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First "Turbo Butt"

Have done many "low and slow butts" over the years on my LBGE. All came out great. Decided to try doing a "Turbo Butt" to see how it would work out. Prepped the butt with a tad of EVOO and Dp Dizzy dust and Texas style rub. Stabilized at 350* dome with Hickory chunks. Smoked for almost 6 1/2 hrs till it got to 200* internal. Wrapped in HDAF and into a cooler. The issue...the bark was great, but only about half the butt was pullable. The pullable part was as tender as butter but a little mushy. The rest of the butt I had to rip it apart, it was edible but very dry. Did not wrap @ 160* like i have seen on some threads...some say not to wrap. Comments please.  Thanks  

Opelika, Alabama

Comments

  • MrCookingNurse
    MrCookingNurse Posts: 4,665
    No pics?? Sounds like your butt had two different cheeks


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    No pics?? Sounds like your butt had two different cheeks
    Nothing surprises me anymore !!

    Opelika, Alabama
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    edited March 2013

    Tjcoley (just below this post) nailed it.

    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Did you check temp in multiple places on just the one?  If probe was close to the bone, could have given a false high reading.  The part you had to rip apart sounds like it needed more cooking.
    I did my first turbo this weekend as well, wrapped in foil at 165 for 2 hours.  Turned out great.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    Mickey said:

    Bet it was "that butt".... (two cheeks 8-})

     That has never happened to me (((((yet)))))....

    Coulda been that "butt", got it from Sams club about 8.5 # felt like a regular one  to me.  

    Opelika, Alabama
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    Tjcoley said:
    Did you check temp in multiple places on just the one?  If probe was close to the bone, could have given a false high reading.  The part you had to rip apart sounds like it needed more cooking.
    I did my first turbo this weekend as well, wrapped in foil at 165 for 2 hours.  Turned out great.
    Did use my Thermapen and checked in several places, all readings were with in 2*. May try the wrap at 160* on the other butt that came in the pkg. Thanks guy's for the comments.

    Opelika, Alabama
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    A Dr. G. Blonder did a bunch of tests w. pork butt, and figured out that the "plateau/stall" was just evaporative cooling. Reading over his posts, it seems he foiled during the cook to make turbo butt.

    The wrapping temperature depends some on the cooking temperature. 250F ambient gets wrapped around 165. Higher ambient pushes the stall up to a higher temperature, and so the wrap comes later.

    Still, if you had a 200F internal, I wonder why it was not all pullable. Perhaps w/o foiling, some of the meat did turn to dry, chewy mush?

    I think turbo land needs more exploration.
  • bccomstock
    bccomstock Posts: 338
    I did a very small (3.75 lbs) turbo butt last night.. I was aiming for 325-350 for the whole cook, but the temps got away from me and got around 400 for a bit.. I didn't foil it as I ran out of foil wrapping the platesetter (lol).  It finished in right around 3 hours.  I let it rest for an hour in foil and then pulled it.  Some of the meat was definitely drier than other parts.  I'll keep experimenting with the turbo method, though, b/c sometimes you just don't have the time for low and slow.
    LBGE
    MS Gulf Coast - Proud member of the Who Dat Nation!
    My Not Frequently Updated Basically Dead Blog: http://datcue.wordpress.com
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957

    gdenby said:
    A Dr. G. Blonder did a bunch of tests w. pork butt, and figured out that the "plateau/stall" was just evaporative cooling. Reading over his posts, it seems he foiled during the cook to make turbo butt.

    The wrapping temperature depends some on the cooking temperature. 250F ambient gets wrapped around 165. Higher ambient pushes the stall up to a higher temperature, and so the wrap comes later.

    Still, if you had a 200F internal, I wonder why it was not all pullable. Perhaps w/o foiling, some of the meat did turn to dry, chewy mush?

    I think turbo land needs more exploration.
    Gonna give the "turbo" technique one more try...SHMBO said she thought the meat was tasty and she is never wrong. Thanks guy's!!

    Opelika, Alabama
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    I do the 160 wrap and works our fine for me. I don't always do the cooler.
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    gdenby said:
    A Dr. G. Blonder did a bunch of tests w. pork butt, and figured out that the "plateau/stall" was just evaporative cooling. Reading over his posts, it seems he foiled during the cook to make turbo butt.

    The wrapping temperature depends some on the cooking temperature. 250F ambient gets wrapped around 165. Higher ambient pushes the stall up to a higher temperature, and so the wrap comes later.

    Still, if you had a 200F internal, I wonder why it was not all pullable. Perhaps w/o foiling, some of the meat did turn to dry, chewy mush?

    I think turbo land needs more exploration.
    thanks for the link, very informative.

    Opelika, Alabama
  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
    I did a very small (3.75 lbs) turbo butt last night.. I was aiming for 325-350 for the whole cook, but the temps got away from me and got around 400 for a bit.. I didn't foil it as I ran out of foil wrapping the platesetter (lol).  It finished in right around 3 hours.  I let it rest for an hour in foil and then pulled it.  Some of the meat was definitely drier than other parts.  I'll keep experimenting with the turbo method, though, b/c sometimes you just don't have the time for low and slow.
    +1

    Opelika, Alabama
  • Charlie tuna
    Charlie tuna Posts: 2,191
    I think it is crazy at all these different methods identified as "turbo butts" ????