A Little Tough

[Average Human]

Hi all. Hope everyone is managing to spend some quality time with their smokers this year while the world is kind of sideways.

My pork butts are turning out a bit tougher than I would like. On a 10 pound butt, roughly 60-70% is delightfully gooey and "pullable", 30-35% of the roast is "sliceable", and maybe about 5% of the roast is somewhat on the dry and chewy side. Is this normal or common? The softest parts tend to be on the fatty side of the butt.

I use an upright propane smoker and can generally keep the temp between 220 and 230F with the odd spike. I also do my best to keep the water pan filled, and when I top it up I use boiling water from the kettle. I'm wondering if the built-in thermometer might not be accurate?

I also brine for about 12 hours in the fridge with vinegar, salt, apple cider (juice) and seasonings.

Thanks!

 

[TNJAKE]

There is no real reason to brine a butt. It has plenty of fat. Sounds like you are undercooking. Also are you resting it after you finish smoking? Meat tends to soften up when you do

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

As Jake said above, brining a butt does very little to get flavor deep into the meat.
You'd be better off injecting.
The only way to know for sure if you chamber temps are were they need to be is to use a separate digital thermometer at grate level where the cooking is happening.
Those built in thermometers are notoriously inaccurate.
I suspect you may have hot and cold spots in your smoker.
You would need to place a thermometer at several different spots in the smoker and records the temps.

 

[Winterrider]

Not that it would matter for this cook, butts can be done at a variety of temps. But I would certainly compare smoker temp gauge to a tested digital for future reference.
Like Jake mentioned, rest after smoking

Edit: Secondhand beat me to it.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Not that it would matter for this cook, butts can be done at a variety of temps. But I would certainly compare smoker temp gauge to a tested digital for future reference.
Like Jake mentioned, rest after smoking

Edit: Secondhand beat me to it.

Glad that you added that butts can be done at at a variety of temperatures.
They can handle higher temps very well.

 

[schlotz]

A bit more info night help us determine the reason for the issue you mention. Are you measuring the IT (internal temp) making sure the tip of the probe is NOT touching the bone? What temp was the IT when pulled? Did you rest the meat in a cooler with towels for 2 hours before pulling and serving? wonderful things happen to the meat during that 2 hour rest. If you are relying on a built-in thermometer for the smoker temp be aware these probes are notorious for being inaccurate. Best to get yourself a good calibrated temp probe. Preferably one with two sensors, 1 for the grate and the other for the meat. If the butt is done the bone should easily pull out clean.

 

[boykjo]

Yep. check and verify your smokers therm with a remote probe. smoke @ 250 to 275. Pan and cover with foil at 160 degrees or keep smoking open with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. 160 degrees and up is where the collogen breaks down and the juices render. Take the butt to 205 for pulling. Add the juices back to the pulled pork.

Boykjo

 

[Average Human]

Thanks for the quick feedback!

Glad to see that my suspicions regarding the built-in temp probe are legitimate. I have ordered a ThermoPro TP08S digital dual probe temp unit for myself for father's day but it won't arrive until next week. Once it arrives I'm going to follow SecondHandSmoker's suggestion and determine if there are hot/cold spots. The digital probe I currently use is just a cheap MasterChef but I'm careful not to let it touch the bone.

Usually, I smoke to 190F to 205F internal temp and I will let the butt rest in tin foil for 20 to 40 minutes before pulling. I have also tried the towels in a cooler method once in the past but I'm thinking I will give it another shot.

 

[fivetricks]

190 is too low.

It was stated above that collagen breaks down at 160. This is incorrect. Collagen converts to gelatin at 192 or 193 degrees. This is why a butt turns from a "slicing" butt into a "pulling" butt north of the 190 degree IT. Don't pull the roast until it probes tender all over with some sort of skewer.

Also, if your "dry chewy" meat is on the very outside (as opposed to some potion on the very inside) then wrapping your butts might be in order on your smoker.

 

[boykjo]

Here's some information

google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS864US864&ei=l2ruXvvRNPyqwbkPn9EZ&q=what+temp+collogen+breaks+down&oq=what+temp+collogen+breaks+down&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECAAQRzoECAAQDToGCAAQDRAeOggIABANEAUQHjoICAAQCBANEB5QyooBWO6fAWD1ugFoAHABeACAAVKIAfsEkgECMTCYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwi7-e6Pl5HqAhV8VTABHZ9oBgAQ4dUDCAw

 

[tallbm]

Hi there and welcome!

Pork butts are one of the cuts of meat that are done when they are tender. They are tender when u can stab all over with something like a kabob skewer and it goes in like butter.
Also pork butts are a cut that dont really care what temp you cook/some them at so again tenderness tells u when they are done.

I smoke my pork buts and check for tenderness for pulling when they are at 205F Internal Temp (IT). I stab all over with a wooden kabob skewer and they are usually ready so i pull em. I also smoke mine at 275F smoker temp cause again they dont care what temp they are smoked at. Briskets and ribs also are cuts that dont care what temp they are smoked at.

