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Temperature plateaus...just like the duracell bunny they can go on for hours defying the laws of physics. Is it just plain wrong to raise the smoker temperature? I suppose the answer is patience, patience, patience...
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Bruce Bissonnette
TVWBB Guru
Steve,
You can raise the smoker temp if you really have to, that might speed things up....but, there has been some discussion around these parts lately that allowing that pork butt to stay in the plateau zone as long as it can and maybe even reducing smoker temp (if I understood the conversation correctly), will result in some of the best eats you've ever had.
My pork butts normally take 1.5 to 2.5 hours to get over that plateau, and I always cook at 240 at the lid.
You can raise the smoker temp if you really have to, that might speed things up....but, there has been some discussion around these parts lately that allowing that pork butt to stay in the plateau zone as long as it can and maybe even reducing smoker temp (if I understood the conversation correctly), will result in some of the best eats you've ever had.
My pork butts normally take 1.5 to 2.5 hours to get over that plateau, and I always cook at 240 at the lid.
I agree with Doug on this. That's the stage of the cooking where the magic happens. The last Brisket I did had a very long plateu at 160. I lowered the smoker temp for this Brisket and it turned out better then ever. I waited patiently through the long pause at 160 and when the temp started going up and hit 170 then I foiled the meat. It was only then that I kicked up the smoker temp to about 275 and waited for the temp to get up to about 180. Then I finished it in the oven foil wrapped at 300 degrees. I took the brisket up to 205 and it was the best one I've done yet.
Bruce Bissonnette
TVWBB Guru
Thanks Doug! /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Dave Lewis
TVWBB Super Fan
Doug Lax wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> more time in the sweet spot does deliver a better briskett ,shoulder, or roast. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I proved that to myself this weekend on a 4 lb pork butt. I've been experimenting with foil to speed up my butt cooks. This weekend, I did a day cook and intended to foil when the butt hit 170 degrees. At about the 6 hour mark it hit 170 and I wrapped in foil. An 1:10 minutues later it hit 195. I then let it rest in a cooler for a couple of hours. However, when I pulled it, it was very rubbery with alot of unrendered fat. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif It was still delicious, but didn't have the tenderness and texture that it was supposed to have.
The lesson I learned is to not force the temp to rise during the plateau stage. I will still use foil, but ONLY after the butt has sat in the plateau stage for a long time and ONLY when time become an issue. Otherwise, I will just let it do its natural thing.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> more time in the sweet spot does deliver a better briskett ,shoulder, or roast. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I proved that to myself this weekend on a 4 lb pork butt. I've been experimenting with foil to speed up my butt cooks. This weekend, I did a day cook and intended to foil when the butt hit 170 degrees. At about the 6 hour mark it hit 170 and I wrapped in foil. An 1:10 minutues later it hit 195. I then let it rest in a cooler for a couple of hours. However, when I pulled it, it was very rubbery with alot of unrendered fat. /infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif It was still delicious, but didn't have the tenderness and texture that it was supposed to have.
The lesson I learned is to not force the temp to rise during the plateau stage. I will still use foil, but ONLY after the butt has sat in the plateau stage for a long time and ONLY when time become an issue. Otherwise, I will just let it do its natural thing.
Russ Hazzon
TVWBB Pro
I thought the idea was to slow the cook between 160 and 180 so that it takes longer to reach the given temperature. Foiling is going to speed up the rising of the temperature and therefore defeat the purpose of trying to render away fat and connective tissue.
Jim Minion
TVWBB Emerald Member
Russ
There are a number of ways to do things, foiling to speed up a cook is not something I would suggest to do unless you have run out of time for some reason.
The problem you can run into slowing a cook down is, at what point is the fat and conective tissue been rendered down and there is none left to keep the meat moist. The answer I have found that works the best is to allow a butt to cook at 225 to 240? pit temp until they reach 195? internal. At that point I will film and foil the butt and place in a dry cooler. I find the butts to still be moist and the fat has rendered to the point that it is not to be found in any pockets in the meat.
I have tried lowering pit temps to increase the time in the plateau but don't find it a big help with finished product. Butt takes 14 to 16 hours normally and then they are held for a couple of hours at least.
Jim
There are a number of ways to do things, foiling to speed up a cook is not something I would suggest to do unless you have run out of time for some reason.
The problem you can run into slowing a cook down is, at what point is the fat and conective tissue been rendered down and there is none left to keep the meat moist. The answer I have found that works the best is to allow a butt to cook at 225 to 240? pit temp until they reach 195? internal. At that point I will film and foil the butt and place in a dry cooler. I find the butts to still be moist and the fat has rendered to the point that it is not to be found in any pockets in the meat.
I have tried lowering pit temps to increase the time in the plateau but don't find it a big help with finished product. Butt takes 14 to 16 hours normally and then they are held for a couple of hours at least.
Jim
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Gentlemen...this is the real benefit of this site. Thanks for everyones input!
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