I cut my butts in half. More bark. I also cook then @ 250* and above. But you got it right, probe tender is what we are looking for no matter what the thermometer says. 
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If you think about it, the objective is transference of heat energy to a piece of meat. In order to transfer heat energy, there has to be a gradient between the environment and the object - one way or another. A super hot object will radiate heat energy into a (relatively) cool atmosphere pretty quickly - and likewise a hot atmosphere (like the surface of Venus) will transfer heat to a cold object (as if one existed on Venus) relatively quickly to heat it up - this is what's happening in your smoker.
But if the temperature gradient begins to narrow, down to 25-35ºF (say, from the 190ºF point where your meat stalled), and the exterior surface is drying or moisture is being transferred from the inside to the exterior, then evaporating, the evaporative cooling off the surface can and will negate the minimal transference of energy into the interior and cause things to essentially halt. This is essentially a second 'stall' and can last a long long time - perhaps until your meat totally dries out!
Once again, a reason to cook to doneness - i.e., probe tenderness and a good amount of time over the 180ºF point where collagen melts - instead of to temp.
Or.... crank the heat up to increase the gradient and encourage more and faster heat transfer.
God, I love science.
We doin' thermodynamics up in hurrr, son!
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250-275 cooker temp for sure. Butts are very forgiving. I’ve smoked them on a gusty day with cooker temps swinging from 230-280 during the cook and the end product was great.Comment
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I'm surprised. I can get a 7 lb butt done in about 9 hrs.Originally posted by Jdhaffie View Post
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Originally posted by DogFaced PonySoldier View Post
I can attest! That second stall can be a bear, and DFPS's analysis is spot on. Need more of a delta-T when temps get up there, which is why I do any roast at 250F/121C anymore, and save 225F/107C for pork ribs or beef back ribs (chuck and plate ribs stall just as readily in my limited experience thus far).
My next smoke, on Saturday, will be a butt cut in half (no half-assed jokes, please) with one half done in the pellet smoker and the other on SnS kettle. For SCIENCE!
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Respectfully, I think something went wrong with your equipment, like an inaccurate grate temp reading. I recently cooked a 9-lb bone-in pork butt on my WSM 18.5" at 225 degrees in about 14 hours, and it (slowly but) steadily rose to 203 degrees IT with no problems after exiting "the stall". This cook was naked (no wrapping), with very little spritzing - lid closed for almost the entire cook.Originally posted by Jdhaffie View Post
Were you relying on an accurate grate thermometer, or the (usually) inaccurate dome thermometer?
WSM 18.5" 225 grate temp for 16 hours is plenty fully to cook a 6.5-lb bone-in pork butt.Last edited by TBoneJack; September 7, 2022, 08:36 AM.Comment
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Maybe his temp probe was contacting the bone or something odd like that. I've seen that throw off my readings for sure. Then again, he doesn't say anything about how he was checking grate or meat temperatures, i.e. what kind of thermometer or probe. Without more info, no way of telling.Last edited by jfmorris; September 7, 2022, 09:34 AM.
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Appreciate the comments. Starting to make a lot more sense now!!Comment
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