Butt temp debate. Help a confused egger.

Unknown

My boss just got an large egg, and he went to do his first butt this weekend. He's been getting tips from me, and he asked at what temp he should pull it off. I told him about 195-200. He said that sounded too high and after consulting some bbq cookbooks, he stated with an air of superiority that butts should be cooked to 170. [p]He cooked said butt to 170 and said it was pure pork pleasure--the best he'd ever had.[p]What's the deal? 25-30 degrees is a HUGE difference for meat temp. It seems like if it was done at 170 it would be dry at 200, and if it was done at 200 it wouldn't be close to being done at 170.

Smoked Signals

Ham 'n Egg,
It was pure pork pleasure because he cooked it in the Egg. [p]195 is where I pull my pork off the smoker for BBQ competitions ... then wrap in foil for 1 hour while it sits in a cooler ... I let it cool down to 170 to pull it (it burns my delicate fingers any higher ... lol)[p]Always give the BOSS a face saving way out. Suggest that 170 is the best pulling temperature, but you need to go to 195 to break down all the other stuff. At 170 the pork is just barely coming out of the plateau.[p]

fishlessman

Ham 'n Egg,
ive had butts plataue in the 160 range and some in the 170's. if you had one of the later, i would think it would be tough. the 195- 200 rule i know is consistent. i dont know about 175 though

mad max beyond eggdome

Ham 'n Egg,
but, what was he comparing it against??? probably the mushy, full of sauce, stuff from the local carry out. ..of course it was the best he'd ever had. .. now suggest to him cooking it out to 195-200 and comparing it to the stuff he pulled at 170... .better yet, have him inject it first with some apple juice/vinager/rub, and give hime some dizzy dust to rub it with. . .he will thank you for taking him to even higher plains of extacy. .

Unknown

Ham 'n Egg,[p]Pork butts, roasts and what ever are great when pulled from the cooker at 170 degrees internal. It will really slice nice and does have enough remaining fat for a wonderful flavor. However, it won't pull at this temp if that is your desired results. As for remaining moisture, you really won't see much difference as this cut of meat has tons of fat and will do well as high as 200 degrees internal in most cases. Pork like this is DONE at any temp above about 165 degrees internal and any lower temp will result in a more moist product from the remaing fat that is not dissolved. Many folks won't like this extra fat flavor and will usually take this meat to a higher temp but it is still great at the lower internal temps. [p]Dave

egghead2004

Ham 'n Egg,
I used to cook my shoulders all the time to 165/170. They always were great. Not anymore, I go to 195-198 internal before removing from the grill.
The difference is, taking it off @ 170 does not allow all the fat break down. The meat has to be sliced like a ham, and you can see chunks fat in every slice.
Now if you cook through the plateau to 195 or 200 at a low temp, 225-250 dome, the calogen and fats break down. The result is a piece of meat that you can hardly remove from the egg without it falling apart on you. It is truely pulled pork, no need for a knife and it is as moist as you'll ever see in any piece of meat.
What I also have learned is not to serve until the temp drops to 170 or lower. It seems like the hotter it is when you pull it, the more moisture evaperates causing it to dry out. That might not be an actual fact, but everytime hungry people get impatient and break into it before the temp drops, the meat has been not as moist as the times we wait. I like waiting til 165.

Unknown

Ham 'n Egg,
At 170º as the other hae said you have good sliced pork, at 195º it pulls because the connective tissue has broken down. It is also sweeter because the connective tissue has left behind it contribution to the overall flavor.
Jim