Pork butt help

spatat

Yesterday I cooked my first butt. I tried a 1/2 butt around 4 lbs. figured 2 hrs lb so 8 hours would be good. Started at 8:00 AM. At 1:15 meat was 150 F. Dome was 250F. At 3 meat was 166F dome 290F. At 5pm meat 167F dome 245F. At 6:30PM I pushed temp up on dome to 325F with meat at 180F. I finally gave up at 8:30 PM. Meat was 194F. Let rest 30 minutes and tried. Taste was good. Meat was moist and bone pulled clean. So why did it take so long? All I have read says 2 hours a pound. I calibrated my thermometer when I first got the Egg. I have a LGE with plate setter and WOO. I have had about 6 weeks. Used BGE lump. Thanks for your help. Steve

travisstrick

I dont cook that many pork butts but when I do, they take forever. Your 12.5 hrs seems a little long but nothing out of the ordinary.

rlnewman

Not sure what help I can offer, but some thoughts: cook looked normal through 3pm when it was through the long process of breaking down the fat.  At that point I like to wrap in foil with some apple juice to take it the rest of the way.  Usually I look for another couple of hours to get to 195.  I know you can't really nail the times down to any science, but it is really unusual to see 2 hours and 1 degree increase when above the 165 mark.  My guess is you could do that cook 20 more times and not see that kink of time again. Congratulations though on your first Butt and getting it tender, moist and flavorful.  Look up a recipe by Adam Perry Lang and try that next time.  Flavor profile out of this world.

KiterTodd

The important thing is, the end result was fine!  
I don't start briskets and pork the same day I want to serve them for this reason, though.  There is some variability that is hard to calculate so I get them going the night before.

You did fine!  Some just run longer.
The butt could have been a lot colder than normal or even recently thawed after you had bought it.
Could also be just the way dome temps dance around.   I now always use a temp probe on the grate when I am cooking and I will find the dome temp varies greatly over a long cook.  For example... the grate temp is steady and I'll see the dome fluctuating 20 degrees in either direction, without opening the top.  I'm not sure if that is normal or a fluctuation after very minor temp adjustments by me.
However...if your dome was 250-290, and I cook with a grate temp of 225-250, you should not have been that far off.
Guess your butt just had gremlins!
I never wrap it.  I don't open the grill until the temp is where I want it and it has come out beautiful every time. BUT, I'm sure if I wrapped it, it would still come out beautiful!!! 

I suppose if I needed to serve it the same day, then I'd wrap it.  Get the smoke on early, and then wrap it and up the temp.  But when I have the time, I'd rather let it ride it out in the egg, untouched, dripping with goodness and building up a nice bark.

Smokinpig

I just did a quick search and found someone with a similar experience. I think once you get into the larger butts (8-10 pounds) the cooking time of 2 hours per pound at 250 dome is fairly accurate. The smaller butts like you had seem to have more variables.

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1170687/maiden-voyage-on-the-bge-a-pork-butt-story-seeking-feedback

fishlessman

the 2 hour rule seems to only work with 7 pound butts or bigger
) next time get a bigger butt

Smokinpig

Yes, buy Kardashian.

spatat

I thank all for your help!! I was concerned i missed on the dome temp. I do like the outcome. The forum is very helpful and i like most here are greatful. Take care. Steve