Butts at 275


 
LarryR

LarryR

TVWBB Diamond Member
Anyone do their butts at 275? Due to too many adult beverages last night I forgot to put my butts on so I'm rolling 275 vs. my standard 225. Don't think I'll need to do anything different like foiling etc. but thought I'd see if anyone has additional thoughts on butts at these temps. Putt two 8+ lb butts on just after 9:00 a.m. PST, it's currently 2:40 p.m. PST and I'm sitting at 160 both butts.
Butts201112185hr.jpg
Forgot to turn my graphing on until 10:50 DOH!!
 
i always do mine between 275-350. i try and keep the temp around 275 or so. so yea, you should be just fine. what is the int temp ?
 
I go between 265 - 285 with no foil. I let the WSM settle in that range and let it go typically under 12 hours.
 
@James Smith - Always rock solid just like in today's graph. The bump around 11:15 a.m. was me dorking with my top vent. Should have just left it alone. She'll go 24 hours and look just like that.

@George Curtis - Hey George, Happy Holidays! I pulled when one was at 198 and the other 196. They're resting and will be pulled shortly w/Bryan S' finishing sauce.
 
happy holidays larry ! where you looking for shredding or slicing ? i take them off at about 193 or so for slicing and around 200 or so for shredding. though it really doesn't make much differance as you can always chop them if they are not shredding. let us know how they came out.
 
Well butts are pulled (@George Curtis). In my opinion not quite as good as when I go lower but still pretty **** good. One thing I noticed was there were quite a few pockets of fat that had not rendered. When I go with lower temps I never have un-rendered fat. For a 10.5 hr cook in a pinch, I'd do 275 again in a heart beat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Yes. I do them more at that temp than others.

I do not foil them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ditto - for a very long time for me as well. I rarely cook a butt shooting for lower temps than 250-275 range. If I see 250 I would typically be bringing it back to 275. If I see 300 I try to bring temps down to 275. It's a sweet spot for me that I like with butts. A good balance of finish product and overall cook time it offers.

Then again - this cut is so forgiving that a swing above or below that target by as much as 25 degrees (even more depending on duration) is not going to make a difference IMHO.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LarryR:
One thing I noticed was there were quite a few pockets of fat that had not rendered. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I just had the same issue. I pulled my recent butts at 190 degrees (too early I now know), but there are a lot of fatty pieces in it that we are eating around. Not too appetizing.
icon_rolleyes.gif
 
Yeah I push until "done" and looks. As I recall from internal temps I'm pulling any where from 195 min to 205 max depending on the first/primary criteria (done/looks) based on record/recollection from my butt cooks.

The majority have been pulled at 200-205.

I'm usually starting to get "antsy" start checking for done somewhere around 185-190. Before that I'm not even opening the lid anymore. I.E. - I don't baste/mop. I don't foil during the cook. I might turn once or twice but not always. Also I am just using a foiled, empty water pan.

You've seen the definition of done before - it's when you can take a skewer or probe and it passes all the way through without resistance. Like soft/room temp butter, never by internal temp or time in and of themselves. They only serve as a reference.

Need to get stocked up again, the last 2 lbs of my PP just came out of the freezer today....
 
Used to cook butts all the time in my old UDS for about 9 hours with no foiling. Flipping the butts a couple of times helped the bark develop evenly, and the drum held a LOT of moisture. As for the wsm though, I just prefer to cook slower since I use it primarily as a water smoker. However, since learning not to foil and cooler for too long, I don't think there's any significant difference in fat rendering when you compare 235* to 275* cooks. If all the fat is rendered out it means I overcooked IMHO.
 
RE: fat rendering, what is the theory/experience here with cooking a butt fat side up vs. fat side down? It seems to me that fat side up works to baste the meat for better moisture. Also, I'm experimenting with a rib rack to keep the meat an inch above a foil pan in hopes of "barking up" the bottom.
 
I cook conventionally on the bullet, preferring fat down on the grate for the whole cook. No difference noticed in moisture, but bark is probably better, at least for butts on the lower grate over the water. Less rub left on the grate, as well.
 
Ditto. I do the same for brisket. I do not trim butts and only rarely trim brisket (when I do it is only some of the fat knob between the point and flat, not the fatcap).

What little basting occurs when one cooks fat up (much of the fat does not render) does not do much to make or keep the meat moist. Maintaining moisture is mostly about not overcooking. Basting can work to add flavor, can work to slow or speed the cook (depending on what it is made from), and can help somewhat with evaporative loss, but for any of this to work well enough to bother with it basting should be rather frequent.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top