First butt question...

[slickrat]

It smoked in my MES for 12 hours and got to 195 deg internal. I took it out and checked the meat before foiling. The meat is so tender it's almost mushy. Is this normal for a butt when first taken out of the smoker? Will the texture change after foiling for a couple of hours?

 

[mgormely24]

My first attempt with a pork butt (picnic roast) was very similar. I attempted to remove it from the foil and it basically fell apart when I squeezed it with tongs. I let it sit for an hour or so and when it pulled apart it was very tender and tasty. If your preference is a more solid piece of meat, try a different cut of meat. I just did a Boston Roast this weekend and when it hit 198 I pulled it out, let it sit an hour and it was a bit more tougher than the picnic roast.

 

[tlzimmerman]

I could be wrong but from reading here I think I remember if you are looking for a more solid cut of meat, I believe you can pull it at a lower temp, anyone correct me if I'm wrong but I think it can be pulled at 170.

 

[eaglewing]

My wife's 'first butt question', "does it look too big in these pants?"

 

[slickrat]

And your reply was.... NOOOOOOOO!!!! OF COURSE NOT!!!!

 

[eaglewing]

Go to the 190*s for sure, pull them off the smoker, FOIL WITHOUT breaking them open, then wrap in a towel and put it in a cooler for about an hour. This is called 'resting' the meat and it DOES change the texture as it re-distributes the juices. Not doing this might be your answer.

 

[eaglewing]

Autoreply without even looking.... HAHA!!!!

 

[slickrat]

..." FOIL WITHOUT breaking them open"

Does that mean you actually have the discipline to not touch one piece of that pork when it comes out of the smoker before foiling??? You're a better man than I my friend!!

 

[eaglewing]

I actually do have that discipline... I almost never taste test either...

 

[reeko]

I thought most people foiled the Butt at a lower temp (160ish) then continued to cook until 190-200.

Or am I wrong, haven't done one yet.

 

[chisoxjim]

folks on both sides of this one(like alot of bbq topics).

I personally dont foil anything while it is on the smoker(i foil butts and shoulders once they come to temp, and toss em' in a cooler for a while), others foil on the smoker.

different strokes.

 

[eaglewing]

I believe it is not the case... a butt might 'stall' at about the 160* mark and take a while before it gets going again, but you do want to take it to the area of the 190s before pulling it off the smoker.

Check any of the stickies or do a search for complete butt tutorial.

 

[olewarthog]

You can take it off at a lower temp, but the meat will not pull. You can safely take pork off at 170 but you will have to slice or chop the meat. You still want to let the meat rest so the juices have time to redistribute internally.

 

[reeko]

I know that.
I just know that people cook to 160 ish, then foil and continue to cook.
Apparently to keep the meat moister.

I was not suggesting not cooking to 200.

 

[mballi3011]

Yes I normally do foil my butts at 165-170 and then back into the smoker and take it to about 200-205 and then put it in a dry cooler. But if you don't foil till it hits 195 or so then pull it and then take it into the the cooler. Some folks do that to gett the hard outer bark.

 

[slickrat]

So here's the end result: I foiled the butt for about two hours and tried it again. The meat was perfect texture in my opinion and pulled apart from the bone VERY easy, in fact the bone practically came out on its own!
The part I tasted when it came out of the smoker must have been at a more fatty location on the butt and hence was a little mushy. Removing at 195 and foiling and wrapping for a couple of hours IS the way to go!! Thanks gang!

 

[rp ribking]

I made a mistake (took off a picnic at 160, foiled for 4 hours and wrapped in towels) was extremely tender when I was pulling.

rpRibking

 

[jirodriguez]

I usually cook it unfoiled till it hits 165'ish, then wrap in two layers of heavy duty foil and continue cooking till internal temp hits 200. Wrap tinfoiled pork in an OLD towel (wife doesnt like me using her good towels!!), and rest it in the cooler for 1-2 hours. That will give you some great pulled pork.

For slicing start the same way. Foil at 165, but then pull out of smoker when it hits 175-180. Towel and cooler for 1 hour.

Another variation for both those methods is to not wrap it in foil till you pull it off at it's final temp. (180 or 200) and put it in the cooler. This will generally get you more bark (Yummy!).

It all tastes good!

 

[iceshark]

love this post as I am going to try first butt on my MES tomorrow. So Lets get this straight. I have a 6lb butt.
Putt on smoker till 165
then foil and let cook till 195-200 and then leave in foil to rest an hour or more?

Total time on MES estimate? Yes I will have temp probe from my Mav et-73 in butt.

 

[jirodriguez]

Yup... that's the basics. I would take to a full 200° if you are going to pull it. And one lessoned I learned the hard way - don't leave it in the cooler for more than about 3 hrs., otherwise it ends up almost mushy. Tastes fine, just very, very soft.