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Pork Butts-Fire Went Out

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TexasTigerFan
TexasTigerFan Posts: 85
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Good Morning,

I have a question that may have a sad answer. I put on about 23 lbs of Pork Butt last night around 6pm. Everything was going fine when I went to bed at around 11.45pm. Pit temp was a little high at 280 degrees and I had my BBQ Guru set at 250 degrees but I figured it was the wood causing it to burn a little hot. I woke up at 5am and went out and the Guru alarm was beeping and the pit temp had slipped to 160-170 degrees. I do not know how long it was that low. Could have been a few hours. Should I chunk the meat or is it OK?

Thanks for your help.
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Comments

  • Michael B
    Michael B Posts: 986
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    Sounds like you might be okay.
    I’m guessing you started off at 250*?
    That gave you 6+ hours at 250*+.

    What was the butt temp at 11:45?
    What is the butt temp now?

    Now the big questions:
    Did you inject them?
    If they were not injected, then the inside was probably not contaminated, and surface temp has a much larger bearing on safety.
    If they were injected, then internal temp is going to play a larger part in your decision.

    Are they separated or touching?
    If they have enough space between them to have a fair amount of air (heat) circulation, then again, you’re probably fine.
    If they are touching, then I would say you need to make the call based entirely on internal temp.

    SO!
    The rule is, 4 hours from 40 to 140.
    If you can claim that on the way up, you should be fine. The cook can stall out at 160*, but you aren’t going to start growing any buggers there like you would if your temp had dropped to, say, 90*.


    Question:
    What happened? Why the temp drop?
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  • TexasTigerFan
    TexasTigerFan Posts: 85
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    Michael B...thanks for the response.

    I do not know what the butt temp was when I went to bed. It is about 45 minutes since I found the temp so low and the pit temp returned quickly to 250*. The butt temp right now for 2 of the butts is 158* and the other is 151*. So, they may have risen a little since I woke up. I did not inject them and they are not touching.

    I am not exactly sure why the temp dropped. Pit temp seems to be just fine now.
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  • run4jc
    run4jc Posts: 107
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    Kinda scares me - I just ordered a DigiQ in hopes that it would stop this very thing. I realize nothing is perfect - stuff happens - but I'd be curious to know if you figure out why the temp dropped so much. Have you been happy with the DigiQ? I had a 10% off coupon on eBay and I could not resist.
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  • Michael B
    Michael B Posts: 986
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    .
    Sounds to me like your golden!

    I know a few people (alright, 2) who drop the pit temp as they come up on the plateau, to give the connective tissues longer to break down.
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  • TexasTigerFan
    TexasTigerFan Posts: 85
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    Michael B...thanks for the response.

    I do not know what the butt temp was when I went to bed. It is about 45 minutes since I found the temp so low and the pit temp returned quickly to 250*. The butt temp right now for 2 of the butts is 158* and the other is 151*. So, they may have risen a little since I woke up. I did not inject them and they are not touching.

    I am not exactly sure why the temp dropped. Pit temp seems to be just fine now.
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  • TexasTigerFan
    TexasTigerFan Posts: 85
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    Thanks Michael. I was thinking it probably took it quite a while for the temp to drop that low as well. So, it was probably not that low for too terribly long.

    Thanks again.
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  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
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    Wow, over $300 to control the fire, and it goes out?
    I haven't tried an overnighter, but temps on my long cooks have been so stable I sometimes think the thermometer is broken and stuck at 250, without a guru.
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  • UnConundrum
    UnConundrum Posts: 536
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    Fred and the Guru guys make excellent products, and back them very well. While their products help maintain the fire, a lot depends on you too. You have to load your egg properly and even then it's possible that the ash acts as an insulator and stops the charcoal from burning in the correct direction. I like to start my fires at about 12:00 (at the hinge). This allows the fire to burn towards the oxygen, which is it's natural tendency. If you start the fire at 6:00, you're asking the fire to burn away from the source of oxygen which is much more prone to going out....
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  • TexasTigerFan
    TexasTigerFan Posts: 85
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    Yeah...I am sure the problem was an operator problem. I have never had a problem before. I put this together kind of quickly so I do not think it was the Guru. All seems well now. The food is actually for tomorrow but I wanted to cook it in advance to make some other things on the egg tomorrow. I will actually be the guinea pig, punn-intended and eat some tonight. While I think it will be fine, I will be the one finding out.
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