First butt help...

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

I am doing my first butt as we speak. I'm pretty excited but I am wondering about some unexpected things that have come up.

First was the difference between my maverick and the WSM lid...a 60 degree difference. Mav reads 260 while the lid says 200.

The other is that the meat internal temp has risen pretty steadily, and after an hour and a half it is now at 122 degrees.

Is that normal? I didn't expect it to climb that fast. I guess it has to slow down at some point, I just didn't expect that and hope everything is ok?

I may have more questions as the cook comes along. And good or bad I will put up pics and try and figure out what happened

daveomak · Aug 13, 2011

Shaun H said:
I am doing my first butt as we speak. I'm pretty excited but I am wondering about some unexpected things that have come up.

First was the difference between my maverick and the WSM lid...a 60 degree difference. Mav reads 260 while the lid says 200.

Believe the MAV.....Therms that are original equip are usually wrong....

The other is that the meat internal temp has risen pretty steadily, and after an hour and a half it is now at 122 degrees.

Is that normal? I didn't expect it to climb that fast. I guess it has to slow down at some point, I just didn't expect that and hope everything is ok? Your smoker is a little warm to my way of thinking...I would lower it to 225-230.......There will be a "stall" in the temp rise of the meat as the tissues start to "break down" and the meat becomes more tender.

I may have more questions as the cook comes along. And good or bad I will put up pics and try and figure out what happened

windshield king · Aug 13, 2011

Shaun H said:
I am doing my first butt as we speak. I'm pretty excited but I am wondering about some unexpected things that have come up.

First was the difference between my maverick and the WSM lid...a 60 degree difference. Mav reads 260 while the lid says 200.

The other is that the meat internal temp has risen pretty steadily, and after an hour and a half it is now at 122 degrees.

Is that normal? I didn't expect it to climb that fast. I guess it has to slow down at some point, I just didn't expect that and hope everything is ok?

I may have more questions as the cook comes along. And good or bad I will put up pics and try and figure out what happened

unless you have calibrated the therm on the smoker go by what the mav. reads. your doing fine. I don't stick the therm. in till after 3-4 hrs you must have done it right away. so are you slicing or pulling?

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

gonna be pulling.

Meat therm. now says 142 and I been cooking for only 2 hours.

It just seemed to jump up so quickly.

Water pan is full and all three bottom vents (WSM 22) are only opened to about 25%.

jrod62 · Aug 13, 2011

my Maverick is right on the money ,temp wise so I would trust it over the lid temp. and I take it the maverick is at the grate next to the butt.

ur temp going up quick tell me the maverick is closer to the true temp. make sure the meat probe is in center of the butt . mine in the past has went up quick in temp. once it hit 160 or 170 it might stay there for hours on end. just got to wait it out. lots of beer help with that

last butt took 16 hour to get to 205

jrod62 · Aug 13, 2011

and we will be sitting here eating

and drinking

waiting on the Q-views

SmokinAl · Aug 13, 2011

Yep just kick back & let it ride!

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

thanks guys. I guess I'm just overly jittery. I appreciate the feedback. I will keep checking in and give a for better or worse pic at the end

ellymae · Aug 13, 2011

You are doing fine - trust your Mav, and don't worry about the quick rise - you will hit a stall that may last a few hours so don't worry about that either. You will be fine.

hyyal · Aug 13, 2011

Hit the stall, drink a couple beers & trust the mav. All is good.

meateater · Aug 13, 2011

Good advice given, it's a low and slow sport.

venture · Aug 13, 2011

You have advice from experts.

Watch the beer, you might be at this for a while! LOL

Good luck and good smoking.

keymaster · Aug 13, 2011

Good advice given, I bet it will turn out great!!!

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

Ok here is another question.

I have been monitering the cook temps on the hour and an hour and a half ago I was at 187. I figured that meant I was close to the end, and so I put a few more things on (chicken and jalepenos) that I thought would go for a couple hours. This was the first time I ever lifted the lid the entire cook.The food temp started dropping and fell all the way to 178 an hour later and held there. It is now currently 180.

Why would the temp drop like that? Especially so dramatically?

ellymae · Aug 13, 2011

Yep - it happens...

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

no foil.

It pushed past the 160s stall well enough, but now its stuck on 180 for almost 2 hours, after already being at 187. :(

windshield king · Aug 13, 2011

hang in there all will be good and worth the wait have another beer

shaun h · Aug 13, 2011

Thanks guys.

Its a bit nerving.

Been stuck on 178-180 for three hours now.

Been cooking for 15 hours total.

chef jimmyj · Aug 13, 2011

When your thermometer hits 200*F, probe the meat in a couple of places. Even with the smoker lid off for 30 minutes, carryover heat (the heat on the outside of the meat conducting to the inside), should have caused the temp to go UP 5*F not DOWN! ...JJ

jrod62 · Aug 13, 2011

same thing happen to me last week on the 16 hour butt i did. Meat temp drop I think 7 or 8 degree on me when i open the lid and baste the meat.

just hang in there it will get done.

do u keep a cooking log ? here a link to one or put "cooking log " in search

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/attachments/3

First butt help...

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