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    Second Cook Going Down on a Monday

    Posts: 37
    in EggHead Forum
    Still playing, still learning. Off today. Gonna do a 4# Boston butt. Mainly to work on my temp regulation skills. Also, picked up $116 worth of new accessories (digital thermo, rib rack, heat resistant glove, hickory chips, perforated tray for fish/veggies).
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    • Posts: 37
      Got the temp stabilized. Caught it on the way up.
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    • Posts: 13,836
      Looking good, you'll get the hang of it in no time. For longer cooks you will want more lump in there. Even if you don't need it all, you can close it down when you are finished and re-use the leftover lump. Better to have too much than run out and need to re-add mid-cook. You should be fine on a 4# butt with that amount.
      They/Them
      Morgantown, PA

      XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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    • Posts: 158
      I'm still new but I think pork shoulder is a great way to start. It doesn't seem like a difficult cook.
      XL egg owner, home brewer, jogger, coffee roaster, gamer 
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    • Posts: 3,951
      DMW said:
      Looking good, you'll get the hang of it in no time. For longer cooks you will want more lump in there. Even if you don't need it all, you can close it down when you are finished and re-use the leftover lump. Better to have too much than run out and need to re-add mid-cook. You should be fine on a 4# butt with that amount.
      I agree with @DMW regarding lump level. Don't be afraid to fill right to the top of the fire ring.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
      ____________________
      Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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    • Posts: 37
      Thanks guys. Been hanging around 260 for about an hour. Smoke has minimized. A little concerned I may have snuffed out the fire. Maybe just a little paranoid. We will see.
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    • Posts: 13,836
      KyleEgg said:

      Thanks guys. Been hanging around 260 for about an hour. Smoke has minimized. A little concerned I may have snuffed out the fire. Maybe just a little paranoid. We will see.

      Unless you completely closed the draft door and top, you will have fire. You will not see smoke most of the time, and if you open the dome and look, you won't see live flame. But it is burning.
      They/Them
      Morgantown, PA

      XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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    • Posts: 37
      Thanks again. I'm gonna owe you something for being my personal EGG consultant.
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    • Posts: 673
      Agree with DMW. (By the way, check out his Facebook page. Great stuff on there). Unless you see the temp going down, you are still good. The BGE is incredibly efficient at maintaining the heat level. Key thing is not to chase the temp up or down. Just let 'er run. You are off to a great start.
      Clarendon Hills, IL
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    • Posts: 17,629
      DMW said:

      Looking good, you'll get the hang of it in no time. For longer cooks you will want more lump in there. Even if you don't need it all, you can close it down when you are finished and re-use the leftover lump. Better to have too much than run out and need to re-add mid-cook. You should be fine on a 4# butt with that amount.

      +3 on extra lump. When your done choke it off and you'll have lump for the next cook. I've never ran out of lump during a cook but, I can imagine it would suck! BGE is a very efficient beast so low & slow won't burn a lot of lump quickly. When you start doing high temp pizza at say 650F-800F the lump goes much much quicker but, still it's quite efficient and the ceramics hold temp for a very long time. Happy egging!

      LBGE 2013 & MM 2014
      Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FAN
      Flying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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    • Posts: 37
      I'm at 163* internal temp. It's been on for 4.5 hours at 260ish. It's a 4# butt.
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    • Posts: 13,836
      Bump the temp up a bit, take it to 300*
      They/Them
      Morgantown, PA

      XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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    • Posts: 16,025
      When are you wanting to finish?
      Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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    • Posts: 37
      Thanks. I read 190* is the finishing temp. What should I shoot for?
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    • Posts: 138
      203 to 205 if you are going by temp alone.  Or until it probes like butter.  For your first time, temp might be a little easier, but in the future it is usually better to go until tender for all your low and slows.  Big chunks of meat with lots of connective tissue like a shoulder or a brisket tend to have a lot of variance from one piece to the next in what temp they are done at.
      Justin in Denton, TX
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    • Posts: 34,839
      A great finish indicator for a bone-in butt is when the bone pulls clean regardless of temp.  And as noted above, that's usually around the low 200's.  
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 138
      I recommend watching Aaron Franklin's videos on YouTube.  He has them for pulled pork, ribs, turkey, and (of course) brisket.  Good tips in there.
      Justin in Denton, TX
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    • Posts: 37
      I'm at 177*. It's been on 6 hours. Have the temp up to 300*. This is a lot of fun. Thought it would take less time, but I'm in no hurry. Here's the million dollar question, if my family is eating at 6:30 and I take it off at 4:30, what should I so with it? Cooler, oven warming drawer, fridge and reheat......? Sorry, I'm such a newB.
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    • Posts: 673
      Wrap it up in Heavy Duty foil (or double wrap regular foil) and then wrap in a towel and out in a cooler. Guaranteed it will still be steaming hot two hours later.
      Clarendon Hills, IL
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    • Posts: 3,951
      BuckeyeBob said:
      Wrap it up in Heavy Duty foil (or double wrap regular foil) and then wrap in a towel and out in a cooler. Guaranteed it will still be steaming hot two hours later.
      Referred to as FTC. Make sure that you fill void space in the cooler with extra towels. You can go 5+ hours like this if necessary.

