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My Butts done too soon.....advice please

Rhodesdw
Rhodesdw Posts: 2
edited February 2012 in EggHead Forum
Hi All,

Been a while since i cooked pork butt on my BGE and wouldn't you know my timing was off....way off. On at 11:30PM last night, the twins were at 195 by 11:15AM EST.

I have them wrapped in foils and stuffed into a cooler with towels taking up the space in to cooler.  Can i wait until 4:30PM to pull? (5 hours!).  

Or should i pull now, refrigerate and re heat?

Any tips appreciated!


Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    air is the best insulator.  if you didn't have a cooler, wrapping in newspapper and towels would trap air and keep it warm longer than unwrapped.  but don't use newspaper or towels or towels in a cooler because you'll just wick heat from the butt as the butt warms the towels.  i guess you could even say the newspaper bridges the airspace from the butt to the cooler walls. newspaper isn't really a conductor, but it's still not as good an insulator as the cooler itself. i find using towels just makes for extra  laundry.

    better to wrap in plastic and lace in a small cooler.  but i wouldn't undo anything you have already done, just remember it for the next time

    you should still be ok around 4:30. pull it then.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Good tips, thanks!
  • hsh750
    hsh750 Posts: 30
    I have the same issue. Took all the advice about not cutting myself short and give it plenty of time with my first butt cook. So I put mine on at about 7:30 last night. One 9lber, and meat was at 200 at 9:30 this morning. Wrapped in foil and in cooler. Would like to pull at about 3:30 this afternoon.
  • hsh750
    hsh750 Posts: 30

    I have mine double wrapped in HDAF and in a styrafoam cooler that is used to ship spiral hams in. No towels.

    Will that work?

  • pab
    pab Posts: 273
    Stike - the wife will be happy to hear I don't need to use towels in the cooler any more. Plastic wrap better than heavy duty foil or is it six of one and half dozen of the other when holding the meat for a few hours? Have learned much from this site over the month I have been lurking.
    Nerk Ahia LBGE
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i don't think it matters foil vs. plastic.  just want to keep the steam in.  when you open the cooler, it'll be steamy.  some of that is from the meat, so i would just try to wrap well, plastic or foil.

    i think if you had a big cooler, wrapping in towels might help a little, but still don't think it's very much. my cooler is the size of a six-pack of beer.  perfect size.


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • pab
    pab Posts: 273
    Didn't even think of using a couple of six-pack coolers. Smaller size would hold heat better. Had been using a larger one because I always cooked two butts. Thanks stike.
    Nerk Ahia LBGE
  • Ragtop99
    Ragtop99 Posts: 1,570
    You can fill the cooler with warm water for 5 minutes prior to putting the butt in.  Pre heating the cooler conserves a small amount of heat.  For a long hold I'd try it; for just an hour or so I wouldn't bother.
    Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
  • I have the same issue. Took all the advice about not cutting myself short and give it plenty of time with my first butt cook. So I put mine on at about 7:30 last night. One 9lber, and meat was at 200 at 9:30 this morning. Wrapped in foil and in cooler. Would like to pull at about 3:30 this afternoon.
    Would you be so kind as to give me the details on your cook. I am having the opposite problem , and am looking to correct it.
  • hsh750
    hsh750 Posts: 30
    I applied rub on Friday evening and let sit covered in fridge until about 1 1/2 hours before ready to put on the grill so it was about at room temp. I filled fire box with fresh lump then added my un burnt lump to the top. Light in the center and waited about 15 min. Got the dome temp to 250. Plate setter with legs up and drip pan on the plate setter. Clean grill on plate setter legs. Just enough water in the drip pan to cover the bottom of the pan. Closed dome and waited for temp to level at 250. Then put the 9 lb butt on with the fat side down and closed the dome. Time was about 7:45. Checked the dome temp about every hour to 1.5 hours. During the night the wind picked up some and the temp went to about 300. I do not know how long it was there but not more than 1 hour. I got the temp back to 250 by closing the bottom vent a little more. About 1 to 1.5 hours later I checked again and the wind had died. And the temp was at about 180 dome. So I opened the vent some more. Got the temp back to 275. Checked the meat internal and it was at 170. This was about 5 am. Dome temp held steady at about 250 to 275 from then on. At about 10:30am I checked the meat temp and it was at 200. So i pulled the butt and double wrapped in HDAF and put in a small cooler and closed it. Opened it at 4:00 am and pulled the meat. STEAMING BUT NOT TO HOT TO HANDLE. TEEEENNNNDDDDERRR AS A BABY'S BUTTT. Devine flavor. This was my first slow cook on the egg and my first butt ever. Oh and i added just a little water to my drip pan periodicaly just to keep the drippings from burning. The drip pan is a ease to clean.
  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273
    Nice job. Sounds like you nailed it.
    Cookin in Texas
  • hsh750
    hsh750 Posts: 30
    Yep, I have to say it was good as was the cobbler for desert. I admitt that I was worried about it. The variations in my dome temp during the night concerned me. I had always heard in years past from people that knew what they were doing, that butts were hard to get right. The only thing I am going to do different next time if time allows is to get up early in the morning and start it. Keep the temp at about 300 steady. That way I am not up every hour or so worried about the temp. However I think the wind and location of the egg made the temp vary so abruptly. All in all the egg is a GOOD COOKER.
  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273
    I got a maverick. Helped out on the overnite cooks. Saved getting up during the nite.
    Cookin in Texas
  • hsh750
    hsh750 Posts: 30
    Will look into the Mav. I have used the old smokers for years and never worried about the temp and gone to bed at night and woke up once during the night to just fill the water pan. This was my first low and slow on the egg. I have been reading up on this forum about the different cooks and temp gadgets. The store where my wife works sells the BGEs and she has been trying to sell me for some time now on the egg. I am a believer now. Had one for about 6 months now and for the last month we have been cooking on it every week. Been on this forum now for two weeks and she tells me now I am eggdicted! She has a temp probe at the store but not sure which one it is. We will check on that one. I like the stoker in that if I am not mistaken can be monitored on the computer or an Iphone. That would be sweet.
  • You can fill the cooler with warm water for 5 minutes prior to putting the butt in.  Pre heating the cooler conserves a small amount of heat.  For a long hold I'd try it; for just an hour or so I wouldn't bother.
    I run a small space heater into mine for a few minutes.  Don't blame me if you melt your cooler if you try this.
    Large BGE and Medium BGE
    36" Blackstone - Greensboro!