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:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

What is up with my butt??

Eggdicted
Eggdicted Posts: 28
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
So I am smoking a butt that is 7.8 pounds at 250. I put it on at midnight and it is saying that I am 5 degrees away (165)from pulling it off. I would guess that it is due to the fact that maybe my probe is in the wrong place (fat pocket or something) butt, I have 2 probes and they are within 2 degrees of eachother. I was expecting to pull it off at noon-ish. Any ideas on why it went so quick?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • frankie482
    frankie482 Posts: 263
    Supposed to take off Egg at 195 - 200.

    It will stall at 160 - 165 for a while.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eggdicted
    Eggdicted Posts: 28
    OH MY! That is what I missed! My probe "tells" me when selected meat is done and it says 170. Sheesh! Thanks Frankie! I appreciate the help.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Pork is "safe cooked" at 165. That is, all bacteria should be dead. But for a pork butt to be fall apart tender, it needs to go much higher. 195 is about the bottom of the pulling range. I've gone as high as 210, and had good results.

    You should be seeing the temperature stalling, if not actually declining some. What is happening is that the connective tissues, of which the butt has a lot, are beginning to break down into gelatin. This process absorbs heat. The period this is happening is commonly called "the plateau." You will probably not see much temperature increase for hours. Once the collagen breaks down, the temperature will rise more quickly.

    If it is a bone-in butt, you can tell when its finished when the bone wiggles easily when twisted. At the end, the bone should just fall out as the meat is pulled apart.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Gandolf
    Gandolf Posts: 926
    Listen to frankie482 and Eggdicted - they've got it right!! You'll be fine. Enjoy!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Just for further clarification- the probe is telling you when it is safe to eat. That is the temp you would be shooting for if you were making pork chops or a tenderloin (that is fairly well done for a chop I think). You actually cook the butts past the point of being "safe" so that you can pull it.

    I need to type faster. gdenby already said this.

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • frankie482
    frankie482 Posts: 263
    :laugh:
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Eggdicted
    Eggdicted Posts: 28
    I am still a nervous smoker and you all helped me bunches. I appreciate the information and most of all the comfort that your experience provides! Thanks!
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories