Pork Butt problems

What temp are use smoking at? Maybe you are a little high on the temp?

I keep it at 225. I just read that someone puts the fat side up the last hour or so and they said that helped keep it from drying out. Guess I'll try that next time.

csspry,

I always put the fat side up for the entire smoke and I always put my pork butts on as high a rack as they can go. My smokette 009 (same size as yours) takes about 2.5 hrs per pound when set at 225 to reach 195. So your 6 lb er seemed to take a little long.

Check your thermometer in boiling water. As the water starts to boil it should read close to 212 degrees

If your thermometer is accurate then you may want to try a larger butt with more fat.

Maybe you could add a small water pan if you are in an extremely dry climate but I don't think that should be necessary, but it may be worth a try.

I would definately put the fat side up for the entire time.

Wait, did you have the butt foiled WHILE it was in the cookshack?

I never foil my butts until after they come out of the smoker so they can rest. All I do is smoke that bad boy fat side up until my remote thermometer reads 185-190 and NEVER open the door until that time. Then I wrap in foil and let them rest in a cooler or the container I plan on pulling them in for at least an hour(that is if I can keep myself from eating the stuff right then). That lets the juices redistibute into the butts so that when I pull them all the juices run straight to the bottom of the container.

Juicy stuff every time.

If you have your butt foiled the whole time you may just be boiling the juices right out off there. Kinda like the meat in a stew where you wind up eating all the veggies and using the gravy with bread and not touching the meat itself.

If you're not doing that then your thermometer may be messing with you. What color is the meat inside the butt when you pull it apart?

wow- 19 hours? I've done 6 lb butts at 225 in my smokette and they're typically done in more like 12 hours...and I've gone above 185 in temp. Never dry. I'd do as the others have suggested and check your thermometer.

Thanks all for the suggestions. I have been putting my butts in foil while I smoke them as I read that was a good way to do it. So I'll try it out of the foil the next time. I'll also test the thermometer for accuracy.
So I'm off to the store tomorrow morning to pick up a new one and try again. I'll report back when the next one is done.

quote:

Originally posted by csspry:
Thanks all for the suggestions. I have been putting my butts in foil while I smoke them as I read that was a good way to do it. So I'll try it out of the foil the next time. I'll also test the thermometer for accuracy.
So I'm off to the store tomorrow morning to pick up a new one and try again. I'll report back when the next one is done.

I think we're on to something here. Once you make sure your thermometer is in order throw that butt on the top rack and keep the door closed till she hits 185-195.

It is a remote style thermometer right? If so run the lead down through the hole in the top of your cookshack. That way you never have to open the door. Opening the door loses moisture and more importantly adds LOTS of time to your cook since your smoker now has to gain back the heat it lost while you had the door open.

If yer lookin' you ain't cookin'.

I am betting you opened the door several times during that 19 hours. That's a NO-NO. The Smokette is designed to cook with minimal moisture loss and some complain it is too moist for a smoker. Only foil you use whilst cooking a butt is on the bottom with a drain hole poked and on the woodbox. Do not use too much wood. 4 ounces is plenty for a butt. Be sure your thermometer (the kind with a cabled probe and magnet to stick on the side of the Smokette) is working good with a good battery. Stick the probe down the smoke hole and into the butt and not touching bone or a fat or air pocket. The very tip of the probe does the temp measurement. Don't forget the drain pan. If you want to turn the Smokette all the way up to 250*, it is not too high for low and slow BBQ. Put the meat in around dinnertime and take it out the next day when it is at least 195*. Wrap in foil and towels and put in your small cooler until time to shred and eat.

Welcome to the forum.

Take good notes, experiment, have fun!

Actually I NEVER open the door. I have a thermometer with a long flexiable lead that I put down the top hole and into the butt. I just go out every so often and check the temp. I only put on block of wood in the smoker.
I have not tried wrapping it in towels and leaving it in a small cooler for an hour to settle. Maybe that is part of my problem as weell, I guess I just want to eat it too soon cause it always smells SO GOOD!

Ok so I just did the boiling water test with my thermometer. When the water started to boil it showed 201 degrees. I am in Florida at sea level. So if it should have read 212 I guess mine is off a bit. That might account for some of my problems. Anyone have any suggestions for an accurate thermometer?

That's a BIG problem!!

I use a Maverick 73 BBQ thermometer. With this thing I don't even have to go outside to check the temps.

The combo of the thermometer and the foil may be the entire problem. Looks like you're on your way to some good Q bud!!

Thanks Lantern, I'll give that one a look and see if I can find it locally or if I have to order it online.
On another note I just put in a 6.5 lbs Boston Butt. Not sure what the difference is between that and a regular pork butt but we'll see what happens. I put it on the top rack, set it to 225, put it fat side up, 1 piece of wood in the smoke box, stuck in my old thermometer and we'll see what happens in 10 or 12 hours. I'm going on the assumption that my thermometer is off by about 12 degrees or so on the low side so I'll just judge it that way till I get a better thermometer. I also did not put any foil over the meat just a piece on on the bottom of the smoker over the smoke box. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some great 'Q' for lunch/dinner tomorrow!!
Thanks again for all your suggestions.

Sorry for the false accusations of door opening.

Take that puppy up to 210* with that wrong therm and see how it is. If it looks like a meteorite when you finally get the first look at it, you did good!

Stick with this forum, it'll do you right!

csspry,

I missed that you wrapped the butt in foil and then put it in the smoker.

This time just apply the rub or seasonings you want and then put it in the smoker as a raw hunk of meat. (fat side up)

After you see about 205 with your low reading thermometer pull the butt out and it should, as GLH says "look like a meteorite" (I love that decription)

Then when you pull it out of the smoker, wrap it in foil for 20 - 60 mins and then it will just pull apart with ease.

Well it's been in for about 8 hours so far and the temp is up to 156 so I've still got some time to wait. I'm really hoping for some great meat around lunch today. I'll be sure to report back with results on my "meteorite".

With a thermometer that's 12* off I'd take it to 178-180*.

Hopefully you put the butt in with the bone side towards the door. If you did you can open the door at 180 or so and use pliers or insulated gloves to tug at the bone. If it comes out or acts like it wants to come out pull the butt, foil and rest.


Take into account that I like my butts around 187-192* and not 195-205 as many do on the forum since I like my butt with a little more juice and "pull". Since you have been having what you describe as very dry meat I figured you'd like the change of pace.

The butt is still in the smoker. I'm at 15.5 hours and a temp of 167 (taking into account my inaccurate thermometer) with a temp of 225. It hasn't changed much in the last 1.5 hours, maybe 2 degrees. Hopefully it will start to pick up soon cause it smells so good every time I go out there!!

Yep, that's normal for the temps to stall about there for a good while. Once it starts up again it won't take too much longer to get where you want to go.

Ok so final update. I pulled it at around 180*(best as I can tell with my thermometer) and put it in foil for an hour then opened it up and started eating. This one was by far the best one I've had in a long time. I think it could have used a little longer but I didn't trust my thermometer enough to leave it in there any longer. As it was a little over a 6 lbs butt was in there for 18.5 hrs at 225*. I really need to start experimenting with some rubs or marinades but for now I'm just thrilled that this one came out tasting great.
Thanks again to all who replied with suggestions, especially lantern, the additional emails helped at just the right time!

At 167*, was in the plateau, you can just turn it up full blast during the plateau next time, or turn it up all the way from the start. You don't need to worry about a butt getting to dry in a Smokette at 180*, regardless of how long it took to get there. You might have my kind of Smokette that only gets to 235*. If you just let one go to 195*, you will see why. You must learn patience!

Nothing else to add here......everyone seems to be giving correct advice... I just smoked a bone-in butt over the weekend. I put it in at 10pm Friday night and took it out Saturday at 2pm....Smoker set at 225. Once removed I wrapped it twice in HD foil then in two towels and let rest....

Very juicy every time......good bark too!

try it one more time and follow the advice given, you will be a HERO!!

Almost forgot....always FAT-SIDE-UP......TOP RACK

dan

Thanks all I'm hoping to try it again this weekend if possible. I got a new thermometer so here's hoping it comes out perfect this time.

One thing nobody mentioned is that your cook times will go down if you cook more meat. I smoked a couple of picnics (foot end of a shoulder) with a total weight of about 9lbs once and it took forever, like close to 24 hours. But typically 20-22lbs of butt will take about 9-10 hours to get to 190* if I leave the smoker at 225* the whole time. I've actually had 6 ~10# butts in my smokette on a couple of occasions and it cooks in about 10 hours if I'm careful to keep the smoke hole clear.

csspry -- I will add one thing here. It's been implied but never stated. When cooking these large pieces of meat one has to have patience. No two pieces of meat are the same and they will all cook just a tad different.

Smoking at 225*, your temp run-up will seem to stall when it hits the plateau - between 160* and 175*. Be patient and let the smoker and meat do their thing.

Take that butt up to 195*, wrap it in HD foil and let it rest in a cooler for at least 1 hour. You will NOT be disappointed!

Good luck & let us know how it goes!

quote:

Originally posted by GLH:
At 167*, was in the plateau, you can just turn it up full blast during the plateau next time, or turn it up all the way from the start. You don't need to worry about a butt getting to dry in a Smokette at 180*, regardless of how long it took to get there. You might have my kind of Smokette that only gets to 235*. If you just let one go to 195*, you will see why. You must learn patience!

Are the last 4 words of the above post an implication or a statement?

hehehe

Just messing with you wheelz!

I thought my experience on my old Smokette might help some folks.

I used to start a little low ,and then maybe only bump up to 225º-to suit my own timing.

I often had a second plateau around 187º-189º-maybe just because I was anxious and watching the therm too much.

When cooking low ,I also found that if I opened the cooker about 192º-193º,the bone would pull out and the butt was falling apart on the rack.

I found if I left it until 195º,it still pulled easily-but it ate kinda try.

Maybe this will apply to,and help some folks.

quote:

Are the last 4 words of the above post an implication or a statement?

hehehe

Just messing with you wheelz!

Not nice to mess with peeps with Old-Timers! Now be nice!
BTW, has anyone mentioned "patience?"

Yep, Tom. I crank up all the way during the plateau and pull anywhere from 195 to 205*. It is always moister than when I used to keep the dial on 225*. I think the larger the butt, the lower and slower, but especially true with big briskets.



Did I just get threatened with a cheap pocketknife?