Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube | Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Can there be 2 plateaus?
Until yesterday, I have had nothing but uneventful cooks for pulled pork. Boring, even. Usually the cook is 14-16 hours. But yesterday was just weird. [p]Two butts totalling 13 lbs went on at 7:30 Sun. a.m., indirect over inverted plate setter and drip pan. Dome temp was 220 to 240 the whole time. At about 1:30, it hit the plateau at 152 degrees, and there it stayed until about 6:30, when it started climbing slowly. Perfectly normal. I was thinking midnight at the latest to finish up.[p]Then it hit another plateau at 172 degrees and didn't move one bit. Ever. I double checked the RediChek thermometer with two other instant reads just in case it wasn't correct (it was), I ended up wrapping the meat in foil and using in the indoor oven at 235 degrees from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. This is because the stupid airdale next door started yodeling like a maniac every time I opened our back door, and I was tired of fussing. [p]So...at 6 a.m., the meat temp was still 172, I started up the Egg again, quickly got the dome temp to 250, put the meat back on, same setup, and at 9 a.m. the meat temp finally hit 200. I had to call in sick from work to finish the cook! I pulled the meat, it's tender and delicious, but gee--25.5 hours is really not acceptible. I lost my sense of humor at about 2 a.m.[p]Has this EVER happened to any of you? TWO plateaus?? Any ideas?[p]Tired,
Gretl
Gretl
Comments
-
Gretl,[p]I ran into something similar on Saturday. I had plateaus at 158 and 163. First plateau lasted about 3 hours, the next lasted almost 8 hours. This resulted in the longest pork butt cook to date. 19.5 hours. I foiled it at 173 becuase it was climbing way too slow and my lump was dwindling. The foil sped up the process ... probably would have been over 24 hours as well.
My butt was 9# and cooking temp varied between 200 and 240 (dome) due to wind.
I sure hope this doesn't happen at a competion.
-
Gretl Collins,[p]The only time I had one get stuck in the 170 range was when I used my polder probe on my maverick unit. Later, when I checked, I found that it read 30 degrees below boiling when switched...so, mine was actually done, though reading low.[p]Did it pull? If so, maybe it was higher than you thought. Have you checked the probe in boiling water lately? Maybe it has gotten off somehow?[p]Just a guess...[p]Tonia
:~)
-
Gretl Collins,[p]My briskette ran way long this weekend. I didn't notice two plateaus, but I did notice that at 165, it stayed there for a long, long time, and then even dropped to 163 for quite some time. I put it on at 19:00 saturday evening, and wrapped it in foil about 18 hours later at 177 degrees, and then sliced it around 16:40 for a total cook time of about 21 hours.[p]I cooked it with a dome temp between 200 - 225 for the whole time. Usually, I cook them closer to 250-275.. I could definately tell the difference (The briskette was GREAT), I was surprised in how long it took, but the results were great.[p]
-
Welcome to the wonderful world of butt kicks butt. This is a now and again thing. It all depends on the quality of th meat. Some have more collegen then others. If it happens again kick the heat up and force it through the stall. Once it gets above 180° slow down again and coast to 200°. [p]I have had it happen to me on briskets also. Butts are just one of those things you have to cook forever.[p]Hey, get you a BBQ Guru and sleep better at night, I do. No worries with mine.
-
Gretl Collins,
Where did you purchase the meat?
kinda sounds like they were full of water.
-
QBabe,
Sorry, I dropped the ball reading responses--yesterday was nutsier than usual. Answer, yes, I checked the thermometer against two others, and all three gave the same reading. Plus when I poked the butt, I knew from the resistance that it was not ready to pull. FINALLY, when the temp reached 200, it pulled easily. We had some last night with Ken's Happy Pappy sauce, and it was very good. Maybe not worth THAT much effort, but very good![p]Cheers,
G.
-
jwitheld,
Good question, but in this case, the butcher's reputation is without question. I've purchased meat from him for years with consistently good quality; this wasn't a "reduced for quick sale" kind of thing. FWIW, when it finally pulled, there was so little waste I could hardly believe it.
Thanks for the response,
G.
Categories
- All Categories
- 183.3K EggHead Forum
- 15.8K Forum List
- 460 EGGtoberfest
- 1.9K Forum Feedback
- 10.4K Off Topic
- 2.2K EGG Table Forum
- 1 Rules & Disclaimer
- 9K Cookbook
- 12 Valentines Day
- 91 Holiday Recipes
- 223 Appetizers
- 518 Baking
- 2.5K Beef
- 88 Desserts
- 167 Lamb
- 2.4K Pork
- 1.5K Poultry
- 32 Salads and Dressings
- 320 Sauces, Rubs, Marinades
- 544 Seafood
- 175 Sides
- 121 Soups, Stews, Chilis
- 38 Vegetarian
- 102 Vegetables
- 315 Health
- 293 Weight Loss Forum