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Boston Butt Problems

ted2reb
ted2reb Posts: 1
edited August 2011 in EggHead Forum
I put two Butts on last night at 9:00 PM (One 8.5 lbs and one 7.5 lbs).  They were rocking along with a grill temp around 250 and an internal temp of 147 degrees in the smaller one on my Maverick at 3:30 AM.  Between 3:30 AM and 6:30 AM, the fire went out and my Maverick failed to alert me.  When I checked them at 6:30 AM, the grill temp was 187 and the small butt was 140 internal.  I put them in the oven, restarted the fire and put them back on the egg.  Once finished, is this pork definitely safe to eat?  I have never had this problem, but I know that bacteria can grow if the pork stays too long in the wrong temperature range.  Thanks! 

Comments

  • I have had this happen two different times. We are all still alive after eating the butts. Finish the cook and enjoy. I just pulled off three buts I put on last night at 7:00. You might want to switch your wood to a hotter long burning wood for long cooks I did and it worked. Try Wicked Good Charcoal.com works great for me.
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,431
    Same thing happened to me.  If you were to eat the pork at the 140, that could be a problem, but since you're cooking back up to 195-200, you'll be fine.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • What is a long burning lump charcoal? I like to smoke my pork butts for about 18 hours between 200 - 225 degrees. Unfortunately, I have to add charcoal at least once and sometimes twice in a mere 12 hours. Suggestions? Advice?

  • John, If you fill your cooker almost up to the top of the fire ring (not fire box) you should be able to go 30 hours at 225.  I don't know of any brand that would burn out in 12 hours if you had a full load to start with.
    The Naked Whiz
  • Ted, since your butt was still at 140, you are probably good to go.  You would need to be concerned if the meat had dropped below 140 for a substantial length of time.  Heating the meat up to 195 after letting it sit in the "danger zone" is not necessarily going to make it safe to eat.  195 will kill the bacteria, but certain bacteria produce toxins that are not destroyed by heat.  I would err on the side of safety in the meat's been in the danger zone for very long.  That said, I've never heard of anyone posting to the forum about any gastro-intestinal disasters.
    The Naked Whiz
  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
    Should be no problem.  Your temp was still at 190 or so.  Some folks cook their butts at 200 (not sure why).  Keep cooking until you hit your 195-200 or whatever number you are looking for.  All is not lost. 
  • @ the Naked Whiz - Wow, I don't think I have ever had coals last that long since right after I first purchased my egg back in 2002. If my charcoal should last 30 hours at 225, I may need a refresher on how to load the charcoal. What is the best placement or proper way to load the smoker? I guess I usually just pour it into the smoker from the bag. I am open to any suggestions.
  • BENTE
    BENTE Posts: 8,337
    i have gone several hours on one load of lump i have just opened the bag and poured it in.. and 30 hours is doable i wish i still had a picture on my computer. i have one on photobucket of what a full load looks like but i have not taken the time to learn how to post a photobucket picture yet. and i am not smart enough to figure it out by what i have read so far...


    happy eggin
    tb

    Anderson S.C.

    happy eggin

    TB

    Anderson S.C.

    "Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."

    Tyrus Raymond Cobb

  • Spoon
    Spoon Posts: 328
    edited August 2011
    @Bente It's funny, I am not smart enough to post pics on the other site. You can do it a couple of ways over here, but if you want to post from photobucket start with < then add img src= then add the "direct link" address from photobucket and end with > (the only space in the line is between img and src). That should post your pic. It will auto resize to fit the forum.

    If the photo is on your hard drive you can move it to your desktop and upload it by hitting the "attach file" or using the photo symbol on the post tool bar. I would love for you to add photos,I know you have some great cooks from the other board. I hpe this helps.
    "Pork so tender you can pull it with a spoon." ~Spoon
  • I did an 17 hour brisket cook over the weekend and prior to throwing the brisket on I did a pizza cook at 550.  After the pizza was finished I closed up the egg and let it cool down.   I put 4-5 large lumps of wicked good in and allowed them to light and reached a dome temp of about 250, took just over an hour.  

    I went through a few other steps before putting my meat on but those 4 large chunks of wicked good were burnt through about 60-80% but temps were still holding 17+ hours later and probably could have gone another 4-6 hours if needed i would guess.