Newbie! Pulled pork question

[Ken Hein]

Following the Rec Tec recipe for the second time (first one turned out beautiful) and I expect the second will too as it looks great so far. My question is about the drop in meat temps when I remove the cover (both times I've done this). This time I waited until the internal temp was at 205* and removed the cover to crisp up the crust. After an hour the internal temp has dropped to 188*. Smoker temp is set on 225 but I don't have the fancy PID like the Rec Tec so grill temps fluctuate 210-240. Should I use the next higher temp setting of 250*? Is the meat temp drop normal and I just need to be patient and wait for the meat temp to come back up to 205*?

 

[zachd]

I guess I have never experienced that as I dont take off the foil to crisp the crust.

But I would say if your bone slips out easy after you think you have crisped it enough dont worry what the IT is it will be ready to pull.

Try smoking without wrapping when it hits 165 it may take a little longer to cook but who is in a hurry these days

 

[oddegan]

I don't have a pellet smoker but that shouldn't matter so much when it comes to time and temp. I don't smoke butts or brisket at 225 anymore. Lots of us on SMF have become converts to SmokinAl's hot and fast method. I run 275 the whole time. No stall, perfect bark, and definite time savings. Check out his hot and fast thread. Worth the read.

 

[zwiller]

Recipe sounds like more work than necessary. (just beat me to it) Al's 275F no wrap to 205F IT. It is really that simple. Once you do a few smokes like this you will lose the fear that it will be ruined and turn to jerky.

 

[Ken Hein]

Thanks for the quick replies! I guess I figured smoking meat would be a little more work otherwise everyone would do it... My wife got me a Pit Boss Classic (Wal Mart version of the 700 but has a temp probe and 2 ports) for my birthday and I've been hooked ever since. I turned it up to 250* and the next setting up is 300*. The IT is now at 201* so I'm about ready to pull it out to rest. This is a boneless cut so I'm using the probe to see how tender it is. I will definitely look at the hot and fast method for my next one. Thank again!!

 

[oddegan]

Just a little more advice for you. Internal temp is a great primary indicator of doneness but I always check pull back from the bone and more importantly I toothpick test the meat. I look for basically no resistance. Hot knife through butter. Then I KNOW it's done for pulling.

 

[gmc2003]

When you take meat off the smoker and away from the heat source the internal temp will naturally drop some. How much is dependent on the outside temps and how long it's away from the heat source. With meats that I plan on foiling I like to use disposable pans. They're much easier and quicker to use. Plus you don't loose any of the juice.

Chris

 

[Ken Hein]

When you take meat off the smoker and away from the heat source the internal temp will naturally drop some. How much is dependent on the outside temps and how long it's away from the heat source. With meats that I plan on foiling I like to use disposable pans. They're much easier and quicker to use. Plus you don't loose any of the juice.

Chris

In my case all I did was remove the cover from the pan to "finish" just as the Rec Tec recipe calls for. I think the 225* temp setting was too low. When I raised it to 250* the meat temps recovered quickly. Lesson learned! This one turned out better than the last and flavors are mouth watering. Mom gave me an enameled roasting pan and I don't mind cleaning it but I have used the disposable pans and you're right about ease of use.

 

[petehalsted]

I think what you are describing is evaporative cooling. That butt was sitting in a sauna, sweating in pork juices and whatever other goodness you put in the pan. When you pull the foil, the surface liquid evaporates and cools the meat some. The same effect as you would feel if you were in a sauna and then stepped out.

Unwrapped this is what causes the "stall", around 160 the big cuts (brisket, butts) start sweating. So what you had was a "mini" stall when you pulled the foil off. I am thinking this might have been a smaller butt so it was a bit more pronounced. As things really start break down in the butt, sometimes I will start getting "weird" readings and need to reposition the probe. The probe might not have been in the densest part of the butt any longer which would also mkae those temperate fluctuations more pronounced.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

I have never wrapped a but, but I have watched it when it hit the stall area, and I've seen temperatures drop being recovering. Same with the brisket I did..188f..then it went down to 178f..then it recovered, so on and so forth. I just wait till it hits 205f and give the bone a jiggle. If it seems ready to pull out..she's done.