Advice Needed

Mattman3969 · February 2015

I would run at least 250-275°. Anything below that is going to be hard to maintain for any length of time.

grege345 · February 2015

At 250 I'd let the butt go by itself for a bit before adding ribs. Mix the wood thruout the lump so it ignites at different times

theyolksonyou · February 2015

I find 275 a lot easier to hold without a controller.

ksmyrl · February 2015

Turbo the butt at 350ish. Easy to maintain and awesome....when it proves like buttah.

Blassiter · February 2015

Will the pork still fall apart at higher temps and faster cook time? Thought that was purpose of doing it slow at lower temp.

Chowman · February 2015

Once you get it lit, close the lower vent to less than an inch to limit the temp. About a half inch for low and slow

SGH · February 2015

Blassiter said:

Will the pork still fall apart at higher temps and faster cook time?

If prepped right and cooked to the proper internal temp, yes meat will still fall apart when cooked at higher chamber temps. It's just easier to over shoot your target temperature when running real high temps. I have toyed around with cooking pork shoulder and brisket in excess of 440 degrees. And yes the meat will still pull and be tender and moist. Again, your pull window will close much faster when running these high temps but it certainly can be done with very good results. Remember this also. If running in the 375 degree arena or higher, you usually have to take the internal about 3-5 degrees higher to achieve the same results as achieved when using lower cooking temps. Or that seems to be the results that I get consistently. This is just my opinion, but the internal pull temp is much more important than the cooking temp on subprimals. On primals it's a whole different ball game.

Mattman3969 · February 2015

Totally agree with @sgh. He knows his stuff. I would like to add if you are cooking your butt at 325-350 to start checking for that Buttah feel about 195 and every 30mins or so after until it probes with no resistance. Butts are very forgiving so you have a decent window of doneness to work with.

Terrebandit · February 2015

Good choice

UrbanForestTurnings · February 