First overnight: Observations & Questions

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All: OK so I'm still in the middle of my first overnight with 2 butts. I started last night at 8:30 PM using the Minion method. Dome temp went to 250 fairly quickly and at 11 PM I went to bed with dome temp around 250. I checked the temp at 1 AM and it was around 300! I closed some vents and brought it down though. Like others have said, it's amazing how just a small turn on the bottom vents can dramatically change the smoker temps.

Anyway, now after 13 hours my internal temp is only 169..and that's down from a high of 175...what's up with that? From various posts on here, it sounds as if I'm OK, but my target temp of 190 is still hours away. Am I right here? The dome temp is stable now around 255, and without adding more fuel.

I have an appointment at 1 PM and have to leave the house. I hope to have this solved by then but that's only three hours and 21 degrees away. Should I do as you say and just trust my WSM?
 
Pete,

temps drops are not uncommon during the plateau stage. My butts average 2-1/2 hours per pound to reach the 195 internal temp. Lately, I've been using foil when my internal temps reach 170. It cuts several hours off my cooking time and results in a very moist butt. If you are pressed for time, wrap the butt tightly in foil, stick you probe in the butt thru the foil, but it back on the WSM. Your temps should begin to rise very shortly.

Another thing to try if you don't want to use foil (or even if you do) is to open up your vents and let your lid temps rise into the 270-290 range. It will speed up the cook without drying out your butt. Butts are pretty hard to mess up.
 
Pete,
By my reckoning, you've got another 6-7 hours to hit your target temperature at your present pace.
Don't be afraid to leave your cook for a couple of hours to run errands, I do it all the time. At this point in the cook your temperature should be dialed in.
Remember, patience is a virtue, especially with butts.
 
The butt that I did on my B&B overnighter Friday night never did reach the 190's. In at 8:00 pm, 162 at 6:00 am, 177 at 10:00 am, 179 at 12:30 pm. HOWEVER, I wiggled the bone and it slid cleanly right out of the meat. The butt was about the consistency of stiff jello. It had already fallen in on itself, so I pulled it off, wrapped it for about 30 minutes whilst I fixed sides, and it pulled as well as any 195 butt I've ever done. Sometimes you'll come up on a piece of meat that presents such an anomaly. Temps are a good guide, and I will continue to try to get my briskets to 188 and my butts to 195 or so, but as you check temps on more cooks, you'll learn to read the meat as well. Sometimes temps lie - not often, but sometimes...

Whatever the thermo may say, to see a perfectly cooked brisket quiver with that delightful little visual equivalent of the sound "waba waba" is a thing of beauty in itself. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Keri Cathey:
[qb] The butt that I did on my B&B overnighter Friday night never did reach the 190's. In at 8:00 pm, 162 at 6:00 am, 177 at 10:00 am, 179 at 12:30 pm. HOWEVER, I wiggled the bone and it slid cleanly right out of the meat. The butt was about the consistency of stiff jello. It had already fallen in on itself, so I pulled it off, wrapped it for about 30 minutes whilst I fixed sides, and it pulled as well as any 195 butt I've ever done. Sometimes you'll come up on a piece of meat that presents such an anomaly. Temps are a good guide, and I will continue to try to get my briskets to 188 and my butts to 195 or so, but as you check temps on more cooks, you'll learn to read the meat as well. Sometimes temps lie - not often, but sometimes...

Whatever the thermo may say, to see a perfectly cooked brisket quiver with that delightful little visual equivalent of the sound "waba waba" is a thing of beauty in itself. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Keri, whenever you get the time, I would like a play by play on your brisket cook. From fridge to palette. I saw the pic you sent me of a brisket a couple of weeks ago. It looked VERY juicey. Thats the way I want MINE to turn out. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif Don't leave out nuthin cause I ain't never even bought one, much less cooked one!!

In other words, "Brisket for Dummies" is what I need!

Thanks, Jim
 
Dave
Thanks....your foil idea worked. I would have preferred to complete the cook without foil, but I ran into a time issue.

I wrapped both butts in foil as you suggested and in less than 1 1/2 hours the internal temp went from 170 to around 191-193.

Total cook time was 16 hours for 2 butts, 14.5 lbs. combined.
 
Foil is not a dirty word. Its simply another bbq tool. Alot of bbq competitions have been won using foil. That said, I tried to stay away from foil early on myself. Once I had quite a few successful cooks under my belt and a one or two competition ribbons, I decided to add foil to my arsenal and I've been pleased with the results so far.
 
My opinion of the Baron notwithstanding, Teddy Bear would have to send his back as well, along with his Montana State Championship trophies!!
 
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