cooking 4 butts -why is it taking so much longer for the ones I started on the bottom


 
T

Tom Raveret

TVWBB Pro
I'm cooking 4 butts using a digiQII (love that thing!!!) for temp control and a empty waterpan with foil over the top and almunum foil balls inside.

Put the butts on last night at 7:00pm this morning at 9:00 am the smaller of the two on the top rack consistently had readings 190 he larger inthe high 180's so I wrapped them in foil and threw them in oven on warm at 180 degrees for a couple of hours then rested and pulled them.

I carefully moved the bottom two to the top grate and let them smoke for a few more hours added more coals and 6-7 hours later and my
temps are still in he 170's low 180's when checked with my therma-pen.

I'm a little baffled by the low meat temps. I've been maintaining 225 all along acording to the digiQ II (though I didn't set an additional thermometer like a maverick to check it. And Ramp mode was turned off so I don't think that wouldn't be a factor.

Any ideas why the ones started on the bottom are taking sooooo much more time??? I just added mroe fuel and have to leave for a meeting and will come back to them in a couple of hours.


Thanks
 
I'm assuming that 225 is at the top grate so the lower grate temp is to close to your finish . Temperature To low to slow temp should be closer to 240 250 I bet the butts on the bottom are done.

Tim
 
I have read posts on here (although I haven't checked myself on mine) that the temp on the lower grate can be between 12 and 24 degrees cooler than the top rack. (That is some of the temps I noted. a search will get you some articles to read).

So if the top rack was 250, then the bottom rack could be anywhere from 226 to 238 or so. If it was on the low end then you have a much longer cook time.
 
I would have to agree that it's the temp difference between the two grates. I try to use this to my advantage if you have different thickness in meats (smaller on lower rack).

I haven't really found a work-around, but as long as you know this ahead of time you can plan around it. For Butt's I like to just cook a little hotter 235-250 range at the top grate as I find they can tolerate the increased heat without any adverse reactions.
 
I understood it taking a couple of more hours but it was 8 hours longer after I moved them to the top grate to apporach the high 180's for the meat (meat temp being checked independently with a therma-pen)


I thought of bumping the temps up but there's sugar in the rub i was using and i didnt want to burn it.

So the top grate cooks low and slow and the botom cooked low and REALLY REALLY slow.
 
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