Butts on, cooking too fast..


 
R

Ron F

TVWBB Fan
Well normally I go by the lid temp but I checked all my Therms today and my lid therm was toast. About -25* off. I now see why my chickens took so long to cook last week.

Anyway I'm now using the probe thru a cork at the top grate. It's about 2" in from the edge(between edge and butt) and reading 246*, but I just checked the lid temp and it's reading 299*! The butts are at 131* and 140* and they've only been on for 3 hours. I think it's a little hot in there. I closed the vents a bit but I don't understand the 40*+ difference.

Going to bed now, will check on them when I happen to wake up. One thing about the WSM, even tho I'm having this temp issue I don't worry about a thing. Somehow that cooker just takes care of itself.

Happy smoking,
Ron
 
5am. Butts at 175*, grate temp at 220* with almost no charcoal left. Also no water in ECB pan(started full w/hot water). Filled ring little less than half and dumped already burning coals on top. Temp reading at 224*, left vents where they were.

I think I'm going to go back to lid temp as this cook is going way too fast. The cooker must be overall hotter than what that grate temp is reading. Butts have only been on for little over 8 hours. Hmmmm...

Happy smoking,
Ron
 
Back to bed? I already have 2 cups of coffee down lol.
I started using the lid vents for the probes because it is consistent. If I would have a lot of meat (which I do most times) on the grate, it sometimes gave bad readings from being to close to the cool meat, IMO. Even when letting the meat sit out in room temps for a short period, I still felt it was an issue.
Even at that high of a lid temp, they will be fine. Hope you wanted them for lunch though.
 
Originally posted by Bob T.:
Back to bed? I already have 2 cups of coffee down lol.
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He didn't say he was going back to bed, he said he was going back to using the other thermometer. I wouldn't post just to correct you, the funny thing is, I read it the same way you did. I guess early in the morning, the only thing that registers in one's mind after "going back to" is bed.
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Ron seems to be doing well. He said the heck with it and got some sleep and I bet the only issue he'll have is how long he can hold it if it was for later in the day.
 
How long are the stems on the lid probes you all use? I just did a sort of test. I used my turkey fryer therm(very long stem) and stuck it in the lid around 2 1/2"(about where the old lid therm was). It read around 275* to 280*. I then brought it down to just 1/2" above middle of grate. Temp read around 235*. Butts were at 175* at this time.

Could it be that the grate temp is more accurate in terms of what the average pit temp is, and that using a lid therm really means you are cooking at quite a lower temp? We know smoking calls for temps between 220*-250* pit temp. If the reading in the lid is at these temps it just seems the actual average pit temp would be quite a bit lower just based on what I found in this cook.

I do know the butts will be fine, it's more just out of curiosity.

By the way, I just checked them(7:30am)and they are just about ready to come off. All butts range from 6-7 1/2 lbs. It will end up being only 12 hours for 4 butts. Gonna foil and rest and pull when I get back from church.

Happy Smoking,
Ron
 
I usually do 7.5- or 8-lb butts and somewhere around 11 or 12 hours is the norm. I start them near midnight most often. I cook butts ~270-280 grate.

I use a Maverick grate probe stuck through the lid vent (mostly) but I have not seen disparities in temps like you describe. For me it's 20 degrees tops. But I do agree with you that using lid temps can mean one is smoking at a much lower temp--especially if the lid temp is on the low side from the get-go. I often caution or advise new smokers to raise their temps as most of the time lower, slower temps are unwarranted, especially with typical supermarket meat.
 
Originally posted by Jerry N.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob T.:
Back to bed? I already have 2 cups of coffee down lol.
Click to expand...
He didn't say he was going back to bed, he said he was going back to using the other thermometer. I wouldn't post just to correct you, the funny thing is, I read it the same way you did. I guess early in the morning, the only thing that registers in one's mind after "going back to" is bed.
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Ron seems to be doing well. He said the heck with it and got some sleep and I bet the only issue he'll have is how long he can hold it if it was for later in the day. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ooops, Maybe I should not make such a strong pot, it makes me read things that aren't there!
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Ron,

I use a regular cheap dial therm from Wall Mart in the top vent. I let it go in about 2". I also use a Guru, and that probe is in the top vent also, but even cooks that I don't use the Guru, I still rely on top vent readings.
If I use the Guru or not, I almost never go below 260 lid temps, and depending on when I can get the meat on, and when it needs to be done is where I set the temps. Most cooks are between 260-290 lid. The only time I see a big difference in temps between lid/grate is the first 2 hours of the smoke, after that, mine stays around 10-12 degrees different with the Guru, about 15 w/o the Guru.
Enjoy you dinner, I did about 22#'s of pork Saturday, and just tossed on 2 racks of Spares for later today.
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I remember when I first got my nutemp therms. I would put the meat out and spend and hour or 2 up just to make sure the temp stabilized where I wanted. At around 2 hours or so I noticed either brisket or butts would be around 120*. I remember thinking these things were going to be done in 4 more hours. Well I can tell you I have never pulled brisket or butt in 6 hours. They seem to get to the plateau in just a few hours then the sit in that plateau for pleanty more hours. I have seen the butts stay in the plateau for 4 hours or more.

When I use my Nu-Temp now I don't put them into the meat til 8 hours into the cook. I got tired of getting freaked about how fast the temps were rising in the meat.
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Butts rested for 3 hours wrapped in foil and in a cooler. Just got them pulled. Delicious. This was my 3rd time doing butts and of course I learned some things....

I didn't trim enough fat. Do you all 'open' up the butt(these were bone-in)and trim off fat or just on the outside?

I had to pull these while two were at 180* and two were around 192*. Had to be at church or I would have let the 180* ones cook a bit longer. They are both delicious, but the higher temp ones are more tender.

I've been thinking of building an enclosure. I now know I will if for anything but to save on fuel in the winter. Went thru alot of fuel for a 12 hour cook. Normally I can get 20 hours using MM and adding a few coals thru the door. For this cook I dumped the few remaining coals onto another 1/2 ring. Using Kingsford FWIW.

The great thing is that these are all just little things that I want to improve on. The WSM is just so easy to use. I can honestly say I haven't made anything yet that wasn't edible(on the WSM anyway, the stove is a different story). Tho I don't use mine as much as most probably do, I still find it so easy to cook with.

Happy Smoking,
Ron
 
Ron -- I do not trim the butts at all. When I am pulling (then chopping, this being NC) them, I work to clean the excess fat out from between the meat chunks.

I am of the (uninformed) opinion that letting the butts cook longer causes more of the fat to cook out.
 
If you let them get all the way up to 200° internal, it makes more of the fat render out, and what you think they are deliciuos but fatty at 180°, you will love what happens to a lot of the fat and a lot of the taste by going the extra 20°.

I used to pull at 185°, now that is the temp, (internal), I aim for if it is sliced pork I am looking to make, for pulled I aim for 200° but it can get as high as 205° and I wont worry about it.

The pulling at 200° + is a totally different experience, there is less work, it is quicker to do, and I find it pulls cleaner than at the lower temp, and it makes getting rid of more fat a simpler and faster job.

The yeild is down about 5 - 7% (63% - (56% - 54%) but the cleaner meat is prefered by 90% of the folks that eat it, so I think it is the way to go.
 
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