Stubborn pork butt that takes forever?


 
D

Dave M..

TVWBB Member
Hey guys...I've done several pork butts - the last 3 were all great and finished in about 12-13 hours at 225. I have one on there now, that has been steady at 225 for 19hrs and 51 minutes, and still isn't done! The two probes are 192 and 194. At about 180F internal temp I finally got tired of waiting and foiled it to theoretically speed up the process... Still waiting. I tried tugging on the blade bone and it's def not done yet, confirmed with thermapen the probes are accurate. What gives? This is the first pork butt I've gotten from a new source...I WAS excited at the price..could it be low quality causing this or what would make it take so long?? Thanks
 
Probably has a higher fat content so it is rendering more. The evaporation of the juices slows down the cooking process. Patience Grasshopper.
 
Some critters are just more ornery than others. It may have been an old cuss not wanting to give up yet. I've had those. Sooner or later that pig will give.
 
These responses are hilarious. Thanks guys. I will standby as she creeps on up to 200. I just figured with this much time it must be dried out as h***...I guess we will see. I wonder how long it would have taken had I not foiled it!
 
foiling and finishing in the oven isn't a bad call... you ain't getting any more benefit from it sitting in your WSM
 
Personal opinion - 225 is too low. You have a hunk of meat sitting in a 225 degree pit while wanting the internal temps to reach 200? Yeah, that's going to take a long long time as there isn't but a slight difference between the 2 environments. I'm not sure how you've done that in the past in 12/13 hours as it takes me that long or more in the 250-275 range.

Other than foiling & tugging on the bone, how many more times have the lid been opened?
 
Chad Bman said:
Personal opinion - 225 is too low. ...it takes me that long or more in the 250-275 range.

Other than foiling & tugging on the bone, how many more times have the lid been opened?
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^^^ what he said ^^^ 225* is just too close to finished temp for me also.
 
Chad Bman said:
Personal opinion - 225 is too low. You have a hunk of meat sitting in a 225 degree pit while wanting the internal temps to reach 200? Yeah, that's going to take a long long time as there isn't but a slight difference between the 2 environments. I'm not sure how you've done that in the past in 12/13 hours as it takes me that long or more in the 250-275 range.

Other than foiling & tugging on the bone, how many more times have the lid been opened?
Click to expand...

Maybe one time..it's been closed and steady.

As far as I know, and I'm no expert - the standard temp for pork butts low-n-slow is 225. The last three have taken 12-13 hrs at 225-230. This one being so resistant - I did just bump it up to 250 as I'm getting HUNGRY! LOL
 
LOL John..trust me it's been extended...and extended and extended. We just ordered a pizza...eff this.. this was supposed to be lunch!
 
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Here it is, in all its glory. Butt went on at 1206am. Pit temps have been pretty steady, and you can see the slight dips in the red temperature line when I opened the lid quickly
 
You sure it isn't done? Grab a skewer or probe and test it. If the probe slides right in, it's done. I start checking for doneness at 190 internal and half of the time - they're done at that temp.
 
Turn up the heat. We cooked 3 butts today. 300-350 degrees. Took 8 hours for the biggest one. It was 9 pounds. I just use a homemade, no sugar rub.
 
It was a 7.5lb butt after trimming..pretty good size. Chad Bman was right though - I probably should have been checking more often...as when I did go check after his post it was done...and prob was well before that. It ended up being kinda tough...a little drier than I'd like it to be but not bad, but tough...I assume it just went way too long. It was undoubtedly a stubborn butt, however I am sure I overcooked it....rookie mistake but all part of the learning curve I assume. Oh well!
 
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