Cooked a 5 lb butt for my first cook yesterday. Used "The Method" and started at 1:00PM. I found myself chasing the temperature throughout the afternoon trying to keep it steady within the 225-250 range. Would run too hot and I'd close down vents. Would then begin to run too cold and would open them up. Things finally settled down around 5. Turned and basted at 6 and temp swings started again but settled down around 8. Meat temp got to 280 by 11:45 and I was shooting for 295. Moved thermometer and meat temp dropped to 267. Got fed up at 1:00AM and went to bed. Got up at 4 and meat temp was at 261. Really ticked off now. Pulled of smoker and surprisingly the meat pulled apart easily and fell off the bone. Although I never reached 295 appears meat was thoroughly cooked. My only question: why the cooker temp and meat temp fluctuations? What can I do in the future to create more uniform temps? Thanks everyone!
First Cook Dissection
- Thread starter Kevin K.
- Start date
Dale Perry
TVWBB Guru
It is key not to open the smoker very often. Pork butts are forgiving so dont panic during heat spikes or drops. I shoot for 190-195 degree meat temps for butt and then foil, insulate with towells or blanket, place in dry cooler for a few hour, then pull. When I first started Q-ing, I played with the vents too much. Last night I set the vents, checked a couple times and went to bed. My pork is still cooking now, 15 1/2 hours later and the temp dropped. All I needed to do was stir the coals, which I usually do around the 10-12 hour mark. I was a bit late this time but it wont hurt anything. Remember that BBQ is done when it is ready, not when you are so just enjoy the aroma until then.
DP
DP
Kevin -- new WSM and overcontrol are the biggest problems
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My first cook I could not keep the pit temps down due to the factory-new condition of the WSM. It "seasons" and will not cook as hot the next time.
After your first cook you now have some idea where your vents will be positioned at your cooking temp. Next time, as your pit temp gets up, start reducing the vents to slow the rate of temp rise, with the objective of getting your vents close to the cooking temp you learned previously. At this point, relax and make small, infrequent adjustments, giving them time (10-20 min) to be effective. Once you get a stable temp in your acceptable range, go with the flow.
I do not generally baste; I just keep the lid on the WSM unless I have a real problem that requires opening the WSM, such as readjusting a thermometer probe or testing for doneness. Everytime you open the lid, you run the risk of a temp spike.
I trust that the meat temps you were referring to were typos and in the 100s and not the 200s. As others will tell you, check your thermometers in boiling water to confirm correct reading.
Have fun and a smoother cook your next time.
.
My first cook I could not keep the pit temps down due to the factory-new condition of the WSM. It "seasons" and will not cook as hot the next time.
After your first cook you now have some idea where your vents will be positioned at your cooking temp. Next time, as your pit temp gets up, start reducing the vents to slow the rate of temp rise, with the objective of getting your vents close to the cooking temp you learned previously. At this point, relax and make small, infrequent adjustments, giving them time (10-20 min) to be effective. Once you get a stable temp in your acceptable range, go with the flow.
I do not generally baste; I just keep the lid on the WSM unless I have a real problem that requires opening the WSM, such as readjusting a thermometer probe or testing for doneness. Everytime you open the lid, you run the risk of a temp spike.
I trust that the meat temps you were referring to were typos and in the 100s and not the 200s. As others will tell you, check your thermometers in boiling water to confirm correct reading.
Have fun and a smoother cook your next time.
Kevin:
For what it's worth, my butts always cook as you just experienced. I'll have a plateau around 160°F for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The temperature will then climb to around 173-177°F where it stays for another hour or two. The temperature then begins to fall into the 160's again. I don't understand why, but the butt always turns out moist and delicious.
This is typically a 12 hour cook for a single butt weighing 3-4 pounds.
Anyone know why Kevin and I can't get our butt temperatures up?
For what it's worth, my butts always cook as you just experienced. I'll have a plateau around 160°F for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The temperature will then climb to around 173-177°F where it stays for another hour or two. The temperature then begins to fall into the 160's again. I don't understand why, but the butt always turns out moist and delicious.
This is typically a 12 hour cook for a single butt weighing 3-4 pounds.
Anyone know why Kevin and I can't get our butt temperatures up?
Arthur Squires
TVWBB Member
Kevin
Welcome to the frey and congrats' on the butt.
I have found that by controling the pitt temps on the way up I dont have nearly as much swimgs in the pitt tempetures during my cooks.
Once I have the lit coals in and the pitt together and fill of pork butts I close all the lower vents to half at the 180 - 190F dome temp. At 210F I close them half again. It takes a bit longer to get to temp. 230 -240F at the dome but it has done a good job of staying in that range for me for up to 15 hrs. with out my help.
Just remember pork butt is a 15-18 hour cook and have a beverage. Hope this is some help
Art
Welcome to the frey and congrats' on the butt.
I have found that by controling the pitt temps on the way up I dont have nearly as much swimgs in the pitt tempetures during my cooks.
