Weird temperature response smoking pork butt

[Dewesq55]

I've got an odd one going right now. Smoking a 9 lb 4 oz trimmed bone in butt which I cut into 2 pretty even hunks. They have been smoking with hickory splits since 7:30 this morning. There was never really a stall, although the temp increase did slow a bit around 150°F. Anyway, they got up to about 195°F, which for me is just about 3 degrees shy of done and now both hunks are losing IT. The boneless hunk has only dropped a couple of tenths. But the bone-in hunk has dropped a whole degree in the past half hour. Any ideas what that's about?

[MAE247]

Is it possible that the wind has picked up were you are and its causing the temps in the grill to swing wildly?

Just a thought as well, is it from the fat rendering more in one than the other?

[Dewesq55]

I don't think so as to either. It's sure acting like a stall, but at 195°F? I've never seen that before. Now I'm wishing I'd wrapped them which was my original plan that I abandoned when they seemed to be cooking so nicely

[STEbbq]

Either your grill temp is not what you think it is, or your meat probe could be too close to the bone.

Can you double check the grill and / or check the meat in different spots with the Thermopop?

I have heard of a second stall in the 170-180 range but have not experienced it. It is strange to see that in the 190s.

[holehogg]

No matter what protein I smoke the stall is always between 76C and 78C (+- 170F). Wonder if it has something to do with the climate or the the meat here. Can't recall ever having anthing shall around 160F.

[STEbbq]

holehogg or distance from sea level?

[holehogg]

I'm at sea level.

[MAE247]

I actually now recall this happening to a brisket once. Stalled out on me just before it was at temps I was comfortable with pulling it at. There was a very minimal amount of fat content and that seemed to be the cause. I moved the probe a few times and it seemed to "reset" my probe and it came out of a "stall"

[smokin fool]

Its happened to me just after crutching temps dropped and would not come up.
I upped the heat nothing for the longest time, as MAE247 says move your probe it did finally start to climb for me.
As I remember the meat did have something to do with it, drier than a pop corn fart on pulling.
You couldn't add enough moisture to help that butt.

[Steve R.]

I'm going to assume that they're done by the time I'm typing this, but it's never too late to wrap if a butt doesn't want to cooperate.

[Dewesq55]

Well, I made an executive decision that it was bad probe placement and they are done. So I pulled them, wrapped them and put them in a cooler. Barbara doesn't get home until 7:30. They probed tender all over. I'm fact, they might be over done. But they'll be great. I decree it so!

[Dewesq55]

bbqLuv - 1.Yes.
2. No.

[Dewesq55]

bbqLuv - I didn't say it was the probe's fault. I said it was bad placement, which would be my fault.

[bbqLuv]

Not the probe's fault. Operator error? LOL as if I never have done that in my last 20hrs, 225*F smoked pork butt.

[Spinaker]

Could be that these butts do not have as much moisture in them as they usually do, so there was less to evaporate to prolong the stall. Also, humidity, cook temp and air flow are all factors.

When it comes down to it, not all pieces of meat are the same. This has happened to me as well.

[tbob4]

Welcome back. How was fishing?

[Spinaker]

Thanks! It was very good. Solid Silver Run. Huge rainbows and quite a few Dolly Varden and Arctic Char. tbob4