# Rec Tec Slow Cook Times



## kruz805 (Jun 8, 2015)

I just used my new Rec Tec grill this weekend and was having very look cook times.  Following a lot of advise on several websites, I cooked baby back ribs on Saturday at 225°F which took 5.5 hrs.  The issue is they where still tough and did not cook long enough.  Then on Saturday night I put in a 9.5 lb pork butt at the same temp.  I smoked it for 17 hours and finally had to raise the temp to 240°F for another 1.5 hrs to get it up to 203°F.  The end product was moist and tender.  My question is, is this normal or is it possible, my controller is not calibrated to the correct temp?


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## jeepdiver (Jun 8, 2015)

kruz805 said:


> I just used my new Rec Tec grill this weekend and was having very look cook times.  Following a lot of advise on several websites, I cooked baby back ribs on Saturday at 225°F which took 5.5 hrs.  The issue is they where still tough and did not cook long enough.  Then on Saturday night I put in a 9.5 lb pork butt at the same temp.  I smoked it for 17 hours and finally had to raise the temp to 240°F for another 1.5 hrs to get it up to 203°F.  The end product was moist and tender.  My question is, is this normal or is it possible, my controller is not calibrated to the correct temp?


You should verify the grill temp with a trusted (and confirmed) thermometer with the probe placed as close to the rec technology sensor as you can.

It sounds like you are cooking at a lower temp than your controller is set for.


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## seenred (Jun 8, 2015)

You can check you controller for temp accuracy if you have a reliable thermometer...as long as you know the thermometer is accurate (search boil test).  Just put a probe at grate level near the center of the pit, and see how close it is to your set controller temp.  If you discover your controller is off, give the guys at Rec Tec a call and they'll help you figure out why.

About the only thing "normal" about smoking meat is, there's no such thing as normal.  Every chunk of meat is different, and will cook differently.  Always know that the advice on cooking times are only rough estimates.  For BB ribs, 5.5 hours may sometimes be plenty...other racks may take an hour or 2 more than that.  The key is to cook until they are tender.  You can use the bend test, or probe with a toothpick or thermometer to check for tenderness.

And for that pork butt...they all have a mind of their own, and will get done in their own time.  I've had a 10 lb. butt get done in as little as 8 or 9 hours...others that took as much as 24 hours.  Again, the key is cook until its tender...and its hard to predict accurately how long that will take.  A rule of thumb I use on butts (and remember...its only an estimate) is 2 hours of cooking time per raw pound of meat, plus I'll add an extra hour to that for "CYA" time...just in case.  Plus, I add another hour for resting time.  Often, the butt gets done early, but better early than late...and it'll rest nicely for several hours before pulling.

Hope that helps...

Red


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## oddball (Jun 23, 2015)

My first test, during the curing process, was to watch and compare temps.  The temp probe for the controller is at the left edge of the smoker.  I placed my secondary temp probe in the center of the grill at the rear.  I've noticed that the higher the temp, the more difference there is between the controller temp and the grill center temp.  I think this is because the higher heat blasts around the edges of the tray, and thus the controller probe sees a higher heat than what is really present at the grill.

But as noted, as with any grill, it's just a matter of learning the grill.


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