 20 excel

08-09-2010, 02:07 PM	#10
FretBender Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 02-13-10 Location: Milwaukee, WI	I find that a butt doesn't pull well until 195 at the lowest. I've tried 190 and it is tough to pull, 185 a pain. The meat will be done and tasty, but not pull friendly. I usually atart mine at 180 for the first 3 hours or so, then to 225 until done. I only start at 180 since I use a pellet grill and that low temp makes some nice smoke to start. On the UDS I go 220 start to finish. __________________ Blues, BBQ and Homebrew!

08-09-2010, 02:39 PM	#12
huminie is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 07-11-10 Location: Gilroy, CA	The bottom line on your butt is that it wasn't "done". "Done is not determined by time nor temperature. It is only "done" when it is the desired tenderness for pulling (or slicing if that is what you are after). There is no need to cook at that low of a temperature IMO. It will only server to stretch out the amount of time it takes to get "done". Fat renders better in the 225 - 275 range. Each piece of meat is different so you will never know how long it will take to be "done", but if you get your temps up higher, it will likely take less time the next go around. 16 - 18 hours for a butt is not uncommon however, and there is no shame in foiling after about 160 to speed things up a bit. __________________ 2011 CBBQA Rookie ToY - 6th Overall, 2012 American Royal Invitational - Huminie's Hogalicious BBQ

08-09-2010, 05:16 PM	#14
jestridge somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-07 Location: annville ky	I like 250-300

08-09-2010, 06:18 PM	#15
Bacon_99 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 01-18-10 Location: The world's 2nd coldest capital...	Last butt I did was 250 degrees for 18 hrs just to get to 193 degrees - couldn't get the butt to 200 but it pulled real nice anyway..... __________________ Matt - Large BGE & Broil King Gasser - Fastest ORANGE Thermapen in the Universe

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