Help with pork butt!

carriekb

Newbie

Original poster

Aug 17, 2013

5

10

Toddville, Iowa

• Sep 28, 2013

• #1

We got a MasterForge electric smoker a few months ago. Started out low-end to get a feel for smoking. I just tried smoking a pork butt (about 4 lbs), and from what i had read, it would have taken about 5.5 hrs to cook. I set the temp at 215 (i have tested the interior temp with an oven thermometer and it seems to run about 10 degrees hottter than it reads), and it was done in only 2.5 hours! As you can imagine, there was no bark. Everything we have smoked has been done well ahead of what i was expecting. I am wondering if i should have smoked the pork butt differently (did i do it wrong?), or if my smoker is to blame. Would appreciate any advice, thoughts, etc.

Thanks--Carrie

 

cliffcarter

Master of the Pit

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Feb 28, 2010

2,277

258

Old Town, Maine

• Sep 28, 2013

• #2

How did you determine that the butt was done?

Was it a bone -in or boneless butt?

 

carriekb

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Original poster

Thread starter

Aug 17, 2013

5

10

Toddville, Iowa

• Sep 28, 2013

• #3

I inserted a digital meat thermometer (one that trust and have used for years), then used an old fashioned meat thermometer because i thought it was wrong! Both gave same temp of 171. It was boneless.

 

cliffcarter

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Feb 28, 2010

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Old Town, Maine

• Sep 28, 2013

• #4

Were you looking for pulled pork or sliced pork?

171° internal temp on a butt and it will not pull, the internal temp for PP should be in the 195°-205° range. Your initial thought of 5 hours cooking time was most likely correct.

Bark formation is more dependent on the sugar content of your rub, what did you use for a rub?

 

carriekb

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Original poster

Thread starter

Aug 17, 2013

5

10

Toddville, Iowa

• Sep 28, 2013

• #5

We were looking to slice it. What I had thought I read was that it should smoke for the 5 hours to internal temp of 165, then remove, wrap in foil and let rest until it reaches the 195....maybe i misunderstood? My rub was 1/3 c brown sugar, 1/2 c white sugar, salt, spices, etc.....is that too much sugar?

Thanks

 

jordon

Fire Starter

Aug 17, 2013

50

10

• Sep 28, 2013

• #6

The 165 temp is usually the foiling temp for those who foil. If I decide to foil, I usually let the meat get 5 hours of smoke, which will be right around 165-170. I would then take the meat off. I then wrap it in foil, and return to the smoker. This is when the meat will rise to 195. At 195, or when the thermometer goes in like butter, you would then remove the meat to start the resting process. You could rest it anywhere from 30 minutes on up.

 

carriekb

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Original poster

Thread starter

Aug 17, 2013

5

10

Toddville, Iowa

• Sep 28, 2013

• #7

So I guess with that info, I'm back to my original confusion over the fact that my meat reached 171 in 2.5 hours, not the 5+ that I was hoping for and anticipating.  Do you think it's due to the electric smoker?

 

jordon

Fire Starter

Aug 17, 2013

50

10

• Sep 28, 2013

• #8

No, that could have been the stall temperature. You might have gotten to 171 right away, then stayed there for hours. I have seen stalls last 3+ hours.

I would say you wouldn't need to foil on a 4lb piece, so you could just let the meat do it's thing until it gets to 195, or probe tender.

 

cliffcarter

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Old Town, Maine

• Sep 29, 2013

• #9

carriekb said:

We were looking to slice it. What I had thought I read was that it should smoke for the 5 hours to internal temp of 165, then remove, wrap in foil and let rest until it reaches the 195....maybe i misunderstood? My rub was 1/3 c brown sugar, 1/2 c white sugar, salt, spices, etc.....is that too much sugar?

Thanks

Click to expand...

First, let me say that if you wanted sliced pork then you did OK. 5.5 hours at 225° and you would have had pulled pork, not sliced.

Yes, unfortunately, you misunderstood. Foiling at 165° and returning to the cooker until the internal temp hits 195° is the method that many use to overcome the "Stall" and decrease cooking time when you are cooking a butt for pulled pork. You will not be able to slice a butt cooked to that temp. Again, since you wanted sliced pork what you did was fine.

You had no bark because you cooked it at 225° for 2.5 hours, at that temp it will take much longer for the sugars to caramelize and form the bark. Hard to say if the amount of sugar is to high in your rub without knowing the amounts of all the ingredients, my personal preference is to eliminate the white sugar all together and switch the brown sugar to turbinado sugar

 

gary s

Gone but not forgotten. RIP

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Jan 6, 2011

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• Sep 29, 2013

• #10

When I cook pork shoulders I buy them in a two pack at Sam's around 8 lbs each. I cook at 225 and usually takes about 10 to 12 hours to get 200 for my pulled pork. I usually have ribs , chicken and other stuff on as well. A 4 lb. piece of meat will not take long to reach that temp, and probably is the stall temp. I am not sure why you did not get any bark or color, unless it was due to low temp and short cooking time. Even after a couple of hours my butts are getting color, but do not get real dark and form a bark till 5 or 6 hours. I'll try to pay more attention next time at 2 hours and snap a picture of the color.

Gary