Butt trimming question


 
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Dave Lewis

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I am doing a 7lb butt as I write this. I just passed the 14 hour mark and the butt only reads between 176-180 (measured 3 different places) This is the 3rd butt I've done and the other two took 2 1/2 hours per pound to reach the magic 195+ degree mark. It looks like I'm on track for a three-peat. I've kept my lid temps 248-260, except when I got up at 5am, my lid read 210. At midnight it was 260, but its been consistent ever since. I've checked my probes with the boiling water test, and they're fine. The outside temp is 53 and didn't vary by more that a few degrees all night (we haven't had winter yet) No wind.

My only thought is that maybe I don't trim enough fat off. Actually, I trim very little fat off. I leave the fat cap and just cut off the really thick chunks, but I don't go digging for fat to cut. How much fat should I trim? In Chris's recipe photos (Mr. Brown), his fat trimming pile is much larger than mine. I'm just trying to figure out why my butts take much longer to reach the magic number than advertised. I'm in no rush. The butt is for tomorrow's game and I have all day, I'm just curious.
 
All butts are not created equal. It is normal for most butts to hang for a long while around 175-180 while the fat breaks down some more. Once you get a breakout in temp it seems to rise rather quickly to 195-200.

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Hi Dave!

I trim ALL the outside fat. Butt has enough internal fat to keep the meat moist, so the outside stuff doesn't add much and won't completely render off.

It also gives you more surface area to apply the rub.

I think you are doing everything correctly in your cooking, so, try trimming more and see what kind of times you get.

Have fun!
 
Thanks Stogie, that answers my question.

I trimmed all the heavy skin and fat off my 8.5 pound picnic and thought it might be overkill.

I'll be launchin' this cook in about an hour for an overnighter.

It's gonna be a good one.
 
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