hi! got my first butt on the smoker

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rvial

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Dec 14, 2013
167
17
North Carolina
Good morning. Got my first butt on the smoker this morning. It is rather hard for me to not open it up and check it every thirty minutes..

- Rob
 
Let it go it will be fine check the internal temp at 4 hours make sue it hits 140° in 4 hours. After that just take it up to 200- 205° pull it off , wrap it in foil and a towel and let it rest atleast a hour then pull it and eat. Enjoy the time you smoke.
 
th_nopicsye3.gif
 

See it's on there, it's happening!! 
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I have not modded it yet hopefully soon will get to do that.  

I grabbed some of Stubbs pork rub and used that, along with a little brown sugar.  I was going to make my own rub but glad I didn't know my daughter was a little of a pain last night :)  Yay for two year olds!
 
Once the butt gets around 190-200 degrees, it is at the point where the fat has rendered down to grease and the meat is literally fall apart. If you do the butt right and take it to around 190-200, it will literally just mash apart and you dig your hands into it.

If you don't take it the temp that high, it will just be harder to pull.
 
thanks I had wondered if that was all it was.  It was at 186 the last time I checked it I am about to go pull it off :D
 
 
so what is it about 200 degrees that is so special?!
The collagen breaks down at a temp of 189 (IIRC), which is what holds those muscle fibers and groups together and keeps pork tough even though it might be juicy.  Once the collagen breaks down, the muscle fibers shred, or "pull", easily.  Also, the internal fat has already rendered at this temp which helps make the pork juicy.  You don't want to get over 212 as you begin boiling moisture out of the meat.

Given that the IT of meat will generally rise 5 degrees on a butt after it is taken off the heat - most people pull it around 200 (plus or minus a few degrees) as it gives a little room for measuring error, but gets the butt over 189 (where the fat is rendered and the collagen melts) but keeps it from reaching 212 where the meat starts steaming and drying out.

Hope that helps.
 
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