Mystery of the over 2+ hour Pork Butt times

Smokin:

I have a smokette also. My Butts always take around 19 hours for approximately 7.5 lb.. I test the air temp. at the butt level and set it exactly at 225. I take the butts to an internal of 203 degrees. With my Pakstat thermostat, my temp. variation is only a maximum of +/- 3 degrees (in other words the temperature at the butt level stays within the 222-228 range. Now I know my probes are accurate since I test them from time to time and they have never been off more than about 1 degree.

In my opinion, these times discussed in this forum are not unusual for the smokette.

MN Que:
Smokette: I had a 6.5# chicken on the top rack and a 6.25# butt on the middle rack and after 11 hours the bird was @ 180,(and great), the butt was only 174,(not pull temp.).(Had to put the butt in the oven because family was coming over in an hour.)
Thanks for your post on smokette time & temp. !

Smokin, when I experienced this recently I had a 14# brisket on the middle shelf and a 10# picnic on the top shelf.

My first dozen smokes I used the ET-73's 'smoker' probe to moniter the temp inside the smoker in addition to the second probe in the meat. But I quit using it because I realized it's a non-issue with CS smoker (unless there's a temp calibration issue).

On my next smoke I'll monitor smoker temp too. But personally I don't think it's a problem with the smokette, but rather that during extended cook times the meat reaches a point that moisture loss within the meat prohibits efficient heat transfer. Or maybe I had a few too many Diet Cokes.

The meat wasn't dry, but had given up all the fat it was going to when I pulled it out at 178. So I think it's an internal moisture thing. That's my story and I'm not necessarily going to stick to it.


DISCLAIMER: I reserve the right to edit, modify, delete, recant, or deny ever having written this if said assumptions prove to be completely rediculous.

So far in my smokette I have smoked 5 butts total, all have been between 7 and 8 lbs. I have pulled all at around 200 degrees internal temp, give or take a couple of degrees. All have taken between 16 and 18 hours. However I am not complaining so far they all have been fall apart tender and moist. I have been lucky in that I always start my cooking about 20 hours before I plan on eating. also I need to add I always start the butts at night around 9 or 10 oclock at 200 degrees. Bump them up to 225 around 6 am and bump them again around noon to 250. I have never checked the internal temp of the smoker. The times that I am seeing are in line with what I have read on the forum so I figured if it ant broke don't fix it.

Hey Smokin', and welcome back from west La.

I know this is a post to have an open discussion,but since this was a weekend off of packers ,I cooked a couple large butts to practice boxes-with and without garnish.

Two Smithfield bone in butts,store injected at 12% salt water.[I just wanted the meat to practice boxes and they were cheap]

9.5# and 8.5#.

The six year old smokette was already a little dirty and I didn't need that 15 # packer rack,so let the" big dawg" sleep.

I don't usually inject,but wanted to taste/texture test-so I pumped 'em up.

Raised the side racks up and set the butts on the two racks away from the wood box.

Set the old therm half way between 200�-225� at 2130 hrs.

Ignored them until 0930 hrs and the 8.5# was at 192�,twisted the bone ,pulled , foiled,rested till lunch..

Turned the 9.5# up to max,lost 25 mins of heat time, and finished about 194� before noon.

east ky math puts that +/- 1.5 hrs/lb.

Let big one rest 20 minutes and started building boxes.

I'm sure if I reread all the archives and practiced ALL the tricks,I could have stretched it out a few more hours.

No solution,just an experience.

Smokin'... I've cooked two butts so far, and both have been in the two hour per pound range. I monitor the smoker temp with the Smoker probe on my ET-73. The smoker temp seems to be at about 225 average, but during the first half of the cook the temp seems to spend more time above 225, but during the last half of the cook, the temps seem to be mostly below 225.

I've posted on this before, and the consensus was that the temps were lower during the second half because the heating element didn't need to turn on as often since things were already up to temp. I'm not sure about that, but cannot argue...

Every butt I've ever cooked took at least 2 hours per lb. I posted test results using my empty smokette with and without an extension cord in Oct. 2003 and was told everything looked normal. I've just learned to live with it as the food continues to get great reviews.

