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First butt semi-fail. 22 hr for 7lb butt. Feedback would be appreciated

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  • rickgregory
    commented on 's reply
    Do make sure the pork butt you cook has enough fat, too. The fat is what keeps it from drying out and while butts are usually reliably fatty, some can be overtrimmed and/or not have a lot of intramuscular fat. This will be very hard to smoke low and slow without dryness.

  • Jfrosty27
    replied
    Please forgive me if this is not the place for this comment. But after reading thoughts from rickgregory above, I agree that pork butt, although it makes a great sammie, is one of the most boring smoked meats there is and to me not worth the long agonizing hours it takes to cook it properly via the traditional low and slow method. Now having said that, pulled pork is ideal for big gatherings (will we ever be able to do that again?) and a real crowd pleaser. My answer?

    The Orion Cooker. (See review on the free side)

    It can turn out three avg. size butts, say 8 lbs or so each, in about 5 hours. Perfect every time. 20 lb turkey in 2-2.5 hrs. Six racks of ribs in an hour and 20 min. I have two of the cookers so do the math. A ton of meat with no fuss, no lost sleep, you get it. As noted in the review, they are a charcoal hog so you gotta fill them up with meat though. I do not use them all that often but they are cheap to buy and really come in handy for certain situations. 🤷‍♂️

    Leave a comment:


  • Smoldering Flea
    replied
    thanks everyone. it sounds like i'll have to relax my fanatical insistence in following recipes to a T for outdoor cooking. thankfully a bit of add'l sauce overnight helped with some of the dryness (and disappointment!)

    Leave a comment:


  • rickgregory
    replied
    As others have said, cook at 275. I actually dislike that Meathead is so obsessed with 225 as I think it gives the impression to those new to smoking that there's something magical about that temp.

    Also, as I posted a few months ago, I think pulled pork on its own (without sauce) is one of the more boring things that we can smoke. The smoke flavor doesn't penetrate much and on larger (thicker) butts, you are essentially roasting a pork butt.

    The way around this, which also helps with cook time, is to cut it in half horizontally so it's half as thick (not vertically so you have 2 thick chunks, though that helps too). You get more bark, more area exposed to smoke and so, when you pull it, you get more for your time and effort over having simply roasted it.
    Last edited by rickgregory; October 11, 2020, 01:25 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • LA Pork Butt
    commented on 's reply
    Smoldering Flea I sometimes raise the temperature, but when I am looking to push through the stall I wrap because I think it cuts down on the cooling effect of the evaporation process and in the closed system of wrapping it cuts the stall down faster than increasing the temp.

  • Dewesq55
    commented on 's reply
    Do both. Wrapping retains moisture and speeds up the cooking time appreciably.
    Last edited by Dewesq55; October 11, 2020, 12:16 PM.

  • Smoldering Flea
    replied
    Originally posted by LA Pork Butt View Post
    I think you just had a stubborn Butt.
    i am what i eat...ate?
    if i may ask, any reason you prefer the wrapping route vs. increasing the temp? Am guessing its because of multiple butts on the grill.?


    Leave a comment:


  • ecowper
    replied
    I cook pork butts around 275, like you see above. I don’t cut the butt in half. I don’t wrap. They generally take about 10 hours at that temp, in my experience. I cooked a pork butt at 325 once. Got done in 7 hours. Was great.

    I think cooking it too long is the major issue, in my opinion. Pork butt shouldn’t cook for 14-18 hours, in my opinion.

    Leave a comment:


  • Smoldering Flea
    replied
    Originally posted by Oak Smoke View Post
    I cook on a Kamado Joe. I've learned to get the bark and reasonable cook times I have to go higher that 225. Briskets are done at 300 degrees F, pork butt at 275, and ribs at around 250. I also finally learned not to worry about exact temp control, close is just fine. As noted above the post cook rest can be one of the most important steps in getting great results. Please don't get discouraged, we've all endured a learning curve that at times was incredibly frustrating.
    Do you get the sense that Kamado cookers require different temps/practices (maybe because of higher moisture retention)?in market for another grill/smoker and wondering if need to approach differently.

    Leave a comment:


  • MTurney
    replied
    Originally posted by Dewesq55 View Post
    1. Cut your butts half, or even smaller.
    2. Cook at 250-275
    3. Wrap once the bark is set - around 170-180° internal.
    4. Rest the meat in a cooler/faux Cambro for an hour or more. The connective tissue will continue to render/gelatinize giving the meat a moister mouth feel.
    4. Add the captured juices from the foil back into the meat after pulling it.

    I personally prefer to pull my pork butts below 200° (195-198°). They are still perfectly pullable and I think noticeably moister.
    This X2. I actually do mine at 275-300...butts are extremely forgiving temp-wise in my experience.

    Leave a comment:


  • Mosca
    replied
    First butt I did in my BGE, I had the same thing happen. Next time do it at 250 or even 275, anywhere in there is fine. It should then blow right through the stall in about an hour, total time should be maybe 8 hours.

    Leave a comment:


  • Dewesq55
    replied
    1. Cut your butts half, or even smaller.
    2. Cook at 250-275
    3. Wrap once the bark is set - around 170-180° internal.
    4. Rest the meat in a cooler/faux Cambro for an hour or more. The connective tissue will continue to render/gelatinize giving the meat a moister mouth feel.
    4. Add the captured juices from the foil back into the meat after pulling it.

    I personally prefer to pull my pork butts below 200° (195-198°). They are still perfectly pullable and I think noticeably moister.
    Last edited by Dewesq55; October 11, 2020, 11:22 AM.

    Leave a comment:


  • Oak Smoke
    replied
    I cook on a Kamado Joe. I've learned to get the bark and reasonable cook times I have to go higher that 225. Briskets are done at 300 degrees F, pork butt at 275, and ribs at around 250. I also finally learned not to worry about exact temp control, close is just fine. As noted above the post cook rest can be one of the most important steps in getting great results. Please don't get discouraged, we've all endured a learning curve that at times was incredibly frustrating.

    Leave a comment:


  • tbob4
    replied
    Everyone's advice above is good. Do NOT give up. As noted, we have all messed up more than a few cooks. It is disappointing when it is a big chunk of meat. I like to either - inject, wrap or cut the butt into smaller pieces and put them into a dutch oven after about 6-8 hours. All three of those will increase the moisture and will keep that nice bark from getting too crisp to eat. We have a big thread dedicated to fails. It is really fun:

    Leave a comment:


  • HawkerXP
    replied
    Like said above, crank up the pit temp. 225* is just a guideline. Big hunks of meat can handle higher temps. Don't forget to let it rest some if you can.

    Leave a comment:

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