Need Some Help on my First Cook

JohnL

After seven hours in the egg at a 250 degree dome temp, I wanted to take a look, the first time since putting them on, and check the internal temp. Ok, They are getting a nice crust on them already, and internal temp on both is 160 degrees. What I'm wondering is this, is this to high to soon? For those that missed the post this morning, they are a 9 lb butt and a 10 lb whole shoulder cooking on a v rack with a drip pan underneath. I was amazed at the bark already on them, could be from the heavy rub, but none the less, its there. Before getting my BGE, I used a metal offset smoker and at this point in the cook I don't remember the temp being this high or that much bark already. You experienced egg users let me know if this is about the stage they should be at this point and do I need to cool them down. Oh, and if they finish say at midnight, how do you recommend keeping them warm until tomorrow? Maybe refridgerate and then put back on after the ribs are finished?[p]Thanks in advance,
John

JJ

JohnL,
The rub will start to crust pretty quick. Recheck where you put the probe to check the internal temp. Not deep enough to reach the center or too close to a bone will give you a false reading. If by chance they get done early, wrap in foil place in a cooler, cover with a towel and let them sit. If need be you can nuke them, no one will know you did. You can take them off the EGG and restart them in the AM, that is another alternative. I have done both ways many times. First thing though is to have a brewsky and relax. Feel free to e-mail me if you need additional info.

Cat

JohnL,[p]You're doing fine. It's normal to hit that temp within 7 hours - around now it should stall out and stay there for several hours as the fat & collagen break down.[p]I typically get a good bark (the best part!) but it's never too hard to cut or bite.[p]I've never held one & reheated (just the already pulled leftovers), so I'll let someone else offer advice.[p]Happy 4th -[p]Cathy

JohnL

Cat,
Thank you very much for the very fast reply. Man, this place is awesome. It's like I'm a student, but have the confidence to cook anything because the professor's are here to guide me. I paniced a bit when I first looked at them after 7 hours and saw the internal temp. Like I said, my old steel smoker never gave me these results. Just a note Cat, where I stuck the themometer in, the juices ran out and smelled wonderful. Thanks again for the help, and I think I'm going to have a nice pint of Pale Ale now. [p]Thanks,
John

JohnL

JJ,
Thanks for the fast response. As I told Cat above, I was a bit worried when I saw that after only 7 hours. But, I guess I'm doing ok. Now its time to pull a pint of ale and relax a bit.
Thanks,
John

Spin

JohnL,[p]All sounds well, if just a tad bit soon. Maybe you should remove the dome temperature gauge and check the calibration. Readjust if necessary, reinstall, and adjust the vents to the new reading. [p]If the gauge reads true, then relax, pop a fresh brew, and smile as everything is going quite good.[p]Spin

JohnL

Spin,
Thanks for the advice. I checked the thermometer after I got home with the BGE. Showed about 210 for rapid boiling water. The bottom vent is set to about one half an inch and the daisy wheel on top is just barely opened for a dome reading of 250 degree's. I guess It's doing fine, its just on the old metal smoker, the Pulled pork never progressed this rapidly. Another good quality about the cermic mass in the BGE. I'm about half way through my first Pint of Pale Ale this afternoon and all is looking better. [p]Thanks,
John

Spin

JohnL,[p]Your BGE is a very "tight" environment and retains moisture as well as heat. There are no defined settings of top vs. bottom opening as local conditions and the setup used can vary widely. Hold 250F and look forward to a long plateau and a great finished meal.[p]I tilt my glass to you,[p]Spin

Mr Beer

JohnL,
As they say: "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew".[p]Pork fat renders (liquifies) at 156 degrees F. You will find that after the temp reaches 160 or so that it will stabilize for a while. The longer you keep it above 156 degrees the more of the fat pockets will melt away and the resulting pulled pork will be leaner. I normally keep the egg at 200 degrees (220 max) while making pulled pork. When the internal meat temp reaches 180 I kick the heat up to 250-300 to achieve the desired internal temp of 200 degrees.[p]Have a homebrew for me.[p]Mr Beer