Turbo butt questions

MadDAWG

Ok, so I have a 11 1/4 lb butt and a 8 1/2lb butt that I'm starting on in the AM. I normally do low n slow at 225 but thinking because of the 11# butt and not wanting to turn this into a marathon of sorts that I would give the turbo a go...300 dome figuring 1hr/lb...which gives me the 8#'in time for supper and the 11# a little later. my question is, if I pull at 165° and wrap. ..about how far into the cook should I start checking ?

Toxarch

My last one was around 8 lb. 360 degrees, no wrap, I did spritz a few times. Done in under 6 hours. There was very little stall. If you are done early, just wrap and toss in a cooler. No remote thermometer available?

MadDAWG

No remote, so I'll have to trek out with the thermo pen.  Guess what I was asking is more about about how many hours in should I be expecting to hit the 165 IT mark. ..but you stated you never wrapped . ...

gamason

Wrapping is a waste of foil on a turbo cook. Let it ride. FTC if it gets done to soon. Good luck!

Foghorn

I don't wrap my butts.  I like a lot of bark.  However, many do as it seems to give a little less bark and a little moister (although my turbo butts are plenty moist) end product.  Ultimately you should try it both ways and see which you prefer.  Wrapping may also speed up the end of the cook slightly.

If you plan to wrap this one at 165, you'll probably hit that point about 50% of the way through the cook time that you have estimated.

The rate of temperature rise will be highest at the beginning of the cook when the temperature gradient is highest.

Early in the cook you will have a 300 degree cooking temp minus 50 degree meat temp = 250 degree gradient.

At some point later in the cook you will still have a 300 degree cooking temp minus a (for example) 165 degree meat temp = 135 degree gradient.  There will be a "stall" but with a 135 degree gradient it will be short lived - as opposed to say when you are cooking at 225 and the gradient is only 60 degrees or so.

All of this is a longwinded way to say that the first 115 degrees of rise in meat temp will take about the same amount of time as the last 35 or so.  165 will be about the midpoint of the cook +/- 15%.

I hope that helps.

MadDAWG

Thanks Foghorn that helps a lot. ..always a little nervous about new methods

Foghorn

MadDAWG said:

Thanks Foghorn that helps a lot. ..always a little nervous about new methods

Understood.  We all are. 

Happy to help as many here have helped me along the way.

DaveRichardson

Turbo isn't stressful once you've done them.  Most recently, I've gone at 350-ish and its been 45 min per pound to 202.  And I don't wrap.....  nearly had a fumble on one cook, so I decided not to futz with "playing with the meat" anymore.  Just let it ride.  But I also keep an eye out with the igrill devices just to be sure.....  You can find the mini's pretty cheap; like 30 bucks at a Lowes right now.....  They are in the brocess of rebranding them to the Weber iGrill, so the older iDevices ones have gotta go!