How long is too long for the stall


 
Bob once that temp gets near 195 put that thermometer away or turn it off. At that point it means absolutely nothing. When that probe slides easily into that meat in a few areas and that bone will pull away you are done.
Pull it and let it set on the counter loosely covered with foil till the temp drops to around 170. You do that because if you foil it before then it will continue to rise and cook itself more, you want it to stop cooking. Don't let it go below 170.
When it gets there you have to make a call based on what you want to do. You should foil ( not loosely) it and let it rest in an insulated cooler wrapped with a towel below it and a big one on top. It will get even more tender and you can keep it for hours like that. You will be shocked how hot it is when you finally pull it.
Be careful when taking it out of the foil as there will be a lot of juice. That is the Au Jus and it is the best sh!t to put back on your meat after you shred it.
 
Darren,

Generally pork gets mushy when over cooked, unlike beef which get dry and crumbly. You just might be surprised :)
 
Thanks again everyone. I've gotten them both off now. The second one had some tender spots and some not so tender spots (using a shisk-a-bob stick). I gave up on it and went ahead an pulled it. I sampled the tough spot. It really didn't seem to be too tough to taste. I think they are going to be okay, they don't seem too dry either. And, yeah, I noticed the mushy texture on the first one (which is in the cooler now).

How long should it stay in the cooler before pulling?
 
Darren C. said:
Thanks again everyone. I've gotten them both off now. The second one had some tender spots and some not so tender spots (using a shisk-a-bob stick). I gave up on it and went ahead an pulled it. I sampled the tough spot. It really didn't seem to be too tough to taste. I think they are going to be okay, they don't seem too dry either. And, yeah, I noticed the mushy texture on the first one (which is in the cooler now).

How long should it stay in the cooler before pulling?
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I'm no expert on times but for me I wait at least 1 hour but prefer 2.
 
If they're gapping apart and they shred easily with a fork - they're done. Those pics look excellent... Def look like they're splitting apart with doneness/tenderness. Great cook chief.


Don't lift they lid...
 
Thanks again everyone. I thought I'd let you know how it turned out. I ended up letting them rest for at least 3 hrs in the cooler until company arrived. They were still warm enough to eat. I was satisfied with the results. And, everyone seemed to enjoy it. Butts must be really hard to screw up.
 
Hi Darren,

As you found out, Butts do take a while to get to tenderness. Since they are a rather forgiving meat, they're also an excellent choice for those starting their overnight BBQ journey. Congratulations on an Excellent Cook !
 
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Those times don't see unusual for 225 and losing temp during the stall is normal. The stall is your meat losing moisture and you want to get through it asap. Know that you can foil anywhere from 140 and up. Personally I don't cook at 225, more like 275 or the lowest is 250.
 
Darren, I just wanted to add (although I know this is late) to what Timothy and Tony and Alan said about doing them at 275. When I first started using the WSM I always aimed for 225-250 like everyone says. For some reason, for me, on my smoker it will take WAY more than 1.5-2 hours per pound at 225. So now I regularly cook at 275 whether its ribs or butts, etc. I start around 250 and let it slowly ease up to 275 (and that is using a digital thermometer)

I know others cook at that temp as well. You will just have to play around and see what works for you..

Glad it worked out for ya, like you said, butt is hard to screw up.
 
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A much wiser Member once said something like this:" The only thing magical with smoking at 225 is it takes longer"... Most of the commercial super market pork we get is the same " the other white meat " which is leaner compared to a local farmer who hand raises and feeds his pigs a different diet.
Locally bought pork from a farmer I would do lower and slower because of the higher fat content.
Commercial pork, 275 - 300 for butts..:wsm:
Tim
 
timothy said:
A much wiser Member once said something like this:" The only thing magical with smoking at 225 is it takes longer"... Most of the commercial super market pork we get is the same " the other white meat " which is leaner compared to a local farmer who hand raises and feeds his pigs a different diet.
Locally bought pork from a farmer I would do lower and slower because of the higher fat content.
Commercial pork, 275 - 300 for butts..:wsm:
Tim
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I really do appreciate all of the advice and tips that I've received on this thread. I'll catch on. The WSM is new to me. I don't get discouraged. I just try to improve what I can each time I cook. Gradually, I have fewer issues.

I'm not sure that I was smoking at 225 last cook. I am cooking some salmon tonight. I switched my Thermoworks pit probe out with a Maverick probe. The first thing that I noticed is that there's a heck of a lot less erratic temp swings. The second thing that noticed is that my pit probe is reading about 30-40 degrees higher than the dome gauge. I have my fan on. But, I'm mostly controlling the temp with the vents and not really worrying too much about hitting a specific pit temp. When I cook on my kettles (which I've been doing for almost 20 years), I never worry about temps, ever. I just cook until the food is done. It's relaxing and fun. Tonight I'm trying the same mentality on my WSM and having a margarita. I'm just getting the temps in the ballpark +/- about 30 degrees and pull the fish off when it's done, which won't be long.
 
Sounds like a great plan Darren, when i stop enjoying this I will stop all together, mix that drink, drink that beer, grab a handful of a good women. Whatever floats your boat while cooking, and above all enjoy it
 
timothy said:
A much wiser Member once said something like this:" The only thing magical with smoking at 225 is it takes longer"...
Click to expand...
Too true.

I've cooked butts everywhere from 200F (takes 24 hours!) to 290F. 250F does it just right for me, with a long rest afterward. The pork gets done in 10-12 hours and the fat renders just fine. The pork comes out nice and tender and you're not waiting forever. Put it in the smoke after dinner, rest it first thing in the morning, and it's ready at lunch time, or you can put it in the oven at 170F and hold it until dinner time.
 
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