Two Butts, similar size, same smoker, over two hours different cook times???


 
DanHoo

DanHoo

TVWBB Olympian
Last night 10pm pacific I put a pair of bone-in trimmed pork butts on the BGE.

edit: according to the stickers, one was 8.75lbs the other 8.95 lbs so nearly the same size before trimming and both had a similar amount of fat that was trimmed.

Grate temp was rock solid 220 F, according to my Thermoworks X4. Dome temp was 245 on the tel-tru dial thermometer.

Twice I glanced at the remote (2am 6am) and grate temp was within a degree of 220F.

The stall started around 7am and I left it on as-is for bit to get more bark action, and then both were wrapped at 9.45.

Now the strange part...

Butt A was done at 10:45 am, TW probe 203F, thermapen showing 200 to 205 temps in different spots. It was pulled, rested shredded and some was snacked on.

Butt B was at 184F when Butt A was done, and I left it on and covered. At noon, I increased temp to about 275-280 grate and two hours after the first butt was done, the second is reaching 200F ( TW meat probe)

Is this normal? Its a first for me yet I I have to admit I have more temp measuring and tracking tools now so maybe this has happened before I and I didn't notice.

Tnx

and as a side note:

I also had a meater plus probe in each butt. The meater probes consistently read 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the TW meat probe or instant read checks with my Thermapen. I need to test them for accuracy. The ambient temp was also low, and 20 to 30 degrees lower.
 
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Were the 2 butts from the same pig ?
Multiple conditions influence the denaturing process of each piece of meat. Even the conditions surrounding the animal just prior to entering the abattoir. So do I find it unusual... No
 
i agree that protein density and makeup i different per source/animal. sometimes i'll have chicken breast take 30% longer to cook due to its density. not weight, but how the meat is built. and if you're bone-in, bone density plays a part too. one thing i've implemented on longer cooks is to rotate the grill grate 2-3 times during a cook to ensure even heat dispersion. dunno if it really helps much but my proteins are usually similarly done (ribs and recent pork belly smoke, specifically).

and i struggled when i had to read the above, "meater plus probe in each butt." that just sounds so awful. sorry, had to go there.
 
Years ago I cooked 4 Butts on my WSM. The largest (9.5 lb.) weighed 1 lb. more than the smallest. The largest finished in 17.5 hrs.. The 2 smallest took 22 hours to finish. As JimK said "Every butt is different."
 
Did you have them placed front to back or side by side? Many kamados tend to have higher temps in the rear due to the airflow in from the font, up the back, then around etc.
 
GrantT said:
Did you have them placed front to back or side by side? Many kamados tend to have higher temps in the rear due to the airflow in from the font, up the back, then around etc.
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One in the front, one in the back. small gap between them. The one in the back was the one that took longer.

I've heard the BGE can have higher temp in the back but I'm going to score this one based on what @JimK said... "every butt is different"
 

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Jim speaks truth! I will simply add “It will be done when it is finished.” It’s just time, I had a pair go in together, came out about twenty five minutes, one rested about three and a half hours the other rested almost five! The second was decidedly superior to the first! Moister, sweeter, just plain better! Needless to say, I sent more of the first one home with some of the guests and saved the better for those who I thought would really appreciate it.
I don’t think there is a rule for “predictability“ it’s all about patience.
 
DanHoo said:
I also had a meater plus probe in each butt. The meater probes consistently read 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the TW meat probe or instant read checks with my Thermapen. I need to test them for accuracy. The ambient temp was also low, and 20 to 30 degrees lower.
Click to expand...
Did you have a TW probe in both of them? I have a hypothesis that over the course of a very long cook the temp probe will carry enough heat into the center of the meat to make a difference in the cooking time. Over an hour or two I suspect it doesn't matter, but stretch that to 12+ hours and it could make a measurable difference. This is just based on observation, not on any actual tests.
 
JayHeyl said:
Did you have a TW probe in both of them? I have a hypothesis that over the course of a very long cook the temp probe will carry enough heat into the center of the meat to make a difference in the cooking time. Over an hour or two I suspect it doesn't matter, but stretch that to 12+ hours and it could make a measurable difference. This is just based on observation, not on any actual tests.
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Yes, a TW Smoke probe in each one, and a meater in each one too.

And when I pulled butt A, I temp checked butt B with my thermapen and it matched temps of the TW Smoke probe in it.

Butt A was ready at 200 to 2005.
Butt B was 184 ish
 
DanHoo said:
Last night 10pm pacific I put a pair of bone-in trimmed pork butts on the BGE.

edit: according to the stickers, one was 8.75lbs the other 8.95 lbs so nearly the same size before trimming and both had a similar amount of fat that was trimmed.

Grate temp was rock solid 220 F, according to my Thermoworks X4. Dome temp was 245 on the tel-tru dial thermometer.

Twice I glanced at the remote (2am 6am) and grate temp was within a degree of 220F.

The stall started around 7am and I left it on as-is for bit to get more bark action, and then both were wrapped at 9.45.

Now the strange part...

Butt A was done at 10:45 am, TW probe 203F, thermapen showing 200 to 205 temps in different spots. It was pulled, rested shredded and some was snacked on.

Butt B was at 184F when Butt A was done, and I left it on and covered. At noon, I increased temp to about 275-280 grate and two hours after the first butt was done, the second is reaching 200F ( TW meat probe)

Is this normal? Its a first for me yet I I have to admit I have more temp measuring and tracking tools now so maybe this has happened before I and I didn't notice.

Tnx

and as a side note:

I also had a meater plus probe in each butt. The meater probes consistently read 5 to 10 degrees cooler than the TW meat probe or instant read checks with my Thermapen. I need to test them for accuracy. The ambient temp was also low, and 20 to 30 degrees lower.
Click to expand...
Not rare at all Dan. That's why we cook to temperature. Thanks for posting this. It's a great illustration of how much time can vary. Never seen it that extreme before.
 
I normally cook at least two, and usually four or five, butts at a time. I am always grateful that they stagger themselves coming to temp, as it allows me time to tent, rest, and hand pull the first ones while the stubborn ones take their sweet time. I have had variations of up to 2 1/2 hours for similar butts.

Smoking meat is a craft and knowing when it is ready to be plucked from the heat is part of the adventure. Just tell your guests it's all part of the mystique and can't be rushed.
 
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