Butt Problems

[bbq addict]

So I smoked 2 butts today and everything was going seamlessly until it came time for pulling. I know that every piece of meat is unique, but this was just frustrating! Both butts 7.5# each, smoked between 225-250 until the internal temp was 200*. That only took 6 hrs...thought that was kinda quick but ok. Checked the temp in a couple different places on each butt. After letting them sit for about 3 hrs, pulling was impossible. The meat still looked rare (bloody) on the inside but the flavor was outstanding!

Where did I steer wrong???

 

[richtee]

Get a new thermo. Impossible if the meat was at 200° truely.

 

[richtee]

And is yer health insurance paid up? ;{)

Bloody is bloody. Pork is safer these days tho.

 

[ronp]

I agree with Ritchtee. If it were me I would have foiled at 160' 170' to get the braising thing going. Just MHO though.

 

[carpetride]

I agree check that thermometer and get a backup. Did you try moving it to a different spot. The bloody part would worry me.

 

[bbq addict]

all therms are calibrated and accurate...checked with 2 others.

 

[nick]

At 200 degrees internal, you wouldn't have blood.....That's just physics.

 

[bbq addict]

I smoked these butts just like I have the many, many others before. Thermometers are accurate, wrapped w/ foil @ 160*, removed from smoker when internal temp was 200*, let rest for 3 hrs, inside was red.

Any other possible reasons for this to happen?

 

[smokin' dick]

Sweet mystery of meat. In my limited experience with the fabled butt, 225* smoker will never give you 200* Meat in six hours. More like 140*, maybe. I think something is up with those thermos you were measuring the internal with. Hit a bone perhaps?

 

[husker-q]

Possibly the temp probe was against the bone? That has happened to me before - and would def give you a false high temp reading.

 

[pineywoods]

Final check for a butt is try to slide the bone out if it doesn't come out easily it ain't done

 

[evandostert]

Do not reheat it or eat it. Throw it away. You have a pork petrie-dish not a meal. You will get sick if you are already not working up to it. The only other reson it that the connective tissue was already loosened up because it went bad prior to your purchase.

 

[capt dan]

I would try the boiling water test on them thermos.

 

[daddio]

cooking at those temps should have taken probably at least 10 hours depending on several things like size of cooker and how close to heat source they were. but several good point's i wouldn't reheat and eat either,count your blessings if you ate the first time and no one got sick.and it has got to be something funky with the themo's or where your checking them, against the bone for sure will give you a false reading.but sonething thermo wise isn't doing the deal.

 

[pops6927]

Were the butts previously frozen? The blade bone stores blood and after freezing and thawing, it will emit blood even well into the cooking process. Also, there could have been a blood clot near it too in the artery, hemorrhaging into the meat well into the cooking - I've seen plenty of these. Freezing ruptures cells and allows blood to permeate the meat later into the cooking process (that's how you can always tell when a chicken was previously frozen, the bones are bloody ruby to black and the joint sockets can still be bloody even after cooking to 180 deg).

 

[packplantpath]

Did you get any pics? I'd be interested in seeing what it looked like.

It's possible that you got an extremely bruised piece that was blood soaked, which tinted the meat.

The biggest question is whether it was juicy bloody or just red looking?

Either way, if you are not sick already, you probably won't be. The bacterial stuff hits you pretty quick, and as the parasites are not much of a problem in commercial pork anymore.

 

[bbq addict]

Not sick yet...

Went back and did the water test on the therms just to dbl check, all 3 checked out ok.

They must have beaten that pig into submission... The juice inside was bloody and the meat was certainly red. I picked these butts up at costco and didn't realize that they had the bone removed, wouldn't have bought them if I knew that. And being from costco, I'm pretty sure they were frozen.

Moral of this story...never stray from your local butcher. It's probablyworth your time and money to spend a little extra for the better piece of meat. Results may vary...too much!

I'm just glad I thew a couple racks of ribs on for insurance...they came out awsome! No q-view there...sorry!

I still have one of the butts in the fridge, I'll try to post pics.

 

[superdave]

If we could get 7.5 Lbs butts done in 6 hours we'd make them a couple times a week, every week. You said you've done them before so this really should have ben your first sign.

 

[guvna]

a 7.5 lb. butt should take between 11 and 14 hours to reach 200* if smoking at 225. sounds to me like the meat was turning. you should get your money back reguardless.