Butts min/max temp ??


 
J

John Furdyn

TVWBB Pro
what are the min & max temps. for low/slow cooking butts.
one would shoot for about 225 ish. Say you couldn't watch you cooker temps as closley as you might like. what do you think would be too high and too low temps, that might affect the quality of the finished pork ? Also at what low temp, towards the end of the cook, would cooking no longer take place ? Any info appreciated. Thanks John
 
I would try to keep my temp at the dome of the lid no lower than around 250 and I would not be concerned if it got up to 300. Butts are very forgiving. Too high a temp can create a very hard bark and otherwise not permit sifficient time for good rendering of the internal fat which is a key factor in a good product. Too low a temp will extend the cook time and if long enough, can dry out the meat some. A gradual fall in the temp of the pit after an overnight cook is to be expected.

Paul
 
I agree. I have(well...accidently) cooked at 225 when I thought I was at 250. It took forever!There is no need to go that low. I say 250-275 as well. anywhere in between that range is great. I have also cooked high temp butts in kettle at 300-315. still came out great but I think the 250ish range is the ticket. I like to cook till internal is 195-200
 
I cook mine to a temp of 190 when pulling. I remove, foil, and rest. I see no reason to go over 190. You can foil prior to hitting 190 and continue to cook to help reach 190 quicker if you wish.
 
John

I would take to around 195, remove from the cooker, wrap in HD foil and let them rest in an empty cooler with a towel on the bottom and top of them for a minimum of 2 hours. They can stay in the foil for 4 or 5 hours, maybe a little longer, if you need them to in order to meet your serving schedule.

Paul
 
Okay I'll cook to 190 ish, wrap in foil and put in a cooler with newspapers ( 2-4 hr). I like the idea of the couple hour window in the cooler, to meet serving time. Thanks All John
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave L.:
If you foil and let rest at 190, will it continue to cook more in the foil? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Yes. There is residual cooking.

Irrespective of internal temp, if the probe goes in with some difficulty the butt isn't ready to be removed from the cooker; if it goes in fairly smoothly, residual cooking will likely be all the butt will further need so it can be removed and rested; if it goes in very easily the butt is ready now--at least a minimal rest is required for the redistribution of internal juices.

Butts sometimes stall again in the 180s and linger there for some time. If the time is lng enough, the butt can be ready to remove before the internal temps start rising again.

Some people like their butts more 'done' than others, i.e., after more rendering and dripping has occurred. Over the course of a few cooks and different finish points you'll figure out what is best for you.
 
You can wrap at 165 or take to 195 then pull and wrap. Wrapping at 165 will speed up the process if its a time issue. The only difference in the end product is you make have a little better bark unwrapped. I have tried them every way, butts are very forgiving. If you are gonna let it sit for only an hour cook till 195. If you are gonna let it sit 3 hours 190 will suffice because it will still cook a bit. Let us know how it turns out.
 
thanks again with alittle bit of luck, will be cooking the butt sunday or monday. it will be my first "long" minion method, so I'm looking for a little warmer weather than today, low 20's and very windy. I want the warmer weather so if I have to fiddle with the cooker it will a litle more pleaseant to be outside. John
 
Ditto on Kevin's response. Use temperatures as a basic guide--I start checking doneness at 190, but some butts I've cooked weren't right until closer to 200. Your probe should slide in with very little resistance. If you tie yourself to temperature alone, you'll get inconsistent results. Have fun!
 
Hey John,

Don't get too cerebral about it. Cook it. When its done, its done. If when you go to pull it, it doesn't pulll too well, chop it.

Pork butt is THE most forgiving cut of meat we cook. At 175 internal, it makes great slices, at 205 its great pulled. Don't let yourself get caught up in minutia.

I've been cooking on my bullet quite a bit this winter and i can't believe how much time i used to waste worrying about the temperatures of this thing. Start the fire, set the vents and walk away for 8-10 hours. Don't fret about it!
 
Joe
I don't want to make too big of a deal out of this. I'm now just starting to use a meat thermometer, I think you people who do use one, get more consistant (good) results. John
 
John,

Glad to hear you're not trying to make a big deal out of it. This is BBQ, and folks were making great BBQ without the aid of thermometers and gurus and FEs etc.

Temps are important for sure, but when one lets this art of creating BBQ get to the point looking at things like: "must get to 205 for pulled pork" and "oh no, my dome temp just spiked 20 degrees" its gotten into your head too much. I speak from experience...I've located thermocouples at every layer of the cooker, made small vent adjustments every 15 minutes for hours on end...in the end, it doesn't matter.

Heat cooks meat, higher heat cooks faster, lower cooks slower. The best part about this hobby is sampling the end results. Maybe everyone has to scientifically evaluate how the cooker behaves to gain confidence in how it works. But 90% of the time, trust your instincts...and there's no substitute for practice.

I used to try to inquire "what is fork tender". Got lots of responses, but how does reading translate to how that brisket feel when you hit it with the temperature probe?

I do use my thermapen to look at temperature when I'm cooking chicken, espeically white meat. But for most other meats, cook them and poke them until you get a feeling for what "done" feels like.
 
Joe
I believe there is a lot of truth to what you say. I've been cooking BBQ for a few years now especially last summer, and I haven't thrown anything out yet. We have a saying in my house "It's Eatable". Like someone on TV said all BBQ is good, somes just better. Happy smoking John
 
at 200 I can assure you it will be done, and the bone will slide right out. Different people have different ideas what fork tender is.
 
I've heard that but have never seen it occur in reality. When someone is learning what fork tender is (I prefer a probe) there is often reticence to feel the meat and second-guess but that passes. I've always chalked it up to many thinking they need a specific number and being a little frustrated/scared (at the beginning) because they have to trust themselves.

On the other hand, more than a few would find a 200F butt (that had been cooked low/slow) overdone. Some butts don't pass the mid-upper 180s and with time get 'done' before 190 is even reached. Some have other issues.

Temps for food safety are one thing. 'Done' is subjective, temp isn't. Knowing (or getting to know) what your own done feels like to you is more likely to give you the results you seek consistently. I don't think chasing an internal temp is any different (or better) than chasing a specific cooktemp.
 
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