Pork butt overnight on Pit Boss 820 XL - only 153 deg after 10 hours at 200 F. Should I be concerned that it was <140F for hours?

[GimmeBeef3654]

Hello forum!

I got a ~8-9 lb bone in pork butt from my local butcher and decided to follow Malcoms recipe per this video:

Here's the basic recipe if you don't want to watch the whole vid:

1. Season and put pork butt on at 200 F at 10 PM
2. Check after 8 hours, probe temp at 158F. Bump up temp to 225F to push through stall
3. Should be 190 2-3 hours later, probe tender "like butter"
4. Rest for 10 mins and shred

However I checked mine after 10 hours and the top of the butt was very tough to poke through and was sitting at 153 F.

I have 2 questions about this:

1. Do I need to be concerned about getting folks sick since it was probably sitting below 140 F for most of the night?
2. Should it have been a higher temp after 10 hours?

I have been leaning towards getting an aftermarket PID controller and grill probe because I'm convinced the stock Pit Boss controller is sitting 10-20 degrees below the actual temp. I consistently see the analog gauge on the lid at ~190 when the digital readout says its at 200-215 degrees. I've had to wait much longer than the recipes/videos have stated. This is also what has me concerned about pork bacteria as well.

 

[bigfurmn]

Did you inject anything into the pork before starting to smoke it?
Edit: what type of smoker are you using?

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

Did you inject anything into the pork before starting to smoke it?
Edit: what type of smoker are you using?

I did not use any injection or brine.

Pit Boss 820 XL

 

[bigfurmn]

should be good then. run the IT to about 203F and shred away. Usually the 140F rule is for injected meats. Chef Jimmy J (God rest his soul) was a great resource for food safety. If you aren’t sure and don’t hear back quickly, search for his name and your meat.

 

[indaswamp]

Bigfurmn gave you a solid answer. Intact whole muscles are basically sterile until cut open because of the animals immune system at the time of death. Bacteria have to attack from the outside. And the surface of the meat rose above 140*F within 4 hours when you put it on the smoker. Raise the temp to 275 and keep cooking to desired doneness....

 

[bigfurmn]

Also… we LOVE seeing pictures of the finish product.

 

[Steve H]

You're good. Smoke to probe tender. Around 205 or so.

 

[JLeonard]

How’d it turn out?

Jim

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

should be good then. run the IT to about 203F and shred away. Usually the 140F rule is for injected meats. Chef Jimmy J (God rest his soul) was a great resource for food safety. If you aren’t sure and don’t hear back quickly, search for his name and your meat.

Thanks for the relief! I will definitely look up Chef Jimmy J, thanks.

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

Bigfurmn gave you a solid answer. Intact whole muscles are basically sterile until cut open because of the animals immune system at the time of death. Bacteria have to attack from the outside. And the surface of the meat rose above 140*F within 4 hours when you put it on the smoker. Raise the temp to 275 and keep cooking to desired doneness....

That makes sense! Will keep this info in mind for future cooks.

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

Also… we LOVE seeing pictures of the finish product.

I will get that to you soon! Still taking a long time to get up to temp, took it off and wrapped at 186, put it in the oven inside at 300 for the next hour, hoping at least 190 since I have to cool and serve for dinner!

 

[Steve H]

I will get that to you soon! Still taking a long time to get up to temp, took it off and wrapped at 186, put it in the oven inside at 300 for the next hour, hoping at least 190 since I have to cool and serve for dinner!

You're rushing the whole process. 190 will not be done. Going to 300 in the oven might work if you are paying close attention to the IT.

 

[GimmeBeef3654]

It turned out! Still somewhat tough on the meat side but worked great for sandwiches. Well recieved from guests who didn't expect smoked meats on this Minnesota winter's night! Thanks all and well wishes in this holiday season!

 

[WaterRat]

Glad it turned out. You really want to ask Santa for a multiprobe temp unit for Christmas. Then you can have a grate probe telling you your actual temp as well as constant meat temp and alarms (really useful overnight if the fire goes out). Gotta recall Malcolm is down South and will have smaller temp fluxes. I would not run that low in a MN (my home state) winter, 225 would serve you better in the future. You did get a great smoke ring

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Please get a oven thermometer for your grates. I have the pitboss 1150 and when my display temp is showing around 200. My grates temps cound easily be below 160.
I drive it by grate temps. I dont care what the display temp shows. If I want a 300° grate temp I'll set it to 450-500 if needed.

 

[bigfurmn]

Looks great from here! Where abouts in MN are you at? These guys are right, a good Inkbirdbbq wifi would help you out a lot. I use mine on all my cooks, great unit.

 

[deermeat]

Hello forum!

I got a ~8-9 lb bone in pork butt from my local butcher and decided to follow Malcoms recipe per this video:

Here's the basic recipe if you don't want to watch the whole vid:

1. Season and put pork butt on at 200 F at 10 PM
2. Check after 8 hours, probe temp at 158F. Bump up temp to 225F to push through stall
3. Should be 190 2-3 hours later, probe tender "like butter"
4. Rest for 10 mins and shred

However I checked mine after 10 hours and the top of the butt was very tough to poke through and was sitting at 153 F.

I have 2 questions about this:

1. Do I need to be concerned about getting folks sick since it was probably sitting below 140 F for most of the night?
2. Should it have been a higher temp after 10 hours?

I have been leaning towards getting an aftermarket PID controller and grill probe because I'm convinced the stock Pit Boss controller is sitting 10-20 degrees below the actual temp. I consistently see the analog gauge on the lid at ~190 when the digital readout says its at 200-215 degrees. I've had to wait much longer than the recipes/videos have stated. This is also what has me concerned about pork bacteria as well.

You can google pathogen modeling program and the USDA.GOV website has free downloads. Anyone cooking and chilling meats should familiarize themselves with pathogens of concern and how to determine if there is a problem due to the process that was used. As an example, many think poultry has to be cooked to 165 to kill pathogens of concern. Instant lethality is reached for most pathogens of concern at 165 but there are lower validated temperatures that can achieve the same lethality when held at a given temperature for a predetermined amount of time. Look up appendix A & B on the USDA website. Good luck.

 

[tpc74]

Bigfurmn gave you a solid answer. Intact whole muscles are basically sterile until cut open because of the animals immune system at the time of death. Bacteria have to attack from the outside. And the surface of the meat rose above 140*F within 4 hours when you put it on the smoker. Raise the temp to 275 and keep cooking to desired doneness....

Is there any issue of contamination when inserting a probe at the beginning of a cook? Or if you have trimmed part of the outside of the meat?

 

[indaswamp]

Is there any issue of contamination when inserting a probe at the beginning of a cook? Or if you have trimmed part of the outside of the meat?

I say no as long as the probe has been sterilized. I use star san but bleach works...ad well as those alcohol wipes....

 

[chieffan]

Side note for us Northern cookers, pick up a welding blanket at HF Tools and throw that over your grill when cooking or smoking. Makes a BIG difference on holding the heat in and at a steady temp.