One other input is I now have two Smokettes, one at the house and one at the lake house, purchased a year apart and both seem pretty consistent with cook times. Only problem is the one at the lake house is more expensive to operate due to electricity charges.

Hey there smokin....the butt I did took in the range of 23 hours to internal 201. The one thing that I think makes a big difference when smokin butt's is whether it is a "bone-in" or "boneless" butt. Mine was boneless...and took long. The next one I do will be bone-in. The reason is simple, the bone is a conductor of heat and has to aid in the cooking time because it runs through the middle of the butt. I'll bet that when you ask about long times with butt's, you will find that they were "boneless". In addition, I think that the bone will add more flavor to the meat.

Fresno

Now that is an interesting deduction, bone vs. no bone. I have always done a butt with a bone. In my model 55 1.5 hrs/lb has been the rule rather than the exception. I usually pull it at 190 degrees internal. Roger

So, a little clarification.

I can go with the 2 hours a pound, but 2.5 and 3 hours per are just a little outside the range of what I experienced in my Smokette.

As far as "bone in" vs "bone out" I don't think you'll find a huge difference in time, as the bone isn't that big of a heat sink. Certainly not enough to add 1 or 2 hours per pound over normal times.

Guess I'll just get a Smokette from CS to check my previous notes and see if I need to update them.

My last two butt smokes were 2.5 hours per pound to 195 and the prior smoke was 1 hour per pound to 185. Ah, but the last one was an 8lb butt and the one before was split and just under 18lbs total. So I've found the time per pound just might not make sense. The others have been consistant in terms of total time but it does take a while to get it from 170 to 200. Just my 2lbs worth.

Fresno, I have done both bone-in and boneless butts with the same result.

8lb butt at 225 takes 19 hours to get to 195. That comes to about 2 hours and 24 minutes per lb.

I have had my Smokette for 3yrs. now and I have smoked alot of butts in it.......always 6-7 lbs. each and always finished in 13 hrs or under...I never open the door during the smoke , and I always bring the meat to room temperature before smoking..

Okay, so, I'm going to have to add a little research to my list of things to do, I'll go through some of the posts and find time and temps and weight when I can and just report what I find, that's the best answer anyway, what the owners are finding.

Bama, why are you taking your butt's to 225 degrees??

Fresno

Sorry Bama, I read your post wrong, my error. You mentioned no difference in bone vs. no bone. Are you using a smokette from cookshack??

Just wanted to chime in. I have 2 smokettes and I've never had a butt finish to 200 degrees at 2 hours per pound. Nearly every 8lb butt I have cooked in either smoker will take between 20 and 22 hours which is approximately 2 and a half to 2 and 3/4 hours per pound. At first I thought that my original smoker just cooked a little under temperature, but the same thing occurs with the 2nd smokette i purchased. I just know that its gonna take that long - no big deal. I am at 7,000 feet but don't really know if that makes all that much difference.

Just ate my third pork butt, I picked it up at 11:00 and brought it to work for lunch. Everyone loved it. This was an 8.5 pound bone in butt. I put it in at 6:00 last night. When I left home at 7:00 this morning it was at 183 so I turned the dial down from 225 to 200 thinking I would reach 190 easy before I picked it up. To my surprise it only made it to 185 by the time I picked it up. It was very fall apart though, I dropped it on a pan and it fell into three hunks. So mine was 17 hours or 2 hours per pound. I�ve checked the temp of my cooker and it�s right on the money.

In my 19 hours butt good, (see that post) I also monitored the internal oven temperature and the internal temperature of the meat. The 009 was set at 225 and I planned to just let it go and see what happened. The meat was almost freezing when it was put in, because my spare meat reefer is outside and not frost free. I had been dry aging it for 3 days before I started, but it has been really freezing up here at night for the last couple of weeks. It only rains in Southern California. Anyway I expected it would take some extra time. And the Smokette is in the freezing nights also. The oven internals when I checked it at various times varied between about 160 and about 250. Most between 185 and 220. In that range it is going to take a long time to get to an internal of 190+. The colder oven temps seemed to be earlier, which might be expected except there is supposed to be a thermostat that should pick up these temperature swings. My oven in the house isn't much better but its in a 30 year old Sears. My suggestion is that CS should look at the quality of the last set of oven probes to see if what the range of their cycle temps are, or in the pots they use to set the temperature.

