My first pork butt in my new Smoke Hollow smoker

[brdshootr]

Here are the pics I promised in my intrductory thread.

Here is a picture of the picnic roast after being rubbed and refrigerated overnight.



Here is pic of the pork butt in my new smoker.



I started out with a paver in the water bowl instead of water. The smoker was set on low and my digital thermometer read 228*. I set the meat thermometer to alert and 190* internally

The next picture is of the chip box with a combination of hickory chips and chunks.



After a couple of hours smoking the amount of smoke had diminished signifcantly so I opened the smoker to add more. The following picture shows the butt after 2 hours.



It looked like it was drying out on the outside so I replaced the pavers in the water bowl with hot water.

5 hours later and the internal temp of the butt was 128*. It seemed to be taking forever. The butt finally reached a temp of 185* after 15 hours in the smoker.

Here is a pic of the butt fresh from the smoker.



The butt seemed a little dry to me. 15 hours is a long time to smoke a 6 lb. picnic roast, right? Should I have taken it out of the smoker after 9 hours when the internal temp was 157*?

Either way, the pork butt tasted great even if it was a little dry and it looks like I had at least a 1/2 in smoke ring.

Let me know what you guys and gals think.

Carl

 

[eaglewing]

That does seem a little too long for a 6lber

I don't suggest taking it out at a lower temp tho, some BUTTS are more stubborn than others. Plenty of guys here have experienced longer cook times with BUTTS, they attribute that sometimes to the 'cut of meat'. I've never done a 'picnic roast' before but it could have been do to a number of things...
Still looked good. Maybe use water the whole time next time.

 

[pit 4 brains]

I like to foil or "pan" mine after 4 hours or so. Right now I have a shoulder and a chuck on the drum and They are at about 145 and stalling. I'll be panning them as soon as the chuck comes out of the stall.
By placing the meat in a foil pan and covering, you actually start to steam or braize the meat and it sits in it's own juices while it renders. This keeps it moist and flavorfull. You can also add some juice or brandy or whatever to the pan for some extra flavoring. Try tossing in an onion and some garlic with a chuck.. yum..

 

[eaglewing]

I agree with FOILING it. Usually BUTTS get taken out when they reach TEMP, foiled and wrapped in a towel and put in a cooler for about an hour to "rest" the meat, this usually brings some of the moisture back into it.

 

[brdshootr]

Aah! I just took my out of the smoker and placed in the cold over to rest. Next time I will wrap in foil and a towell and place it in a cooler.

Thanks,
Carl

 

[richoso1]

I am one that has experienced long cooking times, with picnics and briskets. I always keep the water pan full as I have found it to stabilize temps.

 

[deltadude]

The big mystery here is, what was the cooking temp?

You need something telling you what you are cooking at, if you cooker has a thermometer on the door like a lot, most people don't trust them and either replace them or using another probe for monitoring internal cook temp.

The fact you didn't use your water pan and used a brick instead, and maybe was cooking at 200º instead of 225-250º could have been the reason it took so long to reach 190º. In addition what was the outside ambient, if low your cooker isn't insulated so again really need a way to accurately monitor cooking temp.

 

[brdshootr]

When I started I checked the temperature with my digital thermometer. That is where I measured the 228*. The ambient temp may be part of the problem. I was so anxious to try smoking that as soon as I got the replacement regulator I started to smoke. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and the outside temp was in the mid 40's. I expected to be finished about 10 or so but as I stated in my original post, it took much longer and the temps outside dropped in to the 2o's. I am going to keep my eyes open for a dual probe thermometer so I can monitor the cabinet temp as well as the pork butt.

Thanks,
Carl

 

[kobornigan]

I typically do a 9-10lb butt for ~12-13 hrs @ 215-250 cabinet temp. I take it off when it hits ~195-200, rest it for about 30mins in a sealed tupperware and the bone pulls right out. No issues yet. I agree with the comment made about the bricks. More water = more betterer!

Looked good though!