Self pulling....

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inkjunkie

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Nov 25, 2014
2,020
50
Pork Butt...after 27 hours in the smoker the Pork Butt and Chuckie for our Tamales are finally done. Nothing like going to lift the Butt off of the Q-Mat and having it disintegrate in your hands. Guessing that means it is done?
 
Oh yea, its done.

Alot less work that way. Already pulled.
 
27 hours !   Wow      Never had anything go that long

Gary
 
Was a 10 pounder....and was in there with a 8 pound chuckie. Might have been done a bit earlier, timer on the MES only goes up to 24 hours....was without power for about 45 minutes before I remembered it...
 
How was it ?

Gary
Still sitting in the cooler. Will be pulling the pair prior to going to bed & will be making Tamales tomorrow. Bit of luck tomorrow nights dinner will be Tamales
 
Love Tamales last fall I smoked a butt so my wife and her friend could make some

Gary
 
The Boss pulled the bulk of the bark out of the meat bowl...said it would make the Tamales too tough. Next time will be foiling...
 
Not a big deal but falling apart means it was " pull apart " done a few hours earlier. Going by IT is fine but for unknown reasons some hunks of meat will take an inordinate amount of time to get to 205°F. The numbers we follow, 205°F, 1.5 to 2 hours per pound, it will stall at 165°F, etc, are all guidelines. Probe Testing is a good indicator of doneness. A therm probe should slide easily into the meat with no resistance, even in the center The meat should be tested in a couple of places and from all sides but don't go crazy. With a 10 pound Butt smoked at 225-250°, start testing after 15 hour, with or without foiling. If it is probe tender, regardless of IT which will most likely be over 190°, the meat is done. If there is any resistance, especially near the center, let the meat continue to cook. Repeat the testing every hour or so until there is no resistance. Here is a great article on what is happening as we cook the meat and what can be done to get tender juicy meat...JJ

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm 
 
Not a big deal but falling apart means it was " pull apart " done a few hours earlier. Going by IT is fine but for unknown reasons some hunks of meat will take an inordinate amount of time to get to 205°F. The numbers we follow, 205°F, 1.5 to 2 hours per pound, it will stall at 165°F, etc, are all guidelines. Probe Testing is a good indicator of doneness. A therm probe should slide easily into the meat with no resistance, even in the center The meat should be tested in a couple of places and from all sides but don't go crazy. With a 10 pound Butt smoked at 225-250°, start testing after 15 hour, with or without foiling. If it is probe tender, regardless of IT which will most likely be over 190°, the meat is done. If there is any resistance, especially near the center, let the meat continue to cook. Repeat the testing every hour or so until there is no resistance. Here is a great article on what is happening as we cook the meat and what can be done to get tender juicy meat...JJ

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm 
Thanks for the link. Have a few questions/comments but my phone is fading quick...would like to read the info provided first as well....
 
Its not at all unusual for me to run 23 hours on a solo 10 lb. butt at 220. Throw in a chuckie its not unimagineable. And when its done, its sooooo fine. And the bark to tatally awesome.

I don't try and hurry mine up usually, its low and slow with no crutch.

I decided all that math trying to figure out the cooking time was just not worth it. I figure when I put it in, it will ready the same time tomorrow. sometimes they'll surprize ya, I had a 13 hour 10 pounder fully cooked my last butt, but that is 1 in 100. And your thermometer will alarm and let you know when its abnormal.

I am just lazy, let the smoker do the work, I'll just have more to drink.
 
Not a big deal but falling apart means it was " pull apart " done a few hours earlier. Going by IT is fine but for unknown reasons some hunks of meat will take an inordinate amount of time to get to 205°F. The numbers we follow, 205°F, 1.5 to 2 hours per pound, it will stall at 165°F, etc, are all guidelines. Probe Testing is a good indicator of doneness. A therm probe should slide easily into the meat with no resistance, even in the center The meat should be tested in a couple of places and from all sides but don't go crazy. With a 10 pound Butt smoked at 225-250°, start testing after 15 hour, with or without foiling. If it is probe tender, regardless of IT which will most likely be over 190°, the meat is done. If there is any resistance, especially near the center, let the meat continue to cook. Repeat the testing every hour or so until there is no resistance. Here is a great article on what is happening as we cook the meat and what can be done to get tender juicy meat...JJ

http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm 
No disrespect meant here...but I have always read that you don't want to go poking around a piece of meat like this as it will allow all of the juices to escape. Thought that is the reason for forks to be outlawed around a grill? The few pork butts I have done when I pulled the temperature probe out I had to get out of the way of a stream of juices.

ZOMG!!! Say it ain't so! You should Imediately take all that old back out and throw it away. You'll probably need a beer or three to get rid of all of it.
The Boss is a very interesting lady...and I am more than slightly afraid of her so she says no bark well damn it then we will have no bark lol..

Its not at all unusual for me to run 23 hours on a solo 10 lb. butt at 220. Throw in a chuckie its not unimagineable. And when its done, its sooooo fine. And the bark to tatally awesome.

I don't try and hurry mine up usually, its low and slow with no crutch.

I decided all that math trying to figure out the cooking time was just not worth it. I figure when I put it in, it will ready the same time tomorrow. sometimes they'll surprize ya, I had a 13 hour 10 pounder fully cooked my last butt, but that is 1 in 100. And your thermometer will alarm and let you know when its abnormal.

I am just lazy, let the smoker do the work, I'll just have more to drink.
It will be done when it is done, not a second before nor a second later....

The first thing a few outstanding members from this site told me was to purchase a good probe thermometer. And to trust it.
Neither one of the pieces of meat was at 205, I pulled them both when they at 196*. The pork was dripping with juices, the beef not so much.
Does the beef being a bit dry signal that it was overly done?
I don't know if I mentioned above that the timer ran out on the MES. I checked the meat temps and they were right at 192*, next check they had dropped to 182* from the heat being off. Took close to an hour for the IT's to rebound to where they were.

Please don't think I am being a smart ass by questioning the probing. Just goes against damn near everything I have ever read.
 
Sounds like you nailed it to me. I have found that if you have a perfectly done Butt right next to a perfect Chucky the beef will always seem dryer. It's just not fair. PP always wins! So much more moisture in a Butt compared to a chuck roast. I have taken to panning and foiling my chucky's with some beef broth and beer. It seems like they just need a little crutch when it comes to moistness. I do the probe test myself and am not too concerned with the juices leaking out as they get caught in the pan and added back into the meat once I defat after it's pulled anyway.
 
 
Sounds like you nailed it to me. I have found that if you have a perfectly done Butt right next to a perfect Chucky the beef will always seem dryer. It's just not fair. PP always wins! So much more moisture in a Butt compared to a chuck roast. I have taken to panning and foiling my chucky's with some beef broth and beer. It seems like they just need a little crutch when it comes to moistness. I do the probe test myself and am not too concerned with the juices leaking out as they get caught in the pan and added back into the meat once I defat after it's pulled anyway.
When I get a chance later today, hopefully, would like to chat with you about this....hopefully will get a pm off this afternoon....Thank you Sir...
 
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