Question on smoking temps.

[jokensmoken]

Hey folks,
Wasn't sure where to ask this question so I'll start here.
First, I'm not new to smoking so I'm not looking for a "how to" tutorial, I've smoked hundreds of pounds of meat a year for a decade now, but Ive always been a "low and slow" guy aiming to keep my cook chamber temps between 230°-250°F on muscle meats and ribs.
My question is simple (the answer maybe not...Lol)
How much time might I reasonably expect cut off my cook time on butt roasts by bumping my temps to say 270°-290°?
As I said I've some experience. I know every piece of meat is different and two identical weights of meat smoked side by side could finish several hours apart. I also know finish time can be reduced by foil wrapping.
I'm just curious if anyone has any experience in the time vs temp differences.

Walt.

 

[akdutchguy]

Joken,
I have never really timed it, but on pork shoulders the higher temp will help push through the stall a lot faster. On ribs and thinner cuts you can sure save some time cooking a bit higher. I aim for 250 on my ribs and 275 for pork shoulders. I like my chickens done closer to 325 for the skin. I have a brisket on now holding 302. Should be yummy. Keep us posted if you do some experiments.
Jason

 

[jokensmoken]

Thanks jason... I'm kinda looking for someone who has done the temp experiments.
I'm smoking 8 butts for a fund raiser memorial weekend and timing is a factor for me...I'm setting my equipment up on site and am trying to avoid a 12-15 hour cook time if possible. I know 275° is not to hot for a good butt but all my experience is more along the 230°f not 270° and was curious how much time I might reasonably expect to save.
So since yo do normally smoke them at 275, what's your experience time wise...At 230° Im rarely less that 10-12 hours unwrapped.

Walt

 

[gr0uch0]

Thanks jason... I'm kinda looking for someone who has done the temp experiments.
I'm smoking 8 butts for a fund raiser memorial weekend and timing is a factor for me...I'm setting my equipment up on site and am trying to avoid a 12-15 hour cook time if possible. I know 275° is not to hot for a good butt but all my experience is more along the 230°f not 270° and was curious how much time I might reasonably expect to save.
So since yo do normally smoke them at 275, what's your experience time wise...At 230° Im rarely less that 10-12 hours unwrapped.

Walt

Walt, in its most simple form, you're talking about moving about 17% by increasing your temp by 40 degrees (230 to 270, or 250 to 290).  If you applied the same 17% as a reduction for cook time, a 10 hour cook becomes 8.3 hours, and a 12 hour cook becomes 9.96 hours.  Again, I'm using a very simple math calculation to the scenario, and you know as well as I do that dead swine and bovines could care less about my math:  they're going to be done when they say they're done.  But this might point you in the right direction:  let me know if you need anything else.  My $0.02:  you got what you paid for.    

 

[jokensmoken]

Makes about as much sense as anything else I've read...
Thanks for pointing out the most simplistic way of looking at it.
So simple math says YES I can turn this into a 10-12 hour cook instead of a 12-15 hour cook.
That was EXACTLY​ the kind of answer I needed...Just the right way to look at it.
Thanks
Walt.

 

[gr0uch0]

Makes about as much sense as anything else I've read...
Thanks for pointing out the most simplistic way of looking at it.
So simple math says YES I can turn this into a 10-12 hour cook instead of a 12-15 hour cook.
That was EXACTLY​ the kind of answer I needed...Just the right way to look at it.
Thanks
Walt.

My pleasure, sir--good luck.  Once you're done with the cook, repost on this thread to see if my "fun with numbers" had any validity.  Or not.

 

[jokensmoken]

Will do...I've got plenty of notes to compare too as I've been logging start and finish times and temps for years...
It'll be interesting to see how close straight mathemtical percentages are.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
Walt, in its most simple form, you're talking about moving about 17% by increasing your temp by 40 degrees (230 to 270, or 250 to 290).  If you applied the same 17% as a reduction for cook time, a 10 hour cook becomes 8.3 hours, and a 12 hour cook becomes 9.96 hours.  Again, I'm using a very simple math calculation to the scenario, and you know as well as I do that dead swine and bovines could care less about my math:  they're going to be done when they say they're done.  But this might point you in the right direction:  let me know if you need anything else.  My $0.02:  you got what you paid for.    

I would say Groucho is as close as you're gonna get, unless somebody did all those different Temps & kept notes.

I got a lot of notes, but my Temps are all in the 230° to 240° range on Butts.

