Anyone experience a tougher than normal pork butt? Cooked at 250, full water pan for 4 hours then wrapped until done (190). It was an 8lb butt. Had a really big bone in it besides the normal blade. Butcher said it was a butt? When I went to pull, it came off the bone but wasn't falling apart like normal. Ideas?
Tough butt
- Thread starter Danny Mo.
- Start date
Yep. Butts, like briskets, are done when they are done, not when they hit a specific internal temp. I'd wager that the butt was kind of dry and bit difficult to pull. Would lead me to believe that it was undercooked.
Barry LaZar
TVWBB Member
The basic answer is no. However, I use a slightly different approach. I leave my butt in until it hits 160-170 degrees. I, then, wrap it in foil with a little apple juice, I continue to cook until I get to about 200-205 degrees. At 205 it should be tender and pullable. If not, I cook a little longer. Your cooking temperature is the same as I use, and I, too, fill mu water pan. It takes me 12-14 hours for the process.
timothy
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
A tip (I learned from here) was not to go by IT after foiling. Foiling speeds up cooking times (and the IT rises rather quickly) but that doesn't necessarily mean that a big chunk of meat has had enough time to break down it's connective tissues, etc. I always use a gloved hand and give it a quick squeeze/poke test. When it feels soft and unyielding than I'll unwrap and start probing for tender.
Tim
Tim
Enrico Brandizzi
TVWBB Honor Circle
You say it was though, but you were able to pull off the bones. You say it didn't fall apart but you don't say if you were able to pull it. But on the other end if you sliced it you would tell us. So maybe it was just not muschy at all
Hello Danny,
8 lb butt with bone-in? Pork butts are the front shoulder so your butcher is speaking the truth. Assume the bone weighs 2 lbs which leaves 6 lbs of pre-cook with a 50% yield provides 3 lbs of cooked meat. I learned to start probing when IT hits 190-195 then cook to probe tender. All meats are different. Probe tender is when your probe goes through the meat with little to no resistance (hot knife through butter).
8 lb butt with bone-in? Pork butts are the front shoulder so your butcher is speaking the truth. Assume the bone weighs 2 lbs which leaves 6 lbs of pre-cook with a 50% yield provides 3 lbs of cooked meat. I learned to start probing when IT hits 190-195 then cook to probe tender. All meats are different. Probe tender is when your probe goes through the meat with little to no resistance (hot knife through butter).
The only time I messed up a butt was when I tried to rush it and wrap it... it wasn't terrible, but definitely didn't have that fall apart goodness like it does when I let it go unwrapped until it's falling apart. I usually get it up into the 195 range then give a little tug on the bone. If it starts coming out easily... then you're good to go.
Dave from Denver
TVWBB Wizard
Two bones sounds like a shoulder picnic not a shoulder butt but anyway 192 is not usually quite hot enough for easy pulling.
Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
At 190* wrap and place in a dry cooler for a couple of hours, can do 4 hours and still be hot, the internal will increase another 10* during that rest to 200*. The butt will continue to tenderize without applying heat, helps retain moisture.
If you take them 205 or more you will still get the bounce in internal temp but the product will be over done.
If you take them 205 or more you will still get the bounce in internal temp but the product will be over done.