Temp dropping in pork butt

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ryan smith

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 22, 2014
11
10
Orange County, CA
So my new Mav shows my butt temp dropped. Now I did go in to pull the brisket but I'm concerned about the temp drop. It got to 180 an hour a go but now it's reading 174.
 
should be ok. is the smoker temp still steady? if so then wait it out for a few minutes. 
 
It's fluctuating. I have it set for 240 (MES 30). Mav reads 219 it was reading 224 a bit ago.

Feels like a Mav issue.

Started at 8:30 am pacific so we are on hour 9. It's a 6.5 lb butt.
 
As long as whatever fuel your using didn't die, it should be ok. It sounds like it hit a stall. I've had pork butts drop in temp during stalls as well. Either way, the roast is fully cooked at that temp, it's just not broken down enough to pull yet.
 
MES 30's do that, especially in cold weather. That's still a good temp. Hang in there, I've had them go for 14 hours on the MES 30.
 
Sorry, I didn't fully read your post. MES 30s are not known for their temp accuracy. Double check your Mav in boiling water, I bet you'll find the mav is right.
 
You're on the way up, so that is a good sign. It sounds like a monster stall. If you're tired of manning the smoker, you can foil and finish in a 300 degree oven, it will make the bark a little mushy, but you won't lose any discernible taste or tenderness. I made 3 roasts that way 2 weeks ago, and did 2 roasts like that today. They still come out great.
 
Just hit 190...let it stay there for about 15 minutes.

Put it in a pan covered in foil and resting. Not sure I'll be able to wait the whole rest time.
 
i've had some stubborn ones myself. and it is usually the smaller ones that are the most trouble.
 
Just hit 190...let it stay there for about 15 minutes.

Put it in a pan covered in foil and resting. Not sure I'll be able to wait the whole rest time.

If you lose your patience you're not gonna get your best result. You need to get closer to 200 and the rest is as important as the cook.
 
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