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Sitting in the plateau...

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RGBHV
RGBHV Posts: 1,318
in EggHead Forum
thinking it's a drag, the temp on these shoulders ain't movin, it's really a drag!

Do I just have to be patient or is there a way to goose these shoulders through the plateau?

Michael
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  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
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    I'm assuming you are the 250-300 dome range?  You can always wrap in foil and bump it up to 350-375.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

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  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
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    I thought about increasing the temp but was concerned about the rendering of fat (ie: I suspect best results are done slowly) and the impact on the bark.  I suppose the foil will prevent too much burn.

    Thanks,

    Michael
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  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
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    Some people prefer to do the "turbo" method which is cooking the butt the whole time at 350ish.  Never done it myself.  If you wrap, the bark will soften up some.  Once to push through the stall you could always unwrap and through back on.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,052
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    RGBHV said:

    I thought about increasing the temp but was concerned about the rendering of fat (ie: I suspect best results are done slowly) and the impact on the bark.  I suppose the foil will prevent too much burn.


    Thanks,

    Michael
    What temp are you at? 275 is perfectly fine.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
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    saluki2007 said:
    Some people prefer to do the "turbo" method which is cooking the butt the whole time at 350ish.  Never done it myself.  If you wrap, the bark will soften up some.  Once to push through the stall you could always unwrap and through back on.
    I did one this way on Canada Day (July 1) and it turned out great. To me, there was no difference in the end result vs. l&s
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • HDumptyEsq
    HDumptyEsq Posts: 1,095
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    Patience is its own reward. :)

    Tony in Brentwood, TN.

    Medium BGE, New Braunfels off-set smoker, 3-burner Charbroiler gasser, mainly used for Eggcessory  storage, old electric upright now used for Amaz-N-Smoker.

    "I like cooking with wine - sometimes I put it in the food." - W. C. Fields

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  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
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    I had 9 shoulders on a 3 tier stacker at 250 for 3 hrs when they plateaued at 160 internal. They sat in the plateau for about an hour when I submitted my original post. I goosed the temp to 325 and after the 2nd hour in the plateau they started to chug along nicely. I left the temp at 325 for the remainder of the cook. The overall cook was a little more than 6 hours to reach 200 internal.  I didn't foil. I should have put foil the bottom 4, flipped them or moved them around because they had thick burnt ends which were nice, but I would have preferred a little more pulled pork.

    Thanks for your comments.

    Michael
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  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
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    I have never cooked that many butts, but from what I have read on here, many people will rotate them halfway through the cook.  That should help them all cook more evenly and avoid the burnt ends you referenced.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
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    9 shoulders and you didn't have enough pulled pork? Must have been cooking for a pretty big crowd!
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
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    TexanOfTheNorth said:
    9 shoulders and you didn't have enough pulled pork? Must have been cooking for a pretty big crowd!
    I don't mind some burnt ends, but I'd trade them for more pulled pork.

    Michael
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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
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    RGBHV said:
    I had 9 shoulders on a 3 tier stacker at 250 for 3 hrs when they plateaued at 160 internal. They sat in the plateau for about an hour when I submitted my original post. I goosed the temp to 325 and after the 2nd hour in the plateau they started to chug along nicely. I left the temp at 325 for the remainder of the cook. The overall cook was a little more than 6 hours to reach 200 internal.  I didn't foil. I should have put foil the bottom 4, flipped them or moved them around because they had thick burnt ends which were nice, but I would have preferred a little more pulled pork.

    Thanks for your comments.

    Michael
    Holy heck...9!??  That's impressive.
    It sounds like things worked out, but I would not have experiemented with temps with that much meat on.  You researched it and it all came out fine, though!

    The shoulder I did recently sat at the plateau you mentioned for a couple hours.  Didn't budge more than a degree or so...and then it started creeping back up.  11 hours for 1 6 lbs @ 250 degrees.  Next time I do this I may be cooking several!

    How many people did you feed with the 9 shoulders?
    LBGE/Maryland
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  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
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    I've had shoulders that have plateaued before - I just left them alone and let themselves work through the plateau. This time, I was a little pressed for time so I wondered if I could goose it to speed up the process.  For future reference, I now know I can and what to watch out for.

    I didn't make them up for a specific number of guests, I made them up for a party. I figured that I could freeze and reheat if there were any left over. There weren't so I don;t have to worry about that now.

    Michael
     
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  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
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    No leftovers = home run!  :-bd
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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