Once I have the lit coals in and the pitt together and fill of pork butts I close all the lower vents to half at the 180 - 190F dome temp. At 210F I close them half again. It takes a bit longer to get to temp. 230 -240F at the dome but it has done a good job of staying in that range for me for up to 15 hrs. with out my help.
Just remember pork butt is a 15-18 hour cook and have a beverage. Hope this is some help
Art
What temp device are you using? Sorry if you posted it before, but I haven't seen it. I have had 5 deg. difference when checking different areas, but not 13 degrees like you said. Maybe hitting fat pockets or bone? When you say that your meat temps dropped ever more after 3 hours, I am at a loss. Never had that happen. How long do/did you have the lid off at a time? I try to have it off/on asap. Where do you check the pit temps at?
Bob - I used a Maverick ET-73. Tested meat probe in boiling water and smoker probe in the oven this morning and both were right on. I had a bone in butt and placed the probe parallel to the bone but leaving space between the probe and bone. Very possible when readjusting probe I hit a fat pocket or maybe open space within the but. It was in the upper 20s last night so maybe that had something to with the meat temp drop. I had the lid off long enough to turn and spray baste, probably no more than a minute or two.
Well I'm at a loss as to your meat temp dropped off of that amount. I'm sure someone here can help. As far as cooking in the cold, -2 to -6 has been my coldest. Everything went fine, so I don't think that was an issue for you. We have a heatwave coming up, 36 on Sunday and I am doing another 2 racks of spareribs. Mmmmm.
Don't get discouraged, it takes some getting used to, and give yourself plenty of time for your adjustment on the vents to take hold. That was probably my biggest problem my first 2-3 cooks. My problem is I either need another WSM, or an offset. To many friends/family to cook for!
Don't get discouraged, it takes some getting used to, and give yourself plenty of time for your adjustment on the vents to take hold. That was probably my biggest problem my first 2-3 cooks. My problem is I either need another WSM, or an offset. To many friends/family to cook for!
Mysterious things go on during overnight cooks, that's for sure! Your meat was actually cooked by time it hit an internal of 160----what you want the higher internal temps for is to render the fat and connective tissues, thus turning your pork butt into a thing of beautiful, moist, pullable tenderness. Which you did! So...maybe at some point it DID hit 195, or maybe it didn't. But if the meat is falling apart, something worked just fine. That's the magic of pork butts on the WSM. Hard to mess 'em up!
Shawn W
TVWBB Emerald Member
Good call to remove the butt. In the future I'd suggest always giving yourself 16 - 20 hours for cooking butts.
Were winds shifting and changing in intensity? This and 'oversteering' the vents can both cause the pit temp variations you described.
Quite a few of the butts I have done never made it to 195º according to ET-73. Some were even overcooked because I focused too much on a meat temp. The thermometer is a tool, a helpful guide, but only cook it until it's done. Place more emphasis on the sight and feel of the meat than what your thermometer says. Probe placement can be a huge factor.
As for losing internal temp I am trying a new thing: subtract the number of degrees lost from initial target temp to make a new target temp. It worked well for me during my butt cook last weekend where I lost 4 degrees when adding some fuel. At 21 hours and a meat temp of 189ºF I hoisted the lid to check the butts and they were nicely done so I pulled them off. I could feel with my hands the meat would easily pull apart.
Butts: fresh or cryovac? My first few butts were in cryovac from a grocery store. Then I found a small meat packing plant that also does retail near where I live. I call ahead and they get me fresh butts. I think the fresh ones take a little longer to cook.
Other:
-Top up water pan with boiling/near boiling water
-Bring sop to a boil just prior to mopping
-don't let sop get into your probes where the wire enters
-grab your meat gloves and feel the meat at 16 hours into the cook and every two hours after that. Might as well learn to cook by feel while you're learning everything else. I decided to start doing this as of my last cook.
Were winds shifting and changing in intensity? This and 'oversteering' the vents can both cause the pit temp variations you described.
Quite a few of the butts I have done never made it to 195º according to ET-73. Some were even overcooked because I focused too much on a meat temp. The thermometer is a tool, a helpful guide, but only cook it until it's done. Place more emphasis on the sight and feel of the meat than what your thermometer says. Probe placement can be a huge factor.
As for losing internal temp I am trying a new thing: subtract the number of degrees lost from initial target temp to make a new target temp. It worked well for me during my butt cook last weekend where I lost 4 degrees when adding some fuel. At 21 hours and a meat temp of 189ºF I hoisted the lid to check the butts and they were nicely done so I pulled them off. I could feel with my hands the meat would easily pull apart.
Butts: fresh or cryovac? My first few butts were in cryovac from a grocery store. Then I found a small meat packing plant that also does retail near where I live. I call ahead and they get me fresh butts. I think the fresh ones take a little longer to cook.
Other:
-Top up water pan with boiling/near boiling water
-Bring sop to a boil just prior to mopping
-don't let sop get into your probes where the wire enters
-grab your meat gloves and feel the meat at 16 hours into the cook and every two hours after that. Might as well learn to cook by feel while you're learning everything else. I decided to start doing this as of my last cook.