Hot knife into butter

[51Phantom]

Hi guys. This is a bit of a stupid question. The term ”the meat is ready when the probe goes in like a hot knife in butter” I always thought that the probe goes into the meat with little to no resistance. Is this correct? When I do this I find the meat tends to be a bit dry. Am I wrong in my thinking?
I did a chuck roast last night that I took off the grill when I thought it was probe tender 205 degrees. It was good but a bit dry. Did I just leave it on a bit too long at 205 or am I wrong in my thinking of the Hot Knife into Butter term?

 

[TNJAKE]

Hi guys. This is a bit of a stupid question. The term ”the meat is ready when the probe goes in like a hot knife in butter” I always thought that the probe goes into the meat with little to no resistance. Is this correct? When I do this I find the meat tends to be a bit dry. Am I wrong in my thinking?
I did a chuck roast last night that I took off the grill when I thought it was probe tender 205 degrees. It was good but a bit dry. Did I just leave it on a bit too long at 205 or am I wrong in my thinking of the Hot Knife into Butter term?

Chucks drying out is a common issue. I smoke mine until I get the color I want then finish them by braising in a pan covered with foil. You'll get better results that way

 

[51Phantom]

Thanks for the response and the tip. I will try that next time.

 

[pineywoods]

The other thing you can do is wrap it in foil at about 160 and finish it that way. Make sure the foil is sealed tight.

 

[thirdeye]

The term 'like a hot knife through butter" is just an analogy so you can comprehend that the feel when probing will be very tender. In reality if a brisket was that tender you would have a hard time getting it off the pit without it falling apart, and it would be hard to slice.

There are better things to compare the tenderness of a brisket to. The feel of a properly baked or boiled potato is one thing most of us can relate to. A couple of better examples to determine 'probe tenderness' are room temperature peanut butter or a bowl of Jell-O. Take note of the resistance when going in, and pulling back out.

 

[51Phantom]

The other thing you can do is wrap it in foil at about 160 and finish it that way. Make sure the foil is sealed tight.

I wrapped it in butcher paper not foil At 160.

 

[51Phantom]

The term 'like a hot knife through butter" is just an analogy so you can comprehend that the feel when probing will be very tender. In reality if a brisket was that tender you would have a hard time getting it off the pit without it falling apart, and it would be hard to slice.

There are better things to compare the tenderness of a brisket to. The feel of a properly baked or boiled potato is one thing most of us can relate to. A couple of better examples to determine 'probe tenderness' are room temperature peanut butter or a bowl of Jell-O. Take note of the resistance when going in, and pulling back out.

Thanks. I like those examples.

 

[JckDanls 07]

At what temp did you start checking for probe tender ??

 

[mneeley490]

I'd probably start about 195°.

 

[pineywoods]

I wrapped it in butcher paper not foil At 160.

I know a bunch of people here use paper but I like foil better most of the time personally

 

[51Phantom]

At what temp did you start checking for probe tender ??

Not sure. The camp chef probes i had in the meat seem to be off. I will need to check that. My instant read i think went in at 200. Maybe i just didnt check soon enough. Live and learn.
thanks for the responses guys.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Yes.. sounds like you need to calibrate a thermometer and stick with a trusted one... start probing/checking around 190`/195` ...