Question on Pork Butt stall....178*...dont want to dry it out.

[AnglerMike]

Hi Everybody!

I have been smoking up a bone in Boston Butt that was 6 lbs.

I have it on the YS640 keeping the temps at 225 ish degrees. It seems as though for the past three hours it has simply held or "stalled" at 178* internal temp as read from the Mav 732.

Most of the things I have seen state that the stall is around 150-160 ish for as many hours as it takes.

My question is now that it has been 10 hours on the smoker should I just let it run it's course? Can a stall happen this high in temp?

I was shooting for a 195-200 degree temp for pulled pork.

Thanks!

Mike :)

[Ryan]

It'll be fine, just let it keep going. Sometimes you can push them through the stall a bit faster by foiling.

[barkonbutts]

It'll be fine, just let it keep going. Sometimes you can push them through the stall a bit faster by foiling.

X2.... if ya need it done faster foil...

[AnglerMike]

Thanks Ryan! The last butt I did came out OK but was really dry. It was a 9lb one and smoked it for 14 hours and the internals never did hit the 195 mark.

I just moved the internal temp probe to another part of the butt (a bit thicker area) and internals are at 171 degrees. VERY juicy thus far.

Will keep on waiting!! I think this one will turn out MUCH better than my first!

[AnglerMike]

X2.... if ya need it done faster foil...

I am going to hold off on the foiling. Just going to let it run its course!!!

I have been keeping really meticulous notes so that in the future I can go back and reference exactly what I did in the past.

[BYBBQ]

You said it's a bone-in butt. You have the perfect temp gauge already in the butt, the bone. It is done when you give the bone a slight wiggle and it comes out clean, then the butt is done.

[Richtee]

Don't panic soldier... stay the course. And that last butt... sometimes ya an an onry pig. It happens...

[frog1369]

Thanks Ryan! The last butt I did came out OK but was really dry. It was a 9lb one and smoked it for 14 hours and the internals never did hit the 195 mark.

I don't understand the exact science behind it, but when the stall is going on, moisture is leaving the butt and it will be dry if you pull it too early. Of course, ask how I know. It's when it hits that higher temp that renders some other good stuff in the meat that makes it juicy and wonderful. I read an article about it somewhere, if I see it again I'll post something. Like BYBBQ said, the perfect indicator is the bone twist, also that probe should slide in like there is almost nothing there. I still use my Thermapen for butts but more like a test probe than a thermometer, feel works better for me than temps on butts and ribs.

[AnglerMike]

Hi everyone!

Well the Butt was pulled off the smoker at the 14 hour point. Internal temp at the thickest part I could find was 188 deg. It was late, wife was hungry, I was tired...LOL....

So it got removed from the Yoder.

My wife absolutely LOVED it! I was not as impressed (...I'm really critical of my cooking).

It was a bit dry in some places but in others it was outstanding! When pulled and mixed all together it was pretty damn good!

Next time I will start it earlier or even the night prior so that I have plenty of time to allow for the temps to get up there.

Frog, I think that you might be correct...next butt will tell!!!!

[barkonbutts]

Well good start for sure, Get a bit bigger one next time, around 8-9 pounds. I find that the resting process is critical!! I like to let mine rest 3-4 hours so the moisture can redistribute throughout the meat. I like to start mine around midnight and let it be finished around 12 noon the next day, and you can eat around 4 or 5 and be set with a long rest and it will still be piping hot if you put in a cooler. Pull add back defatted juices and you will be a rock star!!

[Bearcarver]

Hi everyone!

Well the Butt was pulled off the smoker at the 14 hour point. Internal temp at the thickest part I could find was 188 deg. It was late, wife was hungry, I was tired...LOL....

So it got removed from the Yoder.

My wife absolutely LOVED it! I was not as impressed (...I'm really critical of my cooking).

It was a bit dry in some places but in others it was outstanding! When pulled and mixed all together it was pretty damn good!

Next time I will start it earlier or even the night prior so that I have plenty of time to allow for the temps to get up there.

Frog, I think that you might be correct...next butt will tell!!!!

These are some of the reasons I like to put it in a foil pan at 165° IT, add some Apple Juice Mix, and cover it with Double Foil. That way when it's done at about 205°, I got plenty of Au Jus to defat & add back to the Pulled Pork.

However, SWMBO loved it, and that's what really matters, right Mike!!!

Bear

[DDave]

Next time I will start it earlier or even the night prior so that I have plenty of time to allow for the temps to get up there.

Or cook hotter and foil.

I do 5 or 6 pounders all the time. Never had a dry one. But then they don't get pulled until 195ish+ when the Thermapen goes in with very little resistance. One (or two, does not seem to matter) takes around 9 hours on the UDS at 240ish. I say "240ish" because I set the controller for 240° but if it drifts up to 250° or 260° for some reason (wind blowing across the lid vents sometimes causes this) I don't really worry about it. And I say "around 9 hours" because that's what it averages but I don't go by time.

I usually foil at 165ish. The one time I did not foil butts as an experiment they took closer to 12 hours to finish. And there was so much grease in the bottom of the drum you could hear it sound like it was boiling. Took a bit longer than normal to get the meat off of the racks and the grease caught fire. I figured I'd let it burn out -- until I heard a WHOOFF!! sound and there were flames 2 feet above the drum.

At any rate, sounds like you are off to a good start. As you cook more of them over time it will get easier.

Dave

[IrishChef]

225* is an awfully low temp to be cooking a butt at, especially if you are trying to hit a finished temp jusr 30* less.....

[cliffcarter]

225* is an awfully low temp to be cooking a butt at, especially if you are trying to hit a finished temp jusr 30* less.....

Yes it is.... I have been cooking butts and shoulders at 300°, give or take, for 3+ years now. 8 pounders done at a rate of about 50 minutes per pound.
This means no more "overnighters", I cook during daylight hours only and get done on time. I think the quality is better as well, I've yet to have a dry one cooking at the higher temp.