Heating/Timing Issues with Boston Butt...

[rcp44]

Hello all:

First time posting here, but I have been a lurker for a long time! So onto my dilemma (any help would be greatly appreciated).

Yesterday I fired up my electric smoker and put in a four pound bone-out boston butt. Set the temperature to 225 degrees, which seems to be the basic recommendation anywhere I look. I let the butt sit out on the counter for a while to get it as close to room temperature. I figured on six hours max for the cook.

I put it in at 10:30 am, for a 6:30 meal time. It didn't get to a 195 degree internal temperature until 10:30 pm. I know that there are stall points, but 12 hours for a four pound butt?

At 3:30 pm it was at about 152 degrees. It didn't get to 160 degrees until about 6:30, at which point I turned the heat up to 250 degrees.

So it took forever, but GOD did it taste delicious. The best one I've ever cooked. I'm just trying to figure out why in the world it took so long to get done. Any ideas? I'm at a loss.

Thanks all!

 

[SmokinAl]

First of all welcome to SMF!
Glad you decided to join in!
I would say that if you were going by the factory thermometer, then that was your problem.
They are usually very inaccurate. It sounds like you were cooking at a much lower temp than you thought you were.
Get a good dual probe therm, so you can monitor the meat & pit temp at the same time. Then use that to set your smoker controller.
The good news is it turned out well, you just had to wait a little longer!
Al

 

[dcecil]

They have a mind of there own. Pretty common on the site to see 7-9 pounders go for 20 hrs. Some actually will do the hot method and swear by it and get them done in half the time. They cook at approximately 275-280. I’m gonna give that method a try. One thing with butts and briskets. Don’t go by time because your cooking to an internal temp and tenderness. Other than being late it sounds like it was a success. Did you get any pictures

 

[kruizer]

You might want to check your temp gauge for accuracy.The other variable is the meat itself. Every piece of meat has it's own personality. Some are quicker to warm up than others

 

[gmc2003]

Hi and welcome to the site. I'll try to help with a couple of your questions.

1. Butt's are very forgiving and can be cooked at a much higher temp w/o loosing any quality. I do mine at 250 to 260*. Some folks go closer to 300*. Leaving it to rest on the counter is a misnomer. Just pull it from the fridge to plop her into the smoker when it's reached your desired temp.

Lastly, every piece of meat is different. Some just naturally take longer. A thicker 4lber will take longer then a thinner one. Also make sure your therms are working properly.

Chris

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Since you didn't say how much your smoker has been used and I read it on other threads by lurking; did you check the internal sensors? Apparently they can get gunked up and it plays havoc on the heating. I wipe mine down once a week when I'm soaking the grates etc. Not sure if it's true or not how much that'll help, but I'd thought I'd mention it as the same advice was handed to me as it were.

 

[rcp44]

First of all welcome to SMF!
Glad you decided to join in!
I would say that if you were going by the factory thermometer, then that was your problem.
They are usually very inaccurate. It sounds like you were cooking at a much lower temp than you thought you were.
Get a good dual probe therm, so you can monitor the meat & pit temp at the same time. Then use that to set your smoker controller.
The good news is it turned out well, you just had to wait a little longer!
Al

Thanks so much for the response. Do you have a specific dual probe that you find works well? I'd love to get one, there are a lot of options out there, and I'm not sure which would be the best option.

Thanks again. I plan to participate more, what a great community!

EDIT: Just wanted you all to know I just purchased a Maverick dual probe thermometer thanks to all for your advice. Going to tune it up with a brisket next weekend!

 

[SmokinAl]

Lots of guys on here with Mavericks, just be careful not to get water in the connection where the probe & wire are joined together. I clean mine with a paper towel or scrubbie soaked in rubbing alcohol.
Good luck with the brisket.
Al

 

[brentos260]

EDIT: Just wanted you all to know I just purchased a Maverick dual probe thermometer thanks to all for your advice. Going to tune it up with a brisket next weekend!

You will love the Maverick! Just a word of caution: You will still want to check the Maverick before using it for a brisket cook. I have the 733 and the sending unit was bad right out of the box, and some can have faulty probes as well. It's best to test in a pot of boiling water IMHO. Some people test in ice water but I don't see the point. As Al said, make sure you dont get water where the cable meets the probe.

It's worth mentioning that the customer service from the Amazon seller fixed the thermometer problem very quickly. Maverick's customer service was not good. If I can find the post I made here with my first smoke w/the Maverick when I discovered the problem I'll share it so you don't have to experience the same feeling.

Edit: Here's the link https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/first-pork-butt-smoke-rocky-start.244136/

 

[schlotz]

With the MES I would suggest using the AMNPS for smoke vs it's chip system and try to maintain 240-250º.