Pork butt temp stall?

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In my humble opinion there is no need to cook a butt higher than 190°-195°F, then wrap or cover and allow to rest for 30-40 min before pulling. The meat is already at the point where it will pull apart and I like the texture better. I do wrap mine as it is cooking when it hits around the 150° - 165° temp range. It really depends on how the cook is going. I don't like the outside to get black, dark mahogany is good, but black is not IMHO....
 
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I did an 8# pork butt about a week ago. Had the smoker preheated to about 240f at 6:00am and slid the butt in. Everything seemed to be doing good till about 2:00pm when I notice the IT of the butt really slowed. Once it hit 160 ish it was hardly going up. By 6:00pm it hit 172F and I pull it out cause I had a drove of people wanting to eat. I wanted to get it up to 205F, but at the rate it was climbing it was never going to get there.

What's up with that, did I screw something up?

BTW, it was good but I think it could have been better. Thanks!
190 is my magic number the meat is tender and moist
 
Funny...I just searched "pork butt stall" and ended up here, where I probably shoulda started! I don't know why I can't get the "cook the day before" philosophy into my brain...always end up putting it in late at night, and I'm checking things every half hour. All. Night. Long....
Even with my BGE dialed in and using the DigiQ to control the temp, I'm still monitoring it...trust issues, apparently...
I put in a 10 lb butt at 9:00 last night at 225. About 4 am, the meat temp stalled at 150 - by 10 a.m., the f-n thing was still at 150! So I kicked the heat up to 250, wrapped that bad boy tight in a foil pan, and it looks like it powering thru...30 min in, and it's pushing 160 now. I figure I'll get it up to 190 then pop in the oven at 250 to finish it off at 205.
Great advice in here - I'll look first next time!
 
Thanks for all the feedback and knowledge here. I'm in the middle of an hour or so stall on a 9# Butt, I am cooking this for a feast we are having tomorrow so I'm not in a panic. I have been better about planning for the Brine and the stall, it always seems to pay off when it comes time to eat. HAPPY SMOKING!
 
Threadsurrection!

I too have been frustrated with the stall, today being one of them...a DuckDuckGo search brought me here, invaluable advice...thanks to all the contributions.
 
Threadsurrection!

I too have been frustrated with the stall, today being one of them...a DuckDuckGo search brought me here, invaluable advice...thanks to all the contributions.

I can relate.I have a 3.5lb boneless butt that's already past 14hrs.
 
I can relate.I have a 3.5lb boneless butt that's already past 14hrs.

Yeah, I had some mystery pork...in another thread, I referred to it as pork Butt, A year ago I bought half a hog butchered, and the general consensus at work was that the butcher lost his way somewhere and just labeled it a pork roast...big gnarly bones in the middle...I was there with you bro, 14 hours...that sucked. It ended up pretty dry even though I sopped it and wrapped it after 170...threw it in the fridge at 3:45 AM, as I was dragging butt. For reheating to make sandwiches I put it in a steamer basket for a few minutes, it helped hydrate it...great taste!
 
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Old thread, good information.

If you have a smoker that you can set and forget for several hours, like a WSM, MES, pellet, or cabinet, an overnight smoke solved all my stall and timing stress issues. Fire up the smoker between 6 and 7 PM, load the meat at blue smoke, and DO NOT use a meat probe; only use a chamber probe if using a wireless. Get the smoker stabilized at 225-235, and go to bed after watching the 10 PM news.

In the morning, insert the meat probe. The butt(s) will be at the tail end of the stall or just out of it. I usually see meat temps between 170 and 180F. Wrap in butcher paper, foil, or leave nekkid. You can let it coast to the finish at 225-235, but I usually crank the heat up to 300F+ and finish the smoke in 3-5 hours. Makes smoking butts stress free.

Won't work for stick burners, unless you have a youngish pit master to share shifts with, or you just start at 300F+ and burn right though the stall.
 
noboundries has it right. Start a 7 lb bone-in butt at 225F on a Traeger at 11PM. You'll wake up to a 160-175 internal temp - essentially somewhere around stall temp. Reload the pellets, and cook from 225 (if past stall) to up to 300F if you need to get it done quick. I usually aim for 250F for an early dinner. Keep it simple, and keep your meal time flexible for the best experience. Happy Smoking!
 
noboundries has it right. Start a 7 lb bone-in butt at 225F on a Traeger at 11PM. You'll wake up to a 160-175 internal temp - essentially somewhere around stall temp. Reload the pellets, and cook from 225 (if past stall) to up to 300F if you need to get it done quick. I usually aim for 250F for an early dinner. Keep it simple, and keep your meal time flexible for the best experience. Happy Smoking!
My second smoke on my electric smoker, my 7# butt stalled at 180 for 3 hours. It's been in 11 1/2 hours now, and looks like it is finally breaking out of the stall and getting into the 190s. Google brought me here, got great info, thanks.
 
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