Trouble with Boston Butt not getting to 195 degrees

keithJr305

Hey all. Just cooked my first Boston Butt on the large egg.  Let me preface that not only am I new to the BGE, I am new at BBQ'ing as a whole.  Butt (pardon the pun) man am I loving this egg. Filet, pizza, chicken wings, have been outstanding. I am now working to perfect the ribs, brisket and but . 

That being said, I have gotten a lot of guidance here on the forum.  So here is a replay of my cook. 

I had a small 2.5lb butt dry rubbed over night and ready to go.  I loaded up the egg lump and cherry smoking wood.  I stabilized at 240 and was repared for a 5 hour cook (2 hrs per is the general rule of thumb, correct?)

Well after 5 hours, the butt looked and smelled great, however the internal temperature never went north of 160 degrees. I know I need to get to 195 in order for the pork to pull properly.  Since I was running out of time being Sunday and the need to get the kid to sleep, I chose to wrap it in foil and slice it.  It was delicious, but was kind of bummed I couldn't get the temp up to 195 and get that soft pulled pork. 

I read something about stalling temp?  Can someone help shed some light what I did wrong?  

Do I just need to wait longer.  Again, it was only 2.5lbs for me and the wife so I didn't think I would need something like 8 hours. 

Thanks in advance for the advice. 

Best. 

swordsmn

As someone said earlier, ironically the small fellas can sometimes take LONGER. 
I am still new to Boston buttocks but my 9.4 lb one at 275 took me 10 hrs to get to 200F.  start earlier regardless, cook to internal temp and if you want to try a bigger one, freeze the excess.  I am blessed with a vac sealer and that stuff thaws and re-heats peachy.  

Scottborasjr

You did nothing wrong, sliced pork is almost as tasty. Just remember how easy pork butts can be. If you want pulled and are getting to a time crunch, don't hesitate to bump the temp up to even 400-425 degrees. You won't hurt the meat. Now brisket is another story....

blasting

@keithJr305  welcome to the forum.    I've had to cook an alternate dinner more than once, while waiting on the proper temp.   I've started factoring in a 3 hour cooler stay as a buffer, so that my dinner plans don't get messed up (or at least not as bad)

DaveRichardson

Welcome to the fun zone!

Those smaller butts can be very difficult at times.  I have had small ones that took 3-4 hours per pound cooking at 240.  It all depends on the piece of meat.  Was it a boneless mini-butt?  I have found that the bone helps to act like a radiator to distribute the heat in the cut of meat....

If you notice that you are getting pressed for time, go ahead and foil and then bump your temps up 50-75 degrees.  That will help push it along and get it to the desired temp faster.

I have joined the turbo camp with butts recently.  350 and it averages about 1 hour per pound.  No foil required.  Hardly a stall; it just keeps on pushing thru.  The only new thing I have done with going turbo is injecting the butts with some apple juice and rub mix to give me just a little more moisture in the cook.

That's been my observations.  Everyone will have their opinions.  That's the cool part about this group!

Also, go into the website version of the forum and go to your settings and add you location in the signature line....  Your local eggers like seeing a new guy in town!

Again, @keithjr305, welcome, and enjoy your new obsession!

jhl192

There's no mystery.  If you keep it in the heat the temperature will eventually rise to your desired level. You can bump the temp to 350 and as @blasting said, build in some FTC buffer time.  

pgprescott

160 is about stall temp. It can stay between there and 180 for hours. Once the butt hits 150-160 wrap in foil and put back on the egg. You may also bump the temp to power through the stall. It will soften the bark a bit, but it will be great. The meat "sweats" during the stall realeasing the liquid from the cologne and connective tissue as they break down. The temp may even lower during this process. It is the essence of BBQ. 

keithJr305

Thanks to all for your advice. Much appreciated.  

I did forget to mention that it was boneless. As one of the posts stated, the bone in serves as a radiator and helps bring up the heat.  Next time I will go with a larger butt with bone in and vacuum seal the rest. 

So just to be clear...butts typically stall at 150 to 160.  This is normal. From this point if you maintain a slow and low 240 temp you have to keep grinding a couple hours until it pushes through.  Each meat id different an no set timetable.  Its ready when its ready.

Or you wrap with foil and go back to egg to speed it up. 

What typically happens to temp if you pull wrap if foil and cooler it?  Does it maintain, or get hotter, or cooler over time.  Also, what is typical cooler time?

Thanks again!

Keith 

DaveRichardson

If going for pulled pork, I shoot for 201-202 on my probes for internal temp; that's just my preference. I will wrap on 2-3 layers of foil, then 2-3 beach towels, then in the cooler to rest. If you wrap it well, you can go for 8 hours of hold time. Typically I've toned it to where I go for about 2 hours of rest. Then it's out to the big cutting board, unwrap, pull that scapula bone out, and commence to shredding.