20 hour pork butt smoke

[okie52]

I tried an injected brine recipe from another board yesterday.  I only gave the brine about 8 hours before I started smoking a 9 lb butt so probably not long enough for it to work its magic.  

I started smoking it at 11pm at 160 degrees.  At 8:30am I turned the temp up to 225.  The IT was 138 at that time.  Here is a pic at 12:30pm the next day after 13.5 hours of smoking. The IT was 167 at that time.

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

5.5 hours later I wrapped the pork up in foil and put it in the cooler.  The IT was 201 at that time.

Here are pics after it got an hour of rest before I started pulling it.   

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

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• okie52
• May 1, 2015

All told I had 20 hours on this cook. 19 hours of smoking and 1 hour of "rest" in the cooler.  I didn't wrap the butt in foil during smoking.

The family loved it.

 

[mdboatbum]

Please do yourself and more importantly your family a favor and do some reading on safe cooking practices. I applaud your efforts and the pork does look pretty, but nearly 10 hours in the bacterial danger zone is putting anyone who eats that at risk of an unpleasant episode.

 

[b-one]

Please do yourself and more importantly your family a favor and do some reading on safe cooking practices. I applaud your efforts and the pork does look pretty, but nearly 10 hours in the bacterial danger zone is putting anyone who eats that at risk of an unpleasant episode.

+1 especially when injecting. Hope all went well as it is tasty looking.:drool

 

[fwismoker]

  Yes the pull does look great....   Here's the but.  I agree with the safety issue and the injecting.   

Adding to that I'd add to that is nothing better happens with a long low smoke and most of the time you'll have better smoke going hotter (depending on how you run your fire)

10 lb. butts typically take me 45 minutes per lb with mahogany edible bark, plenty of smoke ring and juicy as can be.   Point being you can cook hotter and have a great product.

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• fwismoker
• Feb 4, 2014

 

[stickyfingers]

20 hours for a 9 lb butt...unbelievable

!! NICE bark though!

 

[cliffcarter]

Another vote for cooking hot and fast. There is no advantage to going low and slow for butts IMHO and the biggest disadvantage is too long in the danger zone.

     Why did you cook it for over 9 hours at 160°?

 

[damon555]

I'm just wondering who instructed you to smoke the butt at 160 degrees for any amount time?

 

[okie52]

Well I was trying to time the cook to end about 3:30-400 pm the next day. I've heard the concerns about the low cook temp and I'll probably adjust it to 225 in the future to keep a safer "cook zone".

However...fortunately the cook was without any damage and was fantastic in its results.

 

[okie52]

I'm just wondering who instructed you to smoke the butt at 160 degrees for any amount time?

Oh I'll smoke food between 160-180 for 1-2 hours often before cranking it up to 225 and plan on continuing to do so in the future.

 

[okie52]

     Why did you cook it for over 9 hours at 160°?

disagree.about low and slow and prefer it to faster cooks.

 

[damon555]

I'm sorry for being up front but we are just trying to help. We are only passing along what the USDA says in regard to safe cooking temperatures.....and keeping meat in the danger zone (40-140 degrees) for 9 1/2 hours is dangerous.

Please don't take our word for it....It's spelled out in very simple terms on various web sites. 

 

[okie52]

I'm sorry for being up front but we are just trying to help. We are only passing along what the USDA says in regard to safe cooking temperatures.....and keeping meat in the danger zone (40-140 degrees) for 9 1/2 hours is dangerous.

Please don't take our word for it....It's spelled out in very simple terms on various web sites. 

I think some are forgetting that the IT on this pork was taken to 200+ degrees. Most contamination resides on the surface.

I appreciate the concern but I'm not going to follow all of the USDA guidelines on smoking or grilling. Here are just a few of them:

Safe Smoking

Smoking is cooking food indirectly in the presence of
a fire. It can be done in a covered grill if a pan of
water is placed beneath the meat or poultry on the
grill; and meats can be smoked in a “smoker,” which
is an outdoor cooker especially designed for smoking
foods. Smoking is done much more slowly than
grilling, so less tender meats benefit from this
method, and a natural smoke flavoring permeates
the meat. The temperature in the smoker should be
maintained at 250 to 300 °F for safety.

So no smoking at 225 degrees...kind of the sweet spot for most smokers.

Does Grilling Pose a Cancer Risk?

