Pork butt - 9 hours in

[genxos]

Hi guys! I'm fairly new to the smoking community, but I'm having a blast. I put a 4 pound pork butt in the smoker this morning at 11am expecting it to take about 6 hours to Cooke for pulled pork. I'm now at almost 9pm and the the internal temp is only at 172. I have bumped the smoker temp up to 300, but is this seem normal? I expected a plateau, but the temp is really creeping up slow. Any advice?

 

[rmmurray]

:worthless

Just let the meat do its thing. Sometimes you have a short stall, sometimes longer. Patience is key. Don't bump it up too much. The meat will do it's thing.
- Ryan

 

[genxos]

Okay, will do. I will post pics as soon as I can. I've got finishing sauce and coleslaw all set too, my mouth is watering already!!

 

[b-one]

Butts can be a PITA! What temp were you cooking at? Are you sure all your therms are correct? What type of cooker are you using? Did you foil or go naked? All these questions can help us help you! I remember my first butt we invited my parents over for lunch:biggrin: we ate around 9 and they almost left before it was done! You can always finish it in your oven as well. The real answer as your finding out is it's done when it's done!Thumbs Up

 

[rmmurray]

Just make sure not to rush it. It's called low and slow for a reason. I'm off to bed, East Coast time. 5:30 comes awfully early, so I will look forward to a Q view for breakfast. Good luck!
- Ryan.

 

[genxos]

Butts can be a PITA! What temp were you cooking at? Are you sure all your therms are correct? What type of cooker are you using? Did you foil or go naked? All these questions can help us help you! I remember my first butt we invited my parents over for lunch:biggrin: we ate around 9 and they almost left before it was done! You can always finish it in your oven as well. The real answer as your finding out is it's done when it's done!Thumbs Up

I am using a masterbuilt propane smoker with apple wood chips. I went naked with the fat cap down and was cooking at between 225 and 250 all day until now. I am using a digital probe (Maverick ET-733)with wireless transmitter which has worked awesome for me in the past. As you have said, it's done when it's done, I will let you know how I make out.

 

[rmmurray]

So how did it turn out?

 

[genxos]

Sorry, I meant to get these up yesterday, but life got in the way.

The pork butt turned out fantastic! The flavor was amazing and I finished it up with SoFlaQuer's finishing sauce. I matched that together with the Coleslaw recipe from Jeff's book...needless to say, there are no leftovers!

Thanks for your advice and encouragement, the results couldnt have been better! See for yourself.

IMG_0311.JPG

• genxos
• May 5, 2015

IMG_0312.JPG

• genxos
• May 5, 2015

 

[mdboatbum]

Ok you've gotten the obligatory "all day, late dinner" butt out of the way. I guess it's sort of a rite of passage.
But wouldn't it be nice to have dinner on time? And not to have to drag your butt out of bed at 4am? Or stay up all night worrying?
Next time try starting off at 300°. I know, it sounds like a sin. But an average 8-9 butt will be done in 6-7 hours. And contrary to popular wisdom, the finished product is actually better than the all day variety. There is less moisture loss and a nice crisp, mahogany crust. The meat will be incredibly tender and juicy and will have a wonderful smokey flavor. Try for yourself. And no matter what cooking method, the most important part is the rest period. Wrap it in heavy duty foil, then an old towel and plunk it in an empty cooler for at least an hour. It'll stay hot for 4 or 5 hours, so go as long as you want. During this time the meat will gently cool and all that gelatin you've created during the cooking process will settle down and be reabsorbed as the fibers relax.

 

[carbine1koos]

Wow looks amazing!!

 

[worktogthr]

Ok you've gotten the obligatory "all day, late dinner" butt out of the way. I guess it's sort of a rite of passage.
But wouldn't it be nice to have dinner on time? And not to have to drag your butt out of bed at 4am? Or stay up all night worrying?
Next time try starting off at 300°. I know, it sounds like a sin. But an average 8-9 butt will be done in 6-7 hours. And contrary to popular wisdom, the finished product is actually better than the all day variety. There is less moisture loss and a nice crisp, mahogany crust. The meat will be incredibly tender and juicy and will have a wonderful smokey flavor. Try for yourself. And no matter what cooking method, the most important part is the rest period. Wrap it in heavy duty foil, then an old towel and plunk it in an empty cooler for at least an hour. It'll stay hot for 4 or 5 hours, so go as long as you want. During this time the meat will gently cool and all that gelatin you've created during the cooking process will settle down and be reabsorbed as the fibers relax.

What he said!  300 range creates a tender, juicy, smokey butt without the marathon smoke and lots of great bark!

 

[genxos]

Yeah, unfortunately time was not on my side this session. The next one I do, I will make sure that I have plenty of time, even if it need to go all night.

Needless to say, it was delicious and I cant wait to do another one soon!

 

[genxos]

 
Wow looks amazing!!

Thanks carbine! It tasted equally amazing too!