Low and slow pork - help for a beginner

grin_phi

Hey everyone,

New member of the EGGhead forum from the UK here. Love that the BGE has such a committed community. And just know it can help me out here.

So I picked up my MBGE a couple of weeks ago and have been having fun experimenting ever since. I've cooked a chicken in three hours and ribeyes in three minutes with huge success. Been having real trouble however low and slow cooking pork spare ribs and shoulder (or butt as you call it).

The main problem has been getting the pork to internal temp on time. I know I can start earlier and will do in future but my eight spare ribs and today's 2.3lb butt seem to be taking much longer than they should.

I put today's butt on a 7.10 am at a pretty steady 110c (230f). At about 1.20pm it was at about 73c (163f) seeming to have just come out of the stall. I had to ramp up the temp to cook it through to serve and as expected it came out tasty but too tough. I read 2 hours per lb so I would have thought six hours would be enough. I did have a dip in temperature where the egg seemed to run low on coal (had filled it shallow to obtain better control) and the pork stalled at 60c (140f) for a hour or so before the real stall later on. I realize there are a couple of variables going on here but I hope someone can put my mind at rest as to the problem.

The ribs? Well, eight spare ribs - sold individual, not on the rack, with the tips on - again gave them about five hours before guests arrived. When the did, meat was just out of the stall and had to ramp them up to get them ready.

What am I doing wrong? Hit me with it.

Thanks in advance, Grin_phi

Fred19Flintstone

I start my low & slows at 250°. The toughness of the meat you spoke about could have been the cooking method as you seem to think it is or maybe its the meat itself. Every cut is different in its own way. Some have a long stall and others hardly stall at all. It's difficult to have an informed opinion without a consistant track record. I would say you're on the right track.

A pork butt is a very forgiving cut of meat. I think you'll find the answer.

grin_phi

Thanks Fred19Flinstone - I'll keep trying for sure.

HDumptyEsq

New member of the EGGhead forum from the UK here.

Hey Grin Phi. I'm an ex-pat since 1982. Got a medium too. That's a fairly small butt by most standards. Don't be afraid to load up with lump (charcoal); it'll give an even temperature over a longer cook - you won't lack control. An even temp will help get through a stall and have more control. Internal temperature to be able to pull the pork apart needs to be 200. In future start earlier and if necessary you can foil, towel and stick it in a cooler to keep until the guests arrive. Good luck, stick to it and welcome to the lifestyle.

grin_phi

Thanks HDumptyEsq.

Indeed, it was a small butt - hence my surprise at my struggle to get it ready.

I'm encouraged by your advice and look forward to trying again.

Is a small butt a bad thing?

Cookinbob

I have never seen a butt that small, at my local stores they normally run from 7-8 pounds.  Usually when it is tough it is undercooked, though I assume you took yours to around 200F.  Maybe yours dried out in that it was so small.  As @Fred19Flintstone said, a pork butt is forgiving, you can turn up the heat to hasten the finish, you should not hurt it.

HDumptyEsq

I realize that a pork shoulder is not a common cut in the UK, especially cut in the sizes you see over here - 8 lbs and up is typical. I wonder if it toughened up at the low stall temperature. The collagen that breaks down and tenderizes the meat needs a fairly constant, even temp to break down. Seneca the Younger would probably know.

Vegas Eggus

I generally foil mine when it hits 170. Then run it up to 205-210. Dome at 250-275. Good results with this method.

grin_phi

Thanks Cookinbob - I will try a bigger one next time. Not sure its a factor but can never have too much pulled pork.

Thank Vegas Eggus - I'm trying to avoid foiling, I like simplicity, but may try that under certain circumstances.

Thanks again HDumptyEsq - The dip in temp prob did not help!

TennesseeDave

I agree with @HDumptyEsq‌. Fill the box with lump. You'll still be able to control the temp. I smoke mine at 250 2hrs per lb. I usually then have to increase the temp to 275-300 for 3 hrs or so to bring it up to 200 internal. I've had great results. Good luck and welcome!

grin_phi

Thank you TenneseeDave - I'm cooking a 6 pounder this weekend so will load up with lump and give it whole load of time to cook. Fingers crossed. Will post photos if it turns out well.

DaveRichardson

6 pound pork loin took me about 10 hours this past weekend at 250 on the dome thermo.  Had to bump to 300 for the last hour to get to 200 internal temp.

 

 

gdenby

1st thing, realize that the dome therm only indicates what the temp is at the probe. At the start of a low and slow indirect cook, the dome may be 30, even 50F higher than at the cooking grill level. Heat rises. After 3 or 4 hours, the ceramic will become saturated w. heat, and most of the cooking space will reach about the same temp as the dome.

When you started you cook, most likely the grill level wasn't hot enough to evaporate water, and the meat can't reach pulling temperature until after most of its water has evaporated. 250F - 275F is a better dome temp range.

I don't know why, but I never made good pulled pork from less than a 4.5 lb chunk of shoulder. First time I did 7 pounds, everything was fine. Still trying to figure out how to get moist and tender pork from what is sold here as country or western ribs, which are about 1 - 1.5" thick slices of shoulder.

Single spare ribs should cook faster than a portion of the rack. A rack of spares without the tips takes about 6 hours. W. the tips, I've gone 7+ hours, dome 250F.

You can cook at a higher temperature, up to 350. The meat won't be exposed to smoke for as long, but will cook faster. Something to watch at the higher is how dry the outer portion of the butt is. At higher temperatures, the outside 1/4" will dry out. The surface starts to burn, but w/o the moisture to efficiently transfer the heat into the interior, the inside has to go long enough that the outside is charred. You can mop the surface to lessen the effect, but that can negate the speed advantage of the higher temperature.

grin_phi

DaveRichardson - That's good info, thanks.

gdenby - Thank you! I have a good feeling about this weekends 6 lb shoulder after what you say.

grin_phi

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice.

Put the 6 lb shoulder on last night about 11pm GMT. Let it cook all night and all morning. It hung for ages at 156 and then again at 171. I had to ramp up the temp to get it ready in time but, unlike the previous attempt, this didn't ruin it. Ramped it up to 350 to get the shoulder to 203.

The result was tender, juicy and easy to pull pork that everyone raved about.

I am surprised at how long it took/would have taken at low temperature all the way. I allowed basically 12 hours (2 per pound) but it looks like I should have allowed 18 or more. Is that right?

Anyway, here are some pics of the finished shoulder. Forgot to take one after pulling - too keen to eat it with homemade brioche buns!

Thanks again.

Mattman3969

Looks good and also looks like the bark set nicely after you unwrapped it.

grin_phi

Hey Mattman3969 - Thanks! It looked good and tasted good. I never foiled it though. The foil you see in the pic was for resting it after cooking.

jhl192

@gdenby‌ had it right. You should get a Maverick ET-733 dual probe remote thermo. You will find the dome and grid temps vary quite a bit especially at 230 degrees. I have found 250 easier to maintain.

grin_phi

Couldn't agree more jhl192 - got a dual probe after my second cook and its invaluable.