# Big stall and drop in 20-hour pork butt?



## paulekelly1 (Sep 21, 2021)

Hi guys, first-time/long-time here. Got a food safety question concerning a drop and stall in my pork butt.

I put my (4.5 bone-in lb) pork butt in the smoker (*Cookshack* SM-009 electric) at 1230 PM last night and I cooked it at 250° since then. It reached 160° IT at 830PM. When I went to go take it out and wrap, it had then dropped down to 120° at 1230PM. It's currently at 189°, 21 hours in and is super jiggly, not dry as hell (which a probe malfunction would result in).

Am I playing with the danger zone on my cooktime and temp though? I got it over 160 earlier, but I'm concerned about that stall and precipitous drop.

Thanks!


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## paulekelly1 (Sep 21, 2021)

paulekelly1 said:


> Hi guys, first-time/long-time here. Got a food safety question concerning a drop and stall in my pork butt.
> 
> I put my (4.5 bone-in lb) pork butt in the smoker (*Cookshack* SM-3500 electric) at 1230 PM last night and I cooked it at 250° since then. It reached 160° IT at 830PM. When I went to go take it out and wrap, it had then dropped down to 120° at 1230PM. It's currently at 189°, 21 hours in and is super jiggly, not dry as hell (which a probe malfunction would result in).
> 
> ...




I'm beginning to believe that there might be an issue with the chamber temp. I noticed that a decent amount of smoke will come through the top crack of the door, so I probably need to seal that with foil. I'm going to test the chamber temp with probes before doing another cook.


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## clifish (Sep 21, 2021)

I always keep 1 probe attached to the cooking grate,  sounds like there was a malfunction of heating element.


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## paulekelly1 (Sep 21, 2021)

clifish said:


> I always keep 1 probe attached to the cooking grate,  sounds like there was a malfunction of heating element.



Thanks clifish, that's a good call. Will make sure to do so moving forward.


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## sandyut (Sep 21, 2021)

I would agree there is something off with the temp or probe.  at 250 a 4.5 lb butt shouldn't take nearly that long.  My lid leaks a bit too as do most.  Rec Teq does not recommend sealing the door.  some do some dont.  either way I dont think the leakage should have much impact on the chamber temp.

Definitely check your probe and chamber temp for accuracy.


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## rjob (Sep 21, 2021)

Not clear as to what model you have. Is it the SM-360?
We cook with a SM-160. As other's have suggested check cooker temp at grate level with a calibrated probe. Also check your air in&out holes for blockage. Placing the meat against the internal cooker probe is a possibility but results in a high temperature.
The heating element or controls would be an additional places to verify proper function.
Hope this helps.


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## paulekelly1 (Sep 23, 2021)

rjob said:


> Not clear as to what model you have. Is it the SM-360?
> We cook with a SM-160. As other's have suggested check cooker temp at grate level with a calibrated probe. Also check your air in&out holes for blockage. Placing the meat against the internal cooker probe is a possibility but results in a high temperature.
> The heating element or controls would be an additional places to verify proper function.
> Hope this helps.



Yeah, I don't know where I got "3500" from - it's a "SM-009" model. Too many numbers from work leeching into the rest of my brain 

Sorry if this sounds dense, but what do you mean by "placing the meat against the internal cooker probe is a possibility but results in a high temperature"?


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## rjob (Sep 23, 2021)

paulekelly1 said:


> Yeah, I don't know where I got "3500" from - it's a "SM-009" model. Too many numbers from work leeching into the rest of my brain
> 
> Sorry if this sounds dense, but what do you mean by "placing the meat against the internal cooker probe is a possibility but results in a high temperature"?


No problem  been there many times.
Looked up the sm-009 - it is analog type controller.  So it has a temperature bulb like an oven. The picture in the manual indicates the bulb is below the middle rack. If the meat is pushed against the rear wall this might impact the reading. The SM-160,260,360 have a probe that the meat can be pushed against. Might not be an issue with the 009. Since unit was id as 3500 thought it might have been a 360.
Would also check temperature bulb for build up. Keep it clean.


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## paulekelly1 (Sep 24, 2021)

rjob said:


> No problem  been there many times.
> Looked up the sm-009 - it is analog type controller.  So it has a temperature bulb like an oven. The picture in the manual indicates the bulb is below the middle rack. If the meat is pushed against the rear wall this might impact the reading. The SM-160,260,360 have a probe that the meat can be pushed against. Might not be an issue with the 009. Since unit was id as 3500 thought it might have been a 360.
> Would also check temperature bulb for build up. Keep it clean.



Thanks, brother! That makes sense. I'll give it a look.


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