The stall is real


 
RichardWhitmill

RichardWhitmill

TVWBB Member
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year in Manchester and so I fired up the grill and settled down to eat.... pasta 😂
Had a big stall out on my pork butt. I was determined yesterday to do a couple of things.
Try and dial in temps to 225f to practice for future cooks knowing pork would be more forgiving if that didn't work. On this front pretty happy as it was a few degrees over but pretty rock steady. Pretty much closed down all but one of the grates to get there.
And secondly I wanted to try no wrap as the bark had all fallen off last time. Anyway it took so long in the stall it ended up being ready at like 11pm, hence the pasta! I did give up on the low temp around 7pm and cranked up so I wouldn't be there all night.
Anyway I am relaxed about all this as learned a lot on temp control and will for defs wrap and I am sure all sorts of other factors that led to this. And as you can see from the picture well there's only one thing you can do in that situation!
Looking forward to eating my pulled pork today too!
 

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I don’t wrap, spritz, use the water pan or, even open the WSM, get the temp 250ish and I go to bed or at least take a nap. 225 just seems to prolong the agony. But, that’s my opinion.
I just get it all set up, light the sidewinder method up and walk away, check temp in half an hour adjust as required make a cocktail and just exercise great patience.
 
What time did you start?

I’ve encountered some longer than expected stalls myself and pretty much wrap every time. Which means put meat in an aluminum pan and cover. Also spritz as I like the added flavor.

And definitely wait until bark is set. It shouldn’t fall off
 
TimA said:
What time did you start?

I’ve encountered some longer than expected stalls myself and pretty much wrap every time. Which means put meat in an aluminum pan and cover. Also spritz as I like the added flavor.

And definitely wait until bark is set. It shouldn’t fall off
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2.30pm, took it off at 11pm. Weird as it wasn't a huge piece of meat. Definitely all a good learning though.

Next time gonna run a bit higher and wrap. And yeah I defs wrapped too early time before.

Glad I waited it out and took advice here. Can I let improve the next cook.

And there's a happy ending as we had it last night. it was great and a marked improvement on previous pulled pork cooks.
 

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I wrapped my brisket a little early last time and I felt like the stall was extended when I did that.
I went by internal temps and overlooked the other indicators of wrap readiness.
 
Bob Bass said:
Do you test that the bark has set before wrapping ?
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I am not wrapping the meat at all......
I have cooked briskets and shoulders all different ways.....all of them are good...wrap, no wrap, braise....finish in oven.....
Lately I have been cooking my pork into the stall then braising them in lard. I use this for sandwiches and carnitas with much success.
Heavily seasoned.........the bark is barely set when it hits the stall.....sometimes I try to leave it for a bit but it really doesn't make a difference. That braise will soften any bark.
So if bark is important, like a traditional plate then don't use this method........
The flavors stick around and the pork pulls differently......comes out juicy and tasty......when it is carnitas time I don't need to add much fat as the pork has it in there already.......
Also I can cut the shoulder in 3 pieces and have it braising in about 6 hours.....saves a ton of time.
I made probably 2 threads on that if you go looking for it.
 
The only reason to wrap the meat, regardless of whether it's pork or beef, is to shorten the cook time. If you want great bark, you have to wait. If you want to save the bark and wrap - use Peach butcher paper! it will allow some of the syteam to ecsacpe and not sompletely loose the bark. Wrap the meat tightly in the papewr after it reaches 165-170 degrees internal. Then when it hits 190 unwrap and let it finish to 203degrees internal. This will reset the bark.

Another meathod that I've heard of is to flatten out the butt by filleting it to 2-3 inches thick and then smoking it. I haven't personally tried this but have heard from those who have, that it works well. You have greater surface area to absorb the smoke and for the rub
 
Tom... Might want to open your horizons a little...
"The only reason to wrap the meat, regardless of whether it's pork or beef, is to shorten the cook time."
Wrong !
 
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I agree with @Timothy F. Lewis and don't brine, marinate, inject, spritz, mop or otherwise add moisture to pork butts. Because the stall occurs when evaporation carries heat off of the meat, anything in the process that adds moisture can lengthen the stall. Every pork butt I've cooked has had plenty fat and connective tissue to produce a moist and tender end product. Unless the pork you're getting in the UK is very lean, or trimmed excessively, I'd expect the same. Most any flavor you hope to gain from liquid additions before or during the cook can be added, to taste, after shredding. Also, I cook between 275 and 300 F with pretty much the same results as cooking at 225, only much faster, and only wrap for extended rests when needed to meet the serving schedule.
 
^^^^^ This ^^^^^
I also mentioned you can cut the shoulder into pieces.......If you are not looking for that traditional turkey on the table final outcome then I would suggest trying it once. I have had great success with it...7 - 8 pounders get about 6 hours smoke and I finish with a braise that doesn't take long.
 
If you want to save the bark and wrap - use Peach butcher paper! it will allow some of the syteam to ecsacpe and not sompletely loose the bark. Wrap the meat tightly in the papewr after it reaches 165-170 degrees internal. Then when it hits 190 unwrap and let it finish to 203degrees internal. This will reset the bark.

Another meathod that I've heard of is to flatten out the butt by filleting it to 2-3 inches thick and then smoking it. I haven't personally tried this but have heard from those who have, that it works well. You have greater surface area to absorb the smoke and for the rub

Check and check. I like a lot of crunchy bark.

1. Butterfly for more bark and faster cook. Especially easy to do if starting with a boneless butt (a la Costco).

2. Wrap in butcher paper rather than foil.

3. And once you wrap, just cook in the kitchen oven. After wrapping, smoke doesn't matter and all BTUs are the same.
 
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