Smoking Boston Butt and stall

[ronaldjallen]

I am new at smoking with my Cajun Injector electric smoker.  I have a question about smoking a Boston butt for pulled pork.  I am now smokeing my second butt and having the same problem this time as last time.  I think I am  encountering the stall but it is at a much lower temp than those that I have read about.  I put the 3.5 butt (I got a smaller one this time) on this morning at 10:30am with temp set at 230 degrees.  My smoker has a pretty wide temp swing at that temp setting (200 degrees to 235 degrees).  However most that I have read about the stall is that it comes at a higher temp than I am having.  Mine seem to be stalling at 140/145 degrees.  I reached 145 at 3:00pm and now at 4:45 it is at 142 degrees. So in the last hour and 45 minutes it has lost 3 degrees.  I have not foiled it yet as all that I have read say foil around 165/170 degrees.  Can anyone help me with why this is doing this?  It is possible to go into the stall at 145 degrees.

Thanks

Ron

 

[miller51]

Are you using the thermometer on  the smoker, or a stand alone thermometer? Most smokers/grill thermometers are not very accurate. I have 3 different ones and all 3 are usually off by a little, 1 as much as 50* if you're using a different source of checking the grill temp, then you could be hitting a stall, but I agree, the temp seems a little low for it. 

Not sure if that will help, but you can always bump up the temp a few degrees, I've cooked quite a few butts before and they can usually handle it...

 

[ronaldjallen]

I have a Maverick thermoeter and it is within  few degrees of the Cajun thermometer.  The cajun has a meat probe also and I have both the Maverick and the Cajun plugged in and they are just a few degrees off.  I think my temps are pretty close.

 

[geerock]

Its just the stall. You want to get through a stall quicker, stop losing heat on the meat, and get to eating earlier?......... Raise the temp! No loss in taste, tenderness, or moisture smoking at 265, 275, or higher. Butts can take the heat.

 

[ronaldjallen]

Should I tent it also?

 

[jwbtulsa]

It's had enough smoke. Raise your temp to 250. When you get to your target then add some of chef JimmyJ's foiling juice and push even higher to like 275. Take it out at 200IT. Rest for a bit, maybe an hour. Enjoy.

 

[ronaldjallen]

I mean should I foil it at this temp?