      However, don't pull it off just because 4:30 rolls around. Make sure that you can slide a probe in and out without resistance. Better to delay dinner than (after the time you've already invested) than pulling it off before it's ready.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
      ____________________
      Aurora, Ontario, Canada
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    • Posts: 113
      edited March 2014
      Kyle, 

      300° might be a little too high for meat best suited for low and slow, 250° would be as high as I'd go... going higher can push through the plateau (there’s a point where IT seems to stall for a long time after steadily climbing), that stall is actually the sign that part of the energy that was causing IT to rise is now directed to converting connective tissue to gelatin, which is what turns tough cuts into buttery delectable meals, so you really don’t want to skip it.

      If you're in a hurry you can bump temp up to 350°, but only after IT starts to climb again after the stall.

      Once it’s done you can wrap it in foil, then roll a towel around it and place it inside a cooler (FTC) or a warm oven (FTO) (preheat to 170°, then turn off), both this methods will keep food hot for several hours… just bear in mind that the longer you keep them wraped that way before serving the more your crust will soften/moisten.

      Cheers!
      XL BGE + Large BGE @ Monterrey, Mexico
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    • Posts: 3,515
      Your in good shape. What did you use for rub?
      LBGE& SBGE———————————————•———————– Pennsylvania / poconos

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    • Posts: 138
      Egglegal_Alien said:
      Kyle, 

      300° might be a little too high for meat best suited for low and slow, 250° would be as high as I'd go... going higher can push through the plateau (there’s a point where IT seems to stall for a long time after steadily climbing), that stall is actually the sign that part of the energy that was causing IT to rise is now directed to converting connective tissue to gelatin, which is what turns tough cuts into buttery delectable meals, so you really don’t want to skip it.

      If you're in a hurry you can bump temp up to 350°, but only after IT starts to climb again after the stall.

      Once it’s done you can wrap it in foil, then roll a towel around it and place it inside a cooler (FTC) or a warm oven (FTO) (preheat to 170°, then turn off), both this methods will keep food hot for several hours… just bear in mind that the longer you keep them wraped that way before serving the more your crust will soften/moisten.

      Cheers!
      This has actually been disproven.  The stall is due to evaporative cooling, not breakdown of connective tissue.  And pulled pork actually does quite well at higher temps, as proven by many experienced cooks on this forum.
      Justin in Denton, TX
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    • Posts: 37
      Took it off at 185 due to time restrictions. Snuck a bite before I wrapped. Great crust on outside, perfect pink pork on the inside. Fun experience. Gaining confidence....
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    • Posts: 13,836
      It may be hard to pull with a 185* finish temp, if so, slice it. It will be good either way. I've not done small butts like that, but hear they can be fickle and end up taking as long as larger ones.
      They/Them
      Morgantown, PA

      XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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    • Posts: 37
      DMW said:

      It may be hard to pull with a 185* finish temp, if so, slice it. It will be good either way. I've not done small butts like that, but hear they can be fickle and end up taking as long as larger ones.

      I was shocked at how long it took. It tasted great though.

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    • Posts: 13,836
      And here's some good info on the stall and exactly what is happening.
      http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html
      They/Them
      Morgantown, PA

      XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
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    • Posts: 37
      grege345 said:

      Your in good shape. What did you use for rub?

      I used the Weber Mesquite with mustard and a small amount of cinnamon.
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    • Posts: 113
      edited March 2014
      coffeeguydenton said:
      This has actually been disproven.  The stall is due to evaporative cooling, not breakdown of connective tissue.  And pulled pork actually does quite well at higher temps, as proven by many experienced cooks on this forum.
      @coffeeguydenton I've done some research and read different, just now read up on the research on amazingribs pointed at by @DMW (thanks BTW) which rings true... but...

      Even if the stall is not caused by collagen hydrolysis (collagen turning into gelatin), it still does happen at the temperature range in which hydrolysis occur (158* - 176*), and it is still desirable to stall for a while at that range (the more conective tissue, the longer) for there to be a chance to turn enough of the collagen into gelatin.

      Can't pinpoint my original source, but a quick google search turned up this article about it:


      XL BGE + Large BGE @ Monterrey, Mexico
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