New to smokin' with a question

[camperkirk]

Hey,

we got a Smoke Hollow propane smoker for Christmas and have used it twice already. It is awesome and the food has turned out really good. First smoke was Pork Butt and Brisket. Second was Ribs and Turkey breast.

The only real problem I have been having is the time. Hours per pound and doneness of the ribs seems like mine have all taken longer then they should have.

My ribs took a bit over 6 hours and others have stated 5. And the Butt.... should have got to its internal temp in 10ish hours, took me 14!

The temp of the smoker holds temp good and steady, no problems there. Try not to open the door unless it needs chips or water.

Any ideas??

Thanks!

 

[scarbelly]

Hello CamperKirk

First, please do us a favor and swing over to Roll Call and introduce yourself and also please update your profile with your location. 

What kind of ribs are you smoking and what temps are you running?  Most of us smoke at 225-250 for ribs.  For spares the suggested time is 3-3-1 and for babybacks it is 2-2-1. That means smoke unwrapped to the first # then foil for the second # and unwrap and finish the last #

Hopefully this will work as a guideline for your ribs

On pork butts - they need to be cooked to temp not time. Again most of us go to 165 then foil and run to 190- 195 to slice or 205 +- to pull 

 

[rdknb]

Well with the ribs 6 hours is right if you are using the 321 method.  If baby backs then use the 221.  That is 3 hours unfoiled, 2 hours in foil and then 1 hour unfoiled to firm up.  With ribs is about the time you really do not take temps.  Now on the Butt, that is done when it is done.  It depends on how much stall you get and you really can not plan a meal on timing it.  What I do is give my self a big cushion.  If it gets done early I foil and place in a cooler.  It will stay warm and ready for hours in there.  If I have a big stall then I the cushion to give me time. Hopes that helps.

 

[camperkirk]

Thanks for the replies! I will swing over to the roll call. Didnt even realise there was one...

Now, the ribs were baby back and we had 3 slabs in there running at 220-225 temp. Maybe that was a bit low?? Anyhow, I did one the 2-2-1 method and the other two a straight on the rack 6 hours. Rub only. The foiled ones (2-2-1) turned out much better. They were all good, just not falling off the bone.

Now the butt, I smooked at 220 for 14 hours to get to 190ish for pulled pork. Turned out awesome, just took a while. Maybe next time I will try foiling after 165 temp.

Thanks again!

 

[camperkirk]

Oh, and yes, the "butt" stalled for ever it seemed....... glad I knew about that or I would have thought something was wrong.

 

[SmokinAl]

The only thing we cook by time is ribs, the rest is cooked to internal meat temp and depending on the piece of meat it may vary by hours from piece to piece. In other words, if you smoke two butts the same size one may be done in 8 hours & the other may take 16 hours to finish.

 

[harleysmoker]

First are you using a digital probe thermometer inside the smoker or are you relying on the mounted therm on the door? Most factory installed ones are not accurate. Maybe you are cooking lower than you think.

Second I always find that 1.5 hours per lb. for a butt is way off, a 4 pounder took me 13 hours at 225* when I figured on 8 hours. Invest on a couple digital probe thermometers, one for the cooking chamber and one to stick in the meat.

I am new to smoking but this is what I have learned.

 

[sprky]

The only real problem I have been having is the time. Hours per pound and doneness of the ribs seems like mine have all taken longer then they should have. Smoke to temp not time, time is only an estimate. 

My ribs took a bit over 6 hours and others have stated 5. That's about normal I use the 3-2-1

And the Butt.... should have got to its internal temp in 10ish hours, took me 14! This is also normal, all butts are different some will cook in 1.25 hours per others will take over 2 per. I figure 1.5 hours per, and add a couple hours. They are done when the thermometer says they are. I had a 9 ponder take almost 22 hours, had 2 stalls, you just never know. I will say the normal is right around 1.5 to 1.75 per.

 Try not to open the door unless it needs chips or water. This is a good plane.The more you open the door the longer it takes, one reason I like my 2 door. I do open to spritz but don't waste time, and recovery is quick since I went to sand in water pan. 

 

[chef jimmyj]

First are you using a digital probe thermometer inside the smoker or are you relying on the mounted therm on the door? Most factory installed ones are not accurate. Maybe you are cooking lower than you think.

Second I always find that 1.5 hours per lb. for a butt is way off, a 4 pounder took me 13 hours at 225* when I figured on 8 hours. Invest on a couple digital probe thermometers, one for the cooking chamber and one to stick in the meat.

I am new to smoking but this is what I have learned.

Holy Smokes!...13 hours on a 4lb Butt is a long time!...If you get a major stall above 165*F for too long, Foiling and a 325*F oven will finish the job real fast...JJ

 

[mballi3011]

Onw thing I see that might help you is testing your thermo meters. I do it all the time cause here we smoke by temp alot more then by time. Now 13 hours on a 4 lb butt is way overboard and I would think that it was jerky at that length of time. I would recommend that you boil some water and stick the tips of your thermo probes into it not touching the any metal of the pots and see what they read. It should be 212°

 

[harleysmoker]

Holy Smokes!...13 hours on a 4lb Butt is a long time!...If you get a major stall above 165*F for too long, Foiling and a 325*F oven will finish the job real fast...JJ

Yea I agree it was a long time, I just had to sit by the smoker and have a few extra beers and wait it out . Something about beer and sitting beside the smoker