2nd butt concerns


 
C

Cory Musser

TVWBB Fan
I did my second butt this weekend and I have some concerns. It took about 18-19 hrs. to smoke a 3.5 butt. This happened with the first one I did also. My WSM cooked along anywhere between 220 and 250...then 275 close to the end. The estimate of 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. per pound doesn't seem to be working for me. I don't get it. I used a full ring of Kingsford and followed the Minion Method with 18 lit coals. Temps were great the whole cook, but it took forever for that little butt to get done. I had to foil it for about two hours so it would come up to 192 from about 160. It was stuck there for hours and hours and hours. I know there's a plateau but wow! Why is it taking so long for these small butts to cook?
 
Hi Cory
I suspect that at least one of your thermometers is not reading accurately. I've had it take closer to 3 hours/pound, but I was intentionally cooking at a much lower temperature. Also, when I checked the meat temp it was pretty low but the meat was falling apart. Next time after the 3 hours/pound mark and the temps are still lower than you would expect try a fork test, or try to pull on part of the exposed bone.

hth

morgan
 
I had the same results with three 3 lb pieces of butt. I estimated they should take 6-8 hrs to cook. Wrong!!! They took more like 13 hrs. I think the 1.5-2 hr per lb rule is a good estimate for the larger cuts, but not for the smaller ones. Because of that, I now only cook butts or shoulders that are 8 lbs plus. Figure if it's going to take that long to cook, might as well have some leftovers!

Sorry I don't have an answer for you as to why it's like that. I'll leave that to be answered by the more seasoned members of the group.

Rick
 
My probe was acting up a bit. I tested it in boiling water and was reading 208-210. My pit temp. therm was right on though before I used it. So I don't think it was the pit temp. I'll have to use the other methods to double check. This time I had a boneless butt so couldn't do the bone test. Pesky little things. It turned out great though. I took it to my Grandma's for Sunday dinner and was planning to take the rest to work that day...but it was gone before I left. That's all that counts I guess. And my cousin(who has a Brinkman electric) said he thinks mine cooks better. I could have told him that!
 
I can't seem to find any butts that big in the grocery stores. I don't have a Sam's or Costco near enough to go buy them. They are building a Sam's close by soon though so then I'll be getting the bigger cuts.
 
Nothing beats a good butcher but Costco treats me well with nice 8 pounders when I chose.

Also, did you move your meat thermometer around a little bit? Since the shoulder is in strands your going to find a lot of creases and fat veins running through it. You can have drastic differences in temp. if the tip is in fat or and open space in the middle. I've had a few butts be under temperature but then probed a different spot and was over temperature there.
 
I always see the 3-4 lbers out in the case. The store has cut some steaks off of the larger butts.

Find the person working near the meat case and ask 'em if they have any larger butts in the back. Usually they will.
 
Cory,

I've been cueing for years now, and never used a temp probe. While hours are a good general guideline, I used the fork test or sometihng similar to check whatever I have in the smoker.
In general terms, if it is falling apart after several hours, is juicy, and has a nice smoke ring, it is done.
Stricy adherence to hours/temp guidelines can result in a dried up, unedible piece of shoe leather.
 
Stuff can break and fail. I use a $9.95 Instant read DIGITAL TAYLOR thermometer from Target to double check my meat temps. Good insurance and peace of mind.
 
I agree with James when it comes to PBs. As far as time, they are all a little different, meat, temps, weather, mistakes, will all mess with the timing. I just plan on eating when the meat lets me.
 
The smaller the butt the less you can use time as a gauge. 5 to 7 pounders will take about two hours a pound. Connective tissue takes time and heat to breakdown just because the butt is small does not mean that the connective will breakdown faster.
Jim
PS: 18 to 19 hours is a long time, as the others have stated check therms for accuracy.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll have to get a digital therm to go with my probe. Are they more reliable than the probes? By the way I recevied a new middle section for my WSM today from Weber. I emailed them about the one that came with mine because it was out of round. I just took it out of the box and it's out of round also. Is it common for these parts to be a little off? It also had some scratches on it. The service and deliver were excellent though. Received the part in 4 days. Thanks guys.
 
Hi Cory
I like the Maverick ET-73 because I can monitor temps from my kitchen. The pit temp is spot on and accurate, but the meat probe really depends on where it is in the meat. If it's sitting in a big lump of internal fat it may give an inaccurate reading. If you notice a plateau or some other anomaly reseating the probe is not a bad idea.

As for the out of round issue. Congrats, you can make a double decker smoker
icon_wink.gif
btw mine leaks a bit of smoke, especially in the first few hours after that it tends to stop. I don't mind because if I shut all the vents the fire goes out in minutes so its airtight enough.

morgan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top