First Boston butt. 19 hours and still not done.

malligator

I put a 7 lb pork butt on the BGE yesterday at 3pm (first mistake). I figured it would be done somewhere between 1 and 3am. I'm on vacation so I didn't mind sitting up with it. I have been having to babysit it every 10-20 minutes because for whatever reason my BGE is either very slowly gaining temp or very slowly losing it. I can't just get it to stay in one spot. Then around 3am it stalled at 170F. I got up every hour and checked it and it wouldn't budge. Finally around 5 I just got too tired to tend it constantly and the dome temp drifted down to about 180 so the butt actually started cooling off. Here we are 19 hours later and I'm back to 250 dome temp and the butt is back up to 170...and stalled. Any tips for this grueling slow and low cook?

Mistakes I know I can correct next time:

1. Starting a low and slow too late in the day
2. Using cheap hickory chips (barely bigger than sawdust)
3. Using too many of them. I basically covered the top of the lump with chips.
4. Getting my lump wet. I soaked the chips in a 5 gallon bucket and when I put it on the lump I didn't really let it drip dry enough. By the time I had the chips on the lump I'd let a lot of water get inside the egg.
5. Only having a Thermapen. A low and slow would be SO much easier with a way to monitor meat and dome temp remotely.

sumoconnell

If you want to finish soon, you can go as high as 350 with a seven pounder (turbo style has the whole cook at 350).

But if you are looking for low and slow tips, yours look good.. (edit - no need to soak chips with bge)

Note a low and slow butt for dinner should go on the night before the meal.  If you want a morning start for a dinner, you'll need turbo style.  

I like both styles.. They taste the same, but the low and slow allows for drinking the night before, and I can sleep in since I don't need to wake up and start cooking.

Carolina Q

Have you calibrated your dome thermo? If it's reading 250, but the temp is actually 170 (for example), the meat will never finish. 

I prefer chunks. Regardless, don't soak 'em. 

fishlessman

dont soak the chips ever again it wont hurt it now to simply raise your temps and push it thru

malligator

sumoconnell said:

If you want to finish soon, you can go as high as 350 with a seven pounder (turbo style has the whole cook at 350).

But if you are looking for low and slow tips, yours look good.. (edit - no need to soak chips with bge)

Note a low and slow butt for dinner should go on the night before the meal.  If you want a morning start for a dinner, you'll need turbo style.  

I like both styles.. They taste the same, but the low and slow allows for drinking the night before, and I can sleep in since I don't need to wake up and start cooking.

I'll keep that in mind. We weren't really cooking it for a specific meal. Just wanted to have it in the house for tacos and sandwiches. I need to get better at stabilizing temps before trying another overnight. That's for sure. 

JRWhitee

I had to adjust both thermometers this weekend, one was 25 degrees off and the other 40. I knew something wasn't right.

malligator

Carolina Q said:

Have you calibrated your dome thermo? If it's reading 250, but the temp is actually 170 (for example), the meat will never finish. 

I prefer chunks. Regardless, don't soak 'em. 

I have. It was dead on. In boiling water both my dome thermometer and my Thermapen read 210.

shucker

i'd do as others have said and crank that heat up to finish it off.  Wrap that sucker in some foil and open up the vents. 

malligator

shucker said:

i'd do as others have said and crank that heat up to finish it off.  Wrap that sucker in some foil and open up the vents. 

I wrapped it at 6 hours. Was that a mistake?

Mattman3969

So it's been wrapped for 13hrs and still not done??  This is very odd. 

northGAcock

Not sure where you are located but have expierenced slow cooks when there is extrem humidity and rain for an extended number of days. Does not explain the rising /falling temps though.

egghead43

Your dome temp is probably 20-30 degrees hotter than grate so your temp is too low.  I'm tempted to turbo everything from now on if the taste is the same as all say.

kwdickert

Well did it ever finish or no? By now it's gotta be falling apart haha

Wolfpack

One thing on temp- I don't try for exact. I get it in a 25 degree range where it wants to settle. Sounds like you might be chasing it a little too much and it will never stabilize.  

Or or cheat and get something like a PartyQ and sleep all you want.  That's what I did and love my CyberQ

malligator

kwdickert said:

Well did it ever finish or no? By now it's gotta be falling apart haha

It did. I finally pulled it after about 21 hours. The egg was burnt out. All in all not bad. The crust is a little tough and the meat a little dry, but it's still dang good. I learned a lot. Next time will be better.

sumoconnell

If you cook too low, the water in your butt needs to be all but gone before the temp will rise.. If you cook at like 215, it's just too low.

Ps, looks fantastic!