Bear

 

[jokensmoken]

Hey guys, thanks for the input.
After an exhaustive web search I found a blog on the ThermoWorks site that answers my question...I'll condense and share...
A side by side smoke was done on nearly identical roasts of 8.5 lbs. prepared identically and smoked on identical smokers.
One was smoked at 225°f and one at 300°f with temps maintained as close as was reasonably possible.
At 225° it took slightly over 15 hrs to reach 195° internal temp.
At 300°, 195° was achieved in 9.5 hours...While both were said to be excellent in flavor, in the side by side taste test the texture and moisture of the one smoked at 225° was preferred.

 

[jokensmoken]

Right bear, all my previous butts (hundreds of pounds) have been in the same temp range as you do yours...
I know pretty good results are had at higher temps, I've just never done it and since time is an issue (for purely selfish reasons) I was inquiring.
Walt.

 

[gr0uch0]

Hey guys, thanks for the input.
After an exhaustive web search I found a blog on the ThermoWorks site that answers my question...I'll condense and share...
A side by side smoke was done on nearly identical roasts of 8.5 lbs. prepared identically and smoked on identical smokers.
One was smoked at 225°f and one at 300°f with temps maintained as close as was reasonably possible.
At 225° it took slightly over 15 hrs to reach 195° internal temp.
At 300°, 195° was achieved in 9.5 hours...While both were said to be excellent in flavor, in the side by side taste test the texture and moisture of the one smoked at 225° was preferred.

So in this one, 225 + 33% gets you to 300.  Taking 15 hours and backing off 33% puts you at 10 hours:  a half hour more than your Thermoworks example.  In the same general ballpark timewise, but it's still a half-hour difference.  See??  Dead cows and pigs don't give a hoot about my math:  told you!!  

 

[Bearcarver]

Right bear, all my previous butts (hundreds of pounds) have been in the same temp range as you do yours...
I know pretty good results are had at higher temps, I've just never done it and since time is an issue (for purely selfish reasons) I was inquiring.
Walt.

If my memory serves me a member here "CliffCarter" prefers the high Temps for most things, and swears by them.

He is why I figure it can't be too bad, as I trust his opinion.

Bear

 

[jokensmoken]

Lol...Right...I think the safe thing to do is bite the bullet, schedule the time and just go for what I know and plan a 15 hour cook.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
So in this one, 225 + 33% gets you to 300.  Taking 15 hours and backing off 33% puts you at 10 hours:  a half hour more than your Thermoworks example.  In the same general ballpark timewise, but it's still a half-hour difference.  See??  Dead cows and pigs don't give a hoot about my math:  told you!!  

A half hour difference in this case is almost Scary close!!! 

Bear

 

[gr0uch0]

 
A half hour difference in this case is almost Scary close!!! 

Bear

Thanks, Bear.  But what's really scary is that I'm doing all this 'ciphering:  you'd have to get the electrodes out and shock my math teachers back from their collective heart failures!!

 

[jokensmoken]

Absolutely...I'd say almost "dead nuts" considering how many other factors play into it.

 

[jokensmoken]

Thanks bunches for the tip bear, I'll see if I can search cliff out and pick his brain.

Walt.

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks bunches for the tip bear, I'll see if I can search cliff out and pick his brain.

Walt.

Here ya go, Walt:

Check out a couple of his Butts---Done with 300° or higher Smoker Temps:

Cliff's Threads Started:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/ne...date&order=descending&type=35&createdbyuserid[]=36074

I'm never in a hurry (Retired), and the longer mine take the more light smoke I can put on them, but when it comes to "Hot & Fast", Cliff is your Man.

Bear

 

[hardcookin]

Smoking butts on my Lang yesterday. Shooting for 300, Once it gets settled in it, it runs 295 -304.
Two butts 8lb was done in 6 hours wrapped @ 170 pulled 205
Two butts 9lb was done in 7hrs

Doing higher quantity of butts mostly 8.5 lb I don't wrap until I pull at 205 - 7hrs is about the average @ 300.

Every smoker is different...Don't know if that helps you or not.

 

[jokensmoken]

YES this absolutely helps...Exactly the information I was looking for.
I'm cooking 8 butts for a benefit on site and the property owner is suddenly balking at my needing to be there all night Wednesday, or at least by 3:00 am...So I need to shorten my cook times...10 hour smoke time is doable 12-14, not so much.
Thanks
Walt