Am I overcooking?

Newbie

I have had my large BGE for about a month now and love it. Several things have been great (mainly items that cook in short periods like steaks). My problem is when I am trying to smoke things over a long period of time. I am not sure if I am overcooking or not cooking long enough.[p]A co-worker of mine that has had a BGE for several years told me that if the temp stays low enough, "you can't overcook it." Here is what I have done and the results so you can judge / make recommendations.[p]1. 5.5 lb Pork Butt with dry rub over night. Cooked / Smoked for 14 hours at 225. The last 2 hours were wrapped in foil with juices. I was never able to pull it apart. It ended up chopped and the meat was very "done." No pink (other than the smoke ring). [p]2. 4 racks of baby back ribs with dry rub over night. Cooked / Smoked for 6 hours at 225. Meat was not falling off the bone.[p]3. 3.5 lb Beef Brisket Flat Cut with dry rub over night. Cooked / Smoked for 12 hours at 225. Last 2 hours wrapped in foil with juices in a warm ice chest. Meat was done all the way through and very tough.[p]I think I am over cooking. Other BGE owners tell me to cook it longer and lower the temp to 200.[p]What do you experts think?[p]Thanks!

fishlessman

Newbie,
you need a meat probe for the pork butt and or cook it til a knife or skewer slides in with no resistance. baby backs take practice, you need to go by looks and feel and they can be over cooked. brisket needs to be alot bigger to cook, get a real piece about 8 pounds flat or the whole packer. there is no reason to cook a 3 pound piece of meat in the egg overnight, get a big piece with a fat cap. dont go by time, things are done when they are done and you dont want to cook at 200 degrees, 250 dome will give you 225 to 235 at the grill level which is perfect

WessB

Newbie,
You need to cook your clock.......we are cooking meat here not running a timed event...no 2 pieces of meat cook the same....pulled pork needs to be 195° - 200° internal....Ribs, as already stated are look and feel thing...the brisket was most likely overcooked..again 195° - 200° INTERNAL meat temp....thats the key to doneness...Most people here will "state" that a given piece of meat took XXXXXX amount of time, that certainly does not mean yours will be done in that exact amount of time....[p]Wess

Darnoc

Newbie,
You have not mentioned what the internal temperature of the meat that your are cooking is.You have to have a temperature probe in the meat to let you know where you are.The dome temperature gauge has no bearing as to what the internal temperature of whatever you might be cooking will be.When the food is cooked to the temperature you want it will be done.

Newbie

Thanks for the advice. That is what I thought as well. I have a meat therm that I used to use, but went with others advice and clearly overcooked everything. The outside (of the butt for example) looked great and it smelled great, but the inside was tough.[p]I will start using the meat therm to gauge it.[p]Thanks again!!

AZRP

Newbie,
Of all the accessories I've accumulated over the years for BBQ, the most useful are thermometers. The Thermapen will instantly give you meat temps and runs about $75. A remote probe thermometer will monitor temps without you having to open the lid and runs about $15 in the kitchen section at Target. -RP

Unknown

Newbie,[p]Are you an idiot? Buy the BGE internal meat thermometer you cheap insurance broker! [p]PS- You are a loser.

Newbie

I'm going to cook you in the BGE without a thermometer.....

stike

Newbie,
you guys should each buy your own computer so you don't have to take turns posting from the same one.

gdenby

Newbie,[p]If you are cooking at 225 dome temperature, its probably too low. The first time I did a medium sized brisket, about 6 lbs, I put a probe on the grate. For the first 3-4 hours, with the dome at a steady 250, the grate was 190ish. After 9 hours, when I needed it for dinner, it was still too tough, and had an internal temperature of about 180.[p]The other thing I've found, and its already been mentioned, is that bigger pieces tend to give better results. It appears that the large mass of meat holds enough moisture so that the piece isn't dry before the collagen breaks down.[p]gdenby

Darnoc

Newbie,
Seems like some one is doing the pulling my chain thang.How can you own a 30 year old EGG and be a newbie? Your profile states that you have a 30 year old Egg.I do not think the Green Egg was around 30 years ago.

ChuckGGa

Newbie,
I'd stop going by the length of the cook and go by the temperature of what you are cooking. sounds like a meat thermometer of some sort will solve most of the issues.[p]your pork butt example... that should have fallen apart when lifting it off the egg if done right...and the bone would have slipped right out like it was not attached to anything.

Essex County

Newbie,
I agree with the "cook to temp" suggestions below. One thing I don't think was suggested: calibrate your dome thermometer. If you think you're at 225 and you're really at 260 (or 200) it will affect the final product.[p]Paul

Beanie-Bean

Essex County,[p]My BGE purchased on 10/20 had a dome thermometer which was about 25 deg off. I boiled a pot of water and calibrated it alongside an instant read thermometer I've also got.

AlaskanC

I can't believe my kids/ co-workers/ sisters....etc haven't done that to me!! (butted in on the forum, not cooking me without a thermometer)[p]lol - that is too funny!!