Some studies suggest there may be a cancer risk
related to eating food cooked by high-heat cooking
techniques as grilling, frying, and broiling. Based on
present research findings, eating moderate amounts
of grilled meats like fish, meat, and poultry cooked —
without charring — to a safe temperature does not
pose a problem.

To prevent charring, remove visible fat that can
cause a flare-up. Precook meat in the microwave
immediately before placing it on the grill to release
some of the juices that can drop on coals. Cook food
in the center of the grill and move coals to the side
to prevent fat and juices from dripping on them. Cut
charred portions off the meat.

Precooking
Precooking food partially in the microwave, oven, or
stove is a good way of reducing grilling time. Just
make sure that the food goes immediately on the
preheated grill to complete cooking.

MEATS
Cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops,
and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of
145°F as measured with a food thermometer before
removing meat from the heat source. For safety and
quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes
before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal
preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to
higher temperatures.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/co...f7132098/Barbecue_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

So searing/ charring are out on grilling. You like char marks on your meat...too bad. So are medium rare and rare steaks. And microwaving your meats prior to throwing them on the grill?

I can't believe I've made through the last 40 years of smoking and grilling.

 

[fwismoker]

I just think you get a better smoke from a hotter fire vs a  low smoldering fire.

I do agree that if a solid muscle is not compromised it can go longer than the 140 in 4 but see no good reason pushing the envelope when the quality can be better going hotter.    

 

[timberjet]

BUT...you injected and when you did you pushed the surface bacteria into the meat. This is the reason for the concern. If you had not injected there would not be a problem. Well, not as much of one anyway. Just trying to educate you a bit. This is why I do not inject large muscle meats. Now, I will inject under 5 pounds at times because you can beat the 4 hour rule on a smaller hunk of meat. I don't think there is any real good reason for pushing the envelope on this. If you read the site rules you will see that posting unsafe practices is a no no here. The problem being some newby out there may get sick or dead family and friends by following your practices. I know I would feel really bad if someone got sick using my UNSAFE techniques.

 

[okie52]

Well, on pellet smokers hotter fires often mean less smoke.  In fact, you won't see much smoke from a pellet grill above 300 degrees if they are using a PID as most of them have a bellows mode below 300 degrees. Generally the higher the temp the less smoke amount that is produced.  I would also say there isn't much "smoldering" on a pellet grill with a PID even at 160 degrees...they are very efficient temp controllers.  

I also prefer low and slow in most cases.  I know there are some that will do briskets as high as 350 degrees and some people swear by their results...I've always had good success with low and slow and plan on contnuing to use it on butts and briskets.    

 

[timberjet]

I always go low and slow. 225 is just right for my smokers. Remember, pulled pork keeps hotter than heck in a cooler wrapped up for hours and hours. Just be careful with injecting and happy smoking.

 

[knifebld]

Looks good, but am curious as to the benefit of smoking at 160 to start? I can understand the safety issues...but if you set those aside....why would someone want to go lower than 225/235?

 

[timberjet]

I see a lot of folks around here use an auxiliary pellet smoker in their pellet grills. Like an amazen pellet maze or tube. You might look into this. They are really cheap and effective and then you don't have to go so low to get good smoke.

 

[okie52]

 
BUT...you injected and when you did you pushed the surface bacteria into the meat. This is the reason for the concern. If you had not injected there would not be a problem. Well, not as much of one anyway. Just trying to educate you a bit. This is why I do not inject large muscle meats. Now, I will inject under 5 pounds at times because you can beat the 4 hour rule on a smaller hunk of meat. I don't think there is any real good reason for pushing the envelope on this. If you read the site rules you will see that posting unsafe practices is a no no here. The problem being some newby out there may get sick or dead family and friends by following your practices. I know I would feel really bad if someone got sick using my UNSAFE techniques.

Well the injection part was a first for me on pork butt but still the IT was over 200 degrees.  And I've injected briskets for a long time.  Generally I'll smoke them at 180 overnight and then take it to 225 after about 6 hours of smoking ( another unsafe temp by USDA standards) for the rest of the cook.  

If you think that I'm posting unsafe cooking then report me.  By USDA standards most grillers charring their food, serving rare or medium rare steaks, or smoking below 250 is unsafe.    

 

[timberjet]

Well, I'm done with this thread. You have been educated. take it or leave it.