Hello All,
Bottom Line Up Front: I smoked a pork butt and brisket on separate weekends using the recipes from this site that turned out very tasty, but took much longer to cook than I anticipated based on the thickness of the meat.
(Unfortunately, I did not think ahead enough to take pictures along the way.)
Equipment I used: Medium BGE, plate setter (for indirect heat), Auber instrument temperature controller, local store's "generic" hardwood lump charcoal, Thermoworks DOT and Thermopop. I also used an aluminum pan and filled it with boiling water before I put the meat in the smoker.
I followed Meathead's rub recipes (Memphis dust and BBBR) to the best of my ability. I dry brined both meats for at least 18 hours each.
Pork Butt bought from my local grocery store. ~4.5 lbs. (my objective was to gain confidence with smoking and to test out the Auber, which I just bought)
- I started the cook at 9:30AM and did not start taking meat temp until 11:30AM. I did not use the BBQ log, so I did not know to get the outside temperature. I used a plate setter and a water pan I filled with boiling water at the beginning of the cook to prevent dripping on the plate setter and help with moisture). I smoked the meat at 225 degrees F.
(Time - Cooker Temp - Meat Temp)
11:30 AM - 227*
12:30 PM - 226*
1:44 PM - 226* - 155
3:21 PM - 224* - 159*
4:05 PM - 223* - 160*
5:39 PM - 236* - 165*
6:57 PM - 223* - 171*
7:36 PM - 226* - 169* (At this point I used the Thermopop to double check the DOT temperature)
8:09 PM - 245* - 171* (adjusted the vents to help control the temperature)
8:46 PM - 235* - 174*
9:30 PM - 237* - 175*
11:03 PM - 226* - 179*
12:20 AM - 226* - 181
Since this was my test case I decided to pull it from the smoker at 181*. It was well under the recommended 203*, but I was tired at this point and wanted to go to sleep. I did not want to have to wake up with the DOT alarm or to wake my neighbors up. The meat was still very good. I did not pull it. Instead I chopped it with a knife. My kids and my wife still found it tasty the following day.
Brisket bought from a local butcher. Wagyu beef, ~5 lbs., point. I was confident enough with how the BGE and Auber worked that I was willing to smoke the meat overnight. I used a water pan again and cooked it at 225*.
(Time - Cooker Temp - Meat Temp - Outside Temp)
8:30 PM - 225* - 63* - 64*
9:34 PM - 224* - 129* - 62*
10:30 PM - 219* - 147* - 62*
11:22 PM - 224* - 155* - 62*
5:55 AM - 225* - 166* - 62*
9:15 AM - 226* - 172* - 64*
10:50 AM - 225* - 175* - 66*
1:16 PM - 225* - 186* - 69*
3:37 PM - 226* - 196* - 70* (drizzling outside)
4:20 PM - 231* - 199* - 70* (We had to celebrate my daughter's B-day at a restaurant, pre-planned so we weren't expecting to eat the brisket. I placed the brisket in a faux cambro)
8:30 - N/A - 171* - N/A - I sliced the brisket and it was delicious and juicy. I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture of it. It lasted a couple of days and I heated it in the microwave by covering it with a damp paper towel. Not as good as eating it off the smoker, but it was still very good. My kids, especially my 8-year old son, kept asking for more and want me to cook it again soon.
My questions:
- What did I do wrong that it took so long to cook? Everything I've read on this site said that it should be around 12-14 hours. The pork butt took almost 15 hours and it still wasn't at the recommended temperature. The brisket took almost 20 hours.
I need to continue to adjust my cooking times if/when I have to serve to people. Placing it in a towel inside a cooler worked out great.
Thanks for any advice or critiques you may have for me.
Bottom Line Up Front: I smoked a pork butt and brisket on separate weekends using the recipes from this site that turned out very tasty, but took much longer to cook than I anticipated based on the thickness of the meat.
(Unfortunately, I did not think ahead enough to take pictures along the way.)
Equipment I used: Medium BGE, plate setter (for indirect heat), Auber instrument temperature controller, local store's "generic" hardwood lump charcoal, Thermoworks DOT and Thermopop. I also used an aluminum pan and filled it with boiling water before I put the meat in the smoker.
I followed Meathead's rub recipes (Memphis dust and BBBR) to the best of my ability. I dry brined both meats for at least 18 hours each.
Pork Butt bought from my local grocery store. ~4.5 lbs. (my objective was to gain confidence with smoking and to test out the Auber, which I just bought)
- I started the cook at 9:30AM and did not start taking meat temp until 11:30AM. I did not use the BBQ log, so I did not know to get the outside temperature. I used a plate setter and a water pan I filled with boiling water at the beginning of the cook to prevent dripping on the plate setter and help with moisture). I smoked the meat at 225 degrees F.
(Time - Cooker Temp - Meat Temp)
11:30 AM - 227*
12:30 PM - 226*
1:44 PM - 226* - 155
3:21 PM - 224* - 159*
4:05 PM - 223* - 160*
5:39 PM - 236* - 165*
6:57 PM - 223* - 171*
7:36 PM - 226* - 169* (At this point I used the Thermopop to double check the DOT temperature)
8:09 PM - 245* - 171* (adjusted the vents to help control the temperature)
8:46 PM - 235* - 174*
9:30 PM - 237* - 175*
11:03 PM - 226* - 179*
12:20 AM - 226* - 181
Since this was my test case I decided to pull it from the smoker at 181*. It was well under the recommended 203*, but I was tired at this point and wanted to go to sleep. I did not want to have to wake up with the DOT alarm or to wake my neighbors up. The meat was still very good. I did not pull it. Instead I chopped it with a knife. My kids and my wife still found it tasty the following day.
Brisket bought from a local butcher. Wagyu beef, ~5 lbs., point. I was confident enough with how the BGE and Auber worked that I was willing to smoke the meat overnight. I used a water pan again and cooked it at 225*.
(Time - Cooker Temp - Meat Temp - Outside Temp)
8:30 PM - 225* - 63* - 64*
9:34 PM - 224* - 129* - 62*
10:30 PM - 219* - 147* - 62*
11:22 PM - 224* - 155* - 62*
5:55 AM - 225* - 166* - 62*
9:15 AM - 226* - 172* - 64*
10:50 AM - 225* - 175* - 66*
1:16 PM - 225* - 186* - 69*
3:37 PM - 226* - 196* - 70* (drizzling outside)
4:20 PM - 231* - 199* - 70* (We had to celebrate my daughter's B-day at a restaurant, pre-planned so we weren't expecting to eat the brisket. I placed the brisket in a faux cambro)
8:30 - N/A - 171* - N/A - I sliced the brisket and it was delicious and juicy. I was so excited that I forgot to take a picture of it. It lasted a couple of days and I heated it in the microwave by covering it with a damp paper towel. Not as good as eating it off the smoker, but it was still very good. My kids, especially my 8-year old son, kept asking for more and want me to cook it again soon.
My questions:
- What did I do wrong that it took so long to cook? Everything I've read on this site said that it should be around 12-14 hours. The pork butt took almost 15 hours and it still wasn't at the recommended temperature. The brisket took almost 20 hours.
I need to continue to adjust my cooking times if/when I have to serve to people. Placing it in a towel inside a cooler worked out great.
Thanks for any advice or critiques you may have for me.
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