Had a butt problem last weekend...


 
PaulFisher

PaulFisher

TVWBB Super Fan
So I had about a 6 pound bone-in butt last weekend. Put on the WSM at about 7am. Cooked at around 250-275 until around 2PM when the internal temp registered 192 on the Maverick ET73. Tried the tenderness test by putting my other therm in the butt, seemed to go in like butter in quite a few placed, so I pulled it off. Placed the butt foil and placed in cooler until dinner, about 6pm.

Pulled it at that time and there was about a fist size portion that was just not tender at all. I actually had to toss it. The rest was delicious. I'm not really sure what happened. I can't be certain that I tested that same area for tenderness before taking it off. Anyone have any idea what may have happened?

Thanks
 
War Eagle, it wasn't the bone that wasn't tender, was it? Just kidding. Seems odd that after 4 hrs in a cooler where cooking was probably still going on for a while and the rest being tender.... Maybe someone injected your Butt with silicone that hardened. I will be interested in following this thread. The curious want to know?

Mark.
 
Originally posted by PaulFisher:
Doesn't make sense to me either Mark. The bone pulled out just fine when I went to pull.
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Had the bone popped out before you took it off the cooker? It doesn't always, but when it does it's a good indicator. We have a church fund raiser barbecue and 5 or 6 of us cook about 250 butts for it. It seems like 5% of the butts just don't follow the rules. You must have gotten one of them.
 
Jeff, What church in Charlotte do you cook 250 butts for?! I'm in Winston-Salem, but I'd drive that far for that much Q!
 
Originally posted by Jeff Boudman:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PaulFisher:
Doesn't make sense to me either Mark. The bone pulled out just fine when I went to pull.
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It seems like 5% of the butts just don't follow the rules. You must have gotten one of them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeff, have any of the 5% had the same problem as the poster? Would love to hear about it. I know that cook times can vary sometimes largely, based on lots of factors but this one is weird.

Mark
 
I've had some stubborn butts take over 3 hrs/lb but never had one with such an 'under-done' chunk.

Maybe an injury site?
 
Is it possible that you therm might have been touching the bone to read that high in only 5 hours? Just seems that your cook was much faster than what I have had in the past. Did you try to take a temp in a couple locations of just the original? I normally have to cook butts overnight and take them to 200*ish when I make them.
 
Was it frozen prior to the cook? Maybe it wasn't fully thawed in that area when you started cooking??
 
Originally posted by Vince B:
Is it possible that you therm might have been touching the bone to read that high in only 5 hours? Just seems that your cook was much faster than what I have had in the past. Did you try to take a temp in a couple locations of just the original? I normally have to cook butts overnight and take them to 200*ish when I make them.
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I suppose that is possible. I left the therm in one place the whole time. Stuck it in about 11am or so, it read 162 and rose from there until 192 at about 2pm.
 
Originally posted by Bob Sample:
Was it frozen prior to the cook? Maybe it wasn't fully thawed in that area when you started cooking??
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It was frozen prior to the cook but was fully thawed in the fridge about 3 days before the cook.
 
Originally posted by mk evenson:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jeff Boudman:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PaulFisher:
Doesn't make sense to me either Mark. The bone pulled out just fine when I went to pull.
Click to expand...
It seems like 5% of the butts just don't follow the rules. You must have gotten one of them. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeff, have any of the 5% had the same problem as the poster? Would love to hear about it. I know that cook times can vary sometimes largely, based on lots of factors but this one is weird.

Mark </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Mark,
There are always a few green butts that are awful to work with because the bone and a hunk of the meat around it is like cement. We're talking a 1/2 lb. of pork machine chopped and mixed in a pan with another 25 lbs. of pork. We've never had complaints. However, we put about a lb. on each plate and weigh out 20 oz. as a lb. for those buying pounds.
I don't know if "green" butts is a common barbecue term, but we use it to refer to the butts with the bones that are locked up.
 
Originally posted by T Bounds:
Jeff, What church in Charlotte do you cook 250 butts for?! I'm in Winston-Salem, but I'd drive that far for that much Q!
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Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church. Our next cook is in February, and you're welcome to come out and cook with us if you want to.
Are there any really good barbecue places in Winston?
 
Jeff, that explanation sounds reasonable. Never heard it before but It's nice to learn something new every day.
Thanks.

Mark
 
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