First pulled pork question about smoke and spice book recommended temps /w a pic!


 
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Yianni

TVWBB Fan
I used the smoke and spice recipe mr brown rub and have a question at the end about their cooking temp recommendations from their book

I’m going to give the quick bullet point version of my first pulled pork adventure for critiques and a question. Plus a pic of the end result! Thanks!

Woke up around 430 Sunday morning to put a 6 pound butt on it was about freezing temps at the time

Boiling water in the pan / full ring with a ¾ chimney on top


Got the butt on by 5

Temps got to 200 in 20 min (measured at the grate using maverick 732)

Put the vents to about 25% open and went back to bed

At 645 woke up to alarm on the maverick at 275 (grate level) found water almost boiled away in the pan

Added water

Got temps to about 230-250 (grate level)

Around 1pm added ¾ full chimney because my grate level stalled around 208 got nervous which is why I added.

At this point I popped my candy thermo in the top and it was reading about 30 degrees higher than the grate level (I understand this is normal and this is what I have a question about)
Took the butt off when it hit 190 and let it rest an hour about 11 hours total not including resting

Looked great … tasted great maybe a bit on the dryer side but great.

I understand the lid temps are going to measure higher at the lid since the S&S book recommends their smoking temps to be between 200 and 225 is that at grate level or lid level? I think maybe I was cooking at too high heat for most of the cook trying to get it at 225 – 250 at grate level which means 255 – 275 at lid level?

So for those that have used the Smoke and Spice book or anyone that can help me out for next time using the maverick at grate level does the book recipe telling me 200-225 mean at grate level temp?

Thanks again!

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Yianni, 11 hours for a 6 pound butt definitely falls in the guidelines of 1.5 - 2.0 hrs/lb cook time for a butt. It looks like you got a great smoke ring and the meat looks delicious.

Pages 4-6 of "Smoke & Spice" covers their explanation of cooking temp and time. They don't give a specific location for measuring temperature. In this thread Kevin Kruger points out that it doesn't matter where.

As I've only been doing this for a little over a year I still remember having the same questions you have. I wanted an exact cooking temperature, the right place to measure that temperature, and know exactly how long it would take to cook a piece of meat to an exact internal temperature. My expectations seemed totally reasonable to me but after spending hours reading threads on this site I learned that BBQ doesn't work that way.

I settled on grate temp, because I have an ET-73, and it works for "Smoke & Spice" recipes. You can decide which one you want to use and you'll be fine.

The most revealing piece of advice I picked up on TVWBB is "The meat is done when it's done." I now probe my meat with a meat thermometer, or toothpick for ribs, to check for tender and I only use time and temp, internal and cooker, as guidelines. It really makes a cook more relaxed.
 
thanks! just needed to be reassured that I'm on the right track I guess.
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I feel more comfortable doing an overnight smoke now that I can see how well a full ring holds the temp rather than getting up at 4.
 
You're on the right track and you asked the question on this forum where many new WSM cooks will benefit because they have the same question. FYI mixing Apple Juice with pulled Pork will moi9sten it up without altering the taste.

My questions for you are:
1. Did you pull the meat because it was probe tender or because it hit 190°?
2. Did you wrap the butt in foil when you let it rest?
 
1. I was trying to twist the bone to test for tenderness but it never got loose so I waited till it hit 190.

2. wrapped it in foil and put it in a cooler for about an hour

it still pulled easily maybe becasue it was on the smaller side...
 
For a butt, anything from the low to high 200's is fine. It's a very forgiving meat. I read the 1.5-2hr guideline quite a bit but have never had to cook anything to 2hrs per pound. Don't worry about where you put your pit therm (grate or lid) just watch the temp fluctuations and adjust vents accordingly. You noted the butt was a little dry. I would guess it was overdone at 11hrs.

Big note is that every piece of meat will react a little differently during a cook. Average cook times and internal temperature are guidelines to get to doneness but "done is done" (if Kevin reads this I expect he will have something to say about cook times and IT
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Looks great regardless. Did you use the finishing sauce?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Did you use the finishing sauce? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think that would have been the secret and would have made it perfect. It did not sit around long enough to get sauced..next time
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Yianni,

I measure at the top vent as it is more consistant than the grate because of the meat load(s) can alter what you think is accurate. I'm in the camp of all meats are not different but the cooking process is. If you always do the "excact" cook to a T then you can nail time and temps down, thats what comp cooks do.

Internal temp is only a guide and it varys in how the cook, temp wise is done. Lower temp of the overall cook, the lower the IT when tender/done. I have had butts done from 185-205 depending on how the cook went. For my style it is usually around 190-195.

Touch, taste, smell and looks are your friends over time.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Lower temp of the overall cook, the lower the IT when tender/done </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Glenn - I've never heard this? Can you provide alittle more detail?

James
 
Internal temp has nothing to do with tenderness. It does not cause tenderness (contrary to what you might read); it only - and only possibly - correlates with it.

If, say, one cooks a brisket at 250, and another cooks one at 180, it is likely that, if both taken to tender, the ITs will be quite different. Time, relative to mass, relative to cooktemp is what causes tenderness of Q'd meats, not internal temp.

That's what Glenn means.
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Took the words right out of my mouth
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James it is the same reason if cooking Sous Vide you can reach done at much lower temps.
 
Sous vide.

People using four letter words around here
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Anyways, to save you searching Wiki has this:

Sous-vide (French for "under vacuum")is a method of cooking food sealed in airtight plastic bags in a water bath for a long time—72 hours is not unusual—at an accurately determined temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 60 °C or 140 °F. The intention is to cook the item evenly, not overcook the outside while still keeping the inside at the same 'doneness' and to keep the food juicier.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Internal temp has nothing to do with tenderness. It does not cause tenderness (contrary to what you might read); it only - and only possibly - correlates with it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree.

The sous vide reference makes sense as well and is a good example. I do find it a little challenging to apply it to a large hunk of meat but I understand why it doesn't matter.
 
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