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Probing lets the juice out, no?

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itsmce
itsmce Posts: 410
in EggHead Forum

I recently did a turbo pork butt and was disappointed with the results.  It was dry. I have, in the past, been very successful with the turbo method.  This time I think I had several things working against me:

  • The 8.5# butt was from a half hog we got from a friend.  All of the meat has been very lean.
  • When I inserted the Maverick probe, it registered 32.  So, it wasn't quite thawed.
  • I overshot the temp a bit.  Didn't actually pull it off the egg until it was about 207. When it registered 198, I pulled the probe to check another spot and it was held in pretty snuggly, so I let it go further.
  • At 207, as I probed in a few places to check for that perfect feel, I watched, in horror, as juice trickled out.

So...my real question: Isn't probing just creating highways for the wonderful juice to escape?

Large (sometimes wish it were an XL) in KS
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
    edited September 2015
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    No I don't believe your probe caused this. Likely pulled it too late. I have a co-worker that has a smaller family farm. The pigs, hogs, cattle etc tend to be lean but, delicious :smiley:  Leaner cut=quicker pull when compared to a fattier cut. I'm in the L&S camp anyway but, even if I weren't I'd go L&S on leaner cut like this. But, beyond that without pics etc it would be my guess temp was overshot way before the 207℉ mark and it went from buttuh to tough real quick. IT is a great indicator but, feel should be an even bigger part. Trust your senses. Cheers
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
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    no

    enjoy a nice juicy hamburger now and then?  that meat has been treated much worse than poking once with a probe.


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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    It lets some juice out but the sensation of juiciness comes from all the connective tissue being broken down and the resulting gelatin and fat combined with soft meat.

    If it seemed dry, usually it's undercooked.  It takes a lot to overcook a butt.  It being lean could exacerbate the problem.

    Add some finishing sauce. 

    No, stabbing it isn't the reason, to answer your question.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • NPHuskerFL
    NPHuskerFL Posts: 17,629
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    @nolaegghead I've only ruined one Boston Butt and it was overdone. I can agree underdone would have have been dry and tough also. But, at 207℉ IT I can't imagine that being the case here. I've had lean one's probe buttuh/bone wiggle free at 185-190 IT before. 
    LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
    Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
    Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
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    @NPHuskerFL - I agree with you.  I said "usually".  It takes a lot to over cook a butt.  But that could be the problem, and if it were lean and pulled at that temp, what little moisture in it would be a cloud of steam floating above the pork....
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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