I see the same thing even more pronouced in the couple of racks of ribs I have done. They just aren't getting hot enough with the Smokette set at 225 and they end up dried out rather than smoked. With my machine setting @ 225 I don't think I could make acceptable ribs without foiling after about 3 hours. I got some to go later today in my 105 so it will be a while before I try ribs again in my Smokette.

The cold smoke baffle seems to work better than expected by a long shot. (Oven internal temps again???)

Thanks for the interest

Jerry

quote:

Originally posted by MN Que:

With my Pakstat thermostat, my temp. variation is only a maximum of +/- 3 degrees (in other words the temperature at the butt level stays within the 222-228 range.

The Pakstat is more accurate than the OEM thermostat, so you will get different results.

I believe the OEM thermostat ranges between +/- 20 F, you you may be getting more heating with the OEM unit.

Hey Smokin'

What do cook times in the FEC and the commercial units look like for butts. I have cooked quite a few butts in my homemade smoker and they never take anywhere near 2 - 21/2 hours per pound. I cook to temp not time but I think I am in the 9-10hr range for 7-8lb butts at 215 degrees. Does relative humidity inside the smoker slow the cooking process down? I know my smoker is no where near as airtight as the CS units. Just curious.

Mark

In my 150, they're close to an hour per pound, but no more than 1.5 per. Same in the FE, both running at about 250.

Don't think the humidity is an issue, as I had similar times in bullet smokers with water pans.

In my 150 butts always run 2hrs per pound at 225 degrees. Just did a 6.5lb and it took 13hrs.

Fresno, I have a ST 1400. Basically a carbon copy of the 009.

If the voltage under load at the receptacle differs from home to home and unit to unit wouldn't this make a big difference? I have just started home coffee roasting and voltage differences from recep. to recep.(under load) really show up in roasting times.

BG

Wow, you guys have me worried now. I just put a boar butt in the smoker at about 9 am this morning figuring it would be done for a late dinner between 7-9pm. It was a boneless 8.5# butt at refrig temp. Brined for 36 hours. I spread the meat out and it basically covers the entire rack of my smokette. Outside temp is mid 20's here in michigan today. I have it set at 225. Not sure if I am gonna pull the meat of just want it tender like a ham? First try here. I also have the hocks on a rack higher than the butt.
Should i turn the smokette to 250?. I would like to eat it for dinner tonight! Even if dinner is 9pm, but i wont be up at 3am????

What do i do?

Salmonhead

You have three or four things going on here.

If it was a wild boar,or feral pig,and that is why you brined it,it may not have much internal fat.

If not.

If it is boneless and spread thin,over a whole shelf,it will take less time to reach internal temps.

If you are not opening the door,the outside temps shouldn't matter.

If you intend to slice ,it should be ready shortly past 180�.

The thing to consider is that it is the time spent at the low temp that is breaking down the collagen and rendering the fat.

It may finish around 195�, in your current time frame and technique.

I'd try this first.

If it came off a young 250 lb market hog,it will finish sooner than a 15 yr old sausage hog.

Kicking it up to 250�won't hurt it.

I'd try this next.

Once you get all the bark you want[maybe 150�]you can always wrap in foil to speed up the cook.

Try next.


If really won't get out of the 160�-170� plateau and you have to eat,foil it and go to a 325� oven.

Try last.

It will finish quickly.

Hope this helps a little and let us know.

hey guys just wanted to chime in here i use a homsmade off set cooker and have done no tellin how many butts and the longest its ever taken me was 12 hours and i always cook between 220 and 240 if you go past 250 you aint smokin your grillin was what i was told so i stick to that.I usually do a 8-10 lb butt and i cook to a onternal temp of 195 at a internal temp of 160 i wrap in foil then at 195 i pull it off wrap in towel put in a cooler for 30 min then take it out unwrap place back on cooker for 30 min so i get a good bark then remove it wrap back in foil and let it rest for about 1 hour never had the first complaint and have won (backyard)useing this method Good cookin to ya'll

Using an electronic probe to measure smoker temperature can give you an erroneous temperature reading even though it works well in meat and liquid. That is most likely your problem. Use an oven thermometer.