Pork Butt question

mouseman · Sep 5, 2012

Thanks to everyone for their posts -- the info I got from this site helped make my first smoke a huge success!

I have a Masterbuilt analog electric smoker and I checked the temps before my first smoke and it was pretty spot on. The first smoke I did was a small pork butt (about 6 lbs.) and it came out amazing and tender. I run at about 225 and use a combo of cherry and apple wood to smoke, with some apple juice and water in the water pan. The first time I did the 3-2-1 but skipped the last 1 because the meat had an amazing bark on it and was the right temp.

The last two butts that I've done have been bigger, about 8.5 lbs. I've smoked for about four or five hours until it had a good bark and was around 170 or 180, then foiled with some apple juice inside until reaching 205 degrees. Then I let them rest for an hour. These two butts have had amazing bark and were really tender except for the center section, which was about 4 inches around -- it was more like a pork roast than pulled pork. Not tough by any means, but not tender enough to pull (more like slicing meat). What am I doing wrong? Should I have let it go longer?

Thanks for any help in advance.

s2k9k · Sep 5, 2012

I'm a little confused, you said you did the 3-2-1 on a 6# pork butt but skipped the last hour? A 6# butt in 5 hours at 225*? That's really fast.

The 3-2-1 method is pretty much for ribs.

You said you checked the temps of your smoker, how did you do this?

Your last 2 butts you said they got to 170*-180* in 4-5 hours? That seems a little fast for 8.5# butts. What were you using to check the internal temp (IT) of the butts?

Sorry for all the questions but what I'm getting at is it sounds like your therms and/or temps are off. If you reached an IT of 205* in the middle of the butt it should not have been that firm, it should have just fallen apart. If you were reading 180* in 4-5 hours you were either cooking at a higher temp then 225* or they weren't really at 180*. I'm thinking your therms are off. Have you checked them in boiling water? They should read right around 212* in boiling water.

I don't use an electric smoker but usually when things don't cook right it's a temp issue so let's look at that first and maybe some electric users will have some more insight to this.

smokinhusker · Sep 5, 2012

S2K9K said:
I'm a little confused, you said you did the 3-2-1 on a 6# pork butt but skipped the last hour? A 6# butt in 5 hours at 225*? That's really fast.

The 3-2-1 method is pretty much for ribs.

You said you checked the temps of your smoker, how did you do this?

Your last 2 butts you said they got to 170*-180* in 4-5 hours? That seems a little fast for 8.5# butts. What were you using to check the internal temp (IT) of the butts?

Sorry for all the questions but what I'm getting at is it sounds like your therms and/or temps are off. If you reached an IT of 205* in the middle of the butt it should not have been that firm, it should have just fallen apart. If you were reading 180* in 4-5 hours you were either cooking at a higher temp then 225* or they weren't really at 180*. I'm thinking your therms are off. Have you checked them in boiling water? They should read right around 212* in boiling water.

I don't use an electric smoker but usually when things don't cook right it's a temp issue so let's look at that first and maybe some electric users will have some more insight to this.

X2 on what Dave said. I have an MES40 and sounds like temp issues

sqwib · Sep 5, 2012

I was going to reply, but need more information, some stuff isn't adding up a 6 pound but smoked at 225° should be closer to 2 hours per pound, I have done butts at 275° and got 60+ minutes a pound on a stickburner.

The 3-2-1 is throwing us off, that is usually a rib technique

Please give us some more info, like your thermo probe used for checking the meat, how did you check the meat, how did you test your smoker for temp accuracy were the buts bone in was the fat trimmed?

oldschoolbbq · Sep 5, 2012

I too am with Sqwib. Wrap a Butt????? Of course each to his own. Like Sqwib , I shoot for 1.5 to 2 hrs./lb@225° , on good marbled meat , with bone in , did yours have a bone (makes a diff.).

If you are running on stock therms , my response is paint over them and go get decent therms. , like the Mav. 732 and calibrate before each smoke -more stuff to remember , but helps when you know what your base line is...

Butts shouldn't be a hassle:

Betty 004.JPG

oldschoolbbq
Sep 5, 2012

they are almost fool proof , they always come out perfect...;}-

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