- May 26, 2023
- 4
- 1
Does the final temp actually matter? If so, why?
I smoked a couple of pork butts on a pit boss yesterday. I started at 4 am and I was expecting 18 hours or so. But at midnight they hadn't yet hit 185 and I needed sleep. Most articles seem to say to take it out between 195 and 210, so I turned the smoker down to 200 and went to bed, assuming it would be near 200 when I woke up.
I woke up at 4am and the temp had actually dropped to 177 (the meat, the grill temp was 205).
It turned out absolutely perfect. 24 hours @ 275 to 200 (I turned it back and forth a few times).
Perhaps it did get to 205 before the grill cooled down, but since it ultimately dropped to 177 and had been going up at a very slow but steady rate, I doubt it. I would guess it never got above 195. I had two different thermometers, and they agreed so I suspect the temps I was awake to see were accurate.
So why so all the recipes say to cook it to 205 or 210? Does the final temp really matter, or is time alone the real secret ingredient?
I smoked a couple of pork butts on a pit boss yesterday. I started at 4 am and I was expecting 18 hours or so. But at midnight they hadn't yet hit 185 and I needed sleep. Most articles seem to say to take it out between 195 and 210, so I turned the smoker down to 200 and went to bed, assuming it would be near 200 when I woke up.
I woke up at 4am and the temp had actually dropped to 177 (the meat, the grill temp was 205).
It turned out absolutely perfect. 24 hours @ 275 to 200 (I turned it back and forth a few times).
Perhaps it did get to 205 before the grill cooled down, but since it ultimately dropped to 177 and had been going up at a very slow but steady rate, I doubt it. I would guess it never got above 195. I had two different thermometers, and they agreed so I suspect the temps I was awake to see were accurate.
So why so all the recipes say to cook it to 205 or 210? Does the final temp really matter, or is time alone the real secret ingredient?