Get the thermometer and that will help IMMENSELY. Until then just check for tenderness as I mention and u will know when they are done regardless of what the current temp probe is reporting :)

 

[Average Human]

Here's some information

google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS864US864&ei=l2ruXvvRNPyqwbkPn9EZ&q=what+temp+collogen+breaks+down&oq=what+temp+collogen+breaks+down&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQDDoECAAQRzoECAAQDToGCAAQDRAeOggIABANEAUQHjoICAAQCBANEB5QyooBWO6fAWD1ugFoAHABeACAAVKIAfsEkgECMTCYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab&ved=0ahUKEwi7-e6Pl5HqAhV8VTABHZ9oBgAQ4dUDCAw

Definitely helpful info. Thank you!

 

[Average Human]

Hi there and welcome!

Pork butts are one of the cuts of meat that are done when they are tender. They are tender when u can stab all over with something like a kabob skewer and it goes in like butter.
Also pork butts are a cut that dont really care what temp you cook/some them at so again tenderness tells u when they are done.

I smoke my pork buts and check for tenderness for pulling when they are at 205F Internal Temp (IT). I stab all over with a wooden kabob skewer and they are usually ready so i pull em. I also smoke mine at 275F smoker temp cause again they dont care what temp they are smoked at. Briskets and ribs also are cuts that dont care what temp they are smoked at.

Get the thermometer and that will help IMMENSELY. Until then just check for tenderness as I mention and u will know when they are done regardless of what the current temp probe is reporting :)

Thanks for the input. I'm very excited to get the new thermometer. It sound like I might be under cooking.

As mentioned above by schlotz, the internal probe should obviously not touch the bone but can you recommend whether or not the probe should be closer to the top or bottom of the roast?

 

[schlotz]

You want the probe tip positioned in the middle of the meat mass in order to get a good IT reading. I cannot remember a single +9# butt (bone-in) that hasn't been super easy to pull apart when smoked to an IT of 203º then removed, tightly wrapped and placed in a cooler with towels for 2 hours. Some of them were smoked at 225º while others were at 250º. With butts is just doesn't matter. Personally I've settled on the 250º range which reduces the total time factor. Resting properly, the butt will maintain a temp above 185º for quite some time and during this period the breakdown of collagen continues, which is a good thing!

 

[tallbm]

Thanks for the input. I'm very excited to get the new thermometer. It sound like I might be under cooking.

As mentioned above by schlotz, the internal probe should obviously not touch the bone but can you recommend whether or not the probe should be closer to the top or bottom of the roast?

I would recommend you get a thermometer with at least 4 probes. This way you can use 1 (or more) to measure rack temp of the smoker and you can use 2 (or more) to measure the IT of the meat.

I have found thatI MUST used 3 probes in a brisket because its so difficult to get an accurate placement but I find I get 1 out of 3 (from 3 different directions) placed properly. How do I know this? I know because two of the probes may be at much higher temps than the 3rd probe so I go based off the lowest temp of the 3 probes hahhaah. You would be amazed at what the temps do when u watch 3 probes at once.
Soooo the same kinda thing would work for your pork butt. The good thing about a pork butt is that u cant really mess it up by going too long on the cook unless it burns up which would take FOREVER. So u can just keep letting it ride.

I hope this info helps :)

 

[Average Human]

My new ThermoPro digital thermometer arrived the other day. Had a moment to test it out in the oven and compare it with my cheap MasterChef digital thermometer.

I simply turned the oven on to 300F and put the two probes into the same Pyrex cup full of warm water. Before putting it in the oven, I took some baseline readings. Once in the oven, I let the heat of the water get up to about 177F. After removing the cup from the oven, I continued to observe the readings as the water temp went down.

What I found was that the MasterChef thermometer was consistently 1 to 2 degrees F lower than the ThermoPro; sometimes as much as 3 degrees F but only momentarily. Knowing this, I still might use the MasterChef but only as a secondary or backup unit.

The BBQ probe on the ThermoPro aslo indicated that our oven temperature seems to run about 50 or 60 degrees F hotter than what we dial in!

A couple of days later I tried the ThermoPro on my smoker. I turned it on and let it heat up with no meat inside (seems like a sin, right?) just to test the accuracy of the built-in temp probe. And as you might have suspected, the built-in probe was reading 40 to 50 degrees F lower than what the ThermoPro was! I think that can make a huge difference not only in your cooking time but also the end results of your food.

The only thing that makes me a little suspicious is that twice now, the ThermoPro said that it was reading approximately 50 deg F (+/- 10 deg F) above what was expected. Neither my smoker or my oven are premium, cutting edge technology, so I will try out the ThermoPro on my in-law's electronically controlled oven to see what results I get.

Anyway, next up for me is my first attempt at pork ribs. I just picked up some back ribs and I'm going to try out the 3-2-1 method either tomorrow or Saturday. I'll let everyone know how they turn out!

 

[tallbm]

Interesting info. Put a small pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil and measure the temp with your thermo pro. Water boils at 212F that will give u some more info. Will also tell u if/how off the probe may be.

 

[boykjo]

Do an ice bath too for the low side. Should read around 32

Boykjo

 

[EdP]

I also smoke mine at 275F smoker temp cause again they dont care what temp they are smoked at. Briskets and ribs also are cuts that dont care what temp they are smoked at.

I'm glad a lot of the experts here talk about this. I run my smoker at 275 now and like starting a big chunk of meat in the morning and serving it that night.