Help- what went wrong-never happened before...


 
B

Brad Marsh

TVWBB Member
Went to sleep about 1:30am. 8.6 lb Butt had been on since about 8:30 pm. Lid temp had been pegged at 260 from about 8:45 to 12:30. Started to drop a tiny bit. So I threw a few more unlit briqs on top. Filled the water pan with hot water. Temp bumped back up to 255-260. Fell asleep somewhere around 1:30.

TO MY HORROR woke at 7am to a cold pit. Stone cold. Butt had internal of 145. That's what it was when I stoked the pit around 12:30. I know it got hotter, but not hot enough to pull. The bone is still pretty stiff in the meat.

I quickly lit up another chimney of coals, dumped the ash full bowl and loaded the ring with new briqs and one small piece of hickory.

1. Is the meat safe to keep cooking or should I throw it out?

2. Is this a result of the new kingsford burning way to fast?

Like I said before, this has never happened to me before. Very disconcerting. If anyone has any input I'd greatly appreciate it, especially answering the safety question.

Thanks,

Brad
 
Brad,as long as the meat was 145 degrees,and you got the fire stoked again,it should be fine. Were you using the MM?
 
Thanks Phil.

Yes I was using the MM. Do you think it was the Kingsford? Just can't figure out why it burned so fast...
 
The meat is safe, as Phil notes.

Hard to say what happened. Was the fuel burned up when you first looked this a.m. or was there fuel left unburned? Perhaps it was the addition of unlit.
 
Kevin,

There was only ash left this morning.

Internal temp is now at 185 but the bone is not sliding out of the butt, should I wait to pull until the bone slides out easily or take if off now and tent? The meat thermometer slides in easily.

Brad
 
How much K did you start with??....and I would wait until the bone moves easily if you want to pull the meat, likely very good for slicing now
 
Thanks for all your help guys. I know all the answers are in the forum. Believe me, I've spent 5 hours in the last 24 looking and reading. The fiasco with the fire going out last night just has me all messed up.

I started with almost a full ring of K. About half a big bag. It was brand new, bought yesterday. Guess I should have loaded her up. This new stuff burns faster, huh?
 
I don't think it's the Kingsford. I just did a 16 hour smoke with the new Kingsford, maintained a steady 225 degrees. Never added charcoal, and still had plenty of heat (and unburned charcoal bits) left at the end.

I think you've got to look for an air leak. Perhaps when you replaced the door after adding charcoal it left a significant gap. Also, your temps were higher than I usually use for an overnight.
 
Jeff,

Not sure what it is. I pulled off a 12 lb packer I smoked on a high heat smoke this evening. Started with a pretty full ring. Threw on about 30 briqs from the chimney and loaded the meat. After some tinkering, got the temp pegged at 340 for 2.5 hours. After foiling, had trouble getting the temp up to 375. Was using the crack the door trick and everything. Problem was (looking in the door) I was running out of fuel. There was hardly any charcoal left.

The new K burns and ashes too fast. At least compared to the old stuff. Just going to have to get used to it or find something else.

The reason my temps were that high is I figure 260 lid is about 245 at the grate.

Regardless of all the problems, I think the butt turned out great. And without a doubt the brisket was the best I've done so far. I'll try to get some picks posted tomorrow.

Thanks to all for the suggestions/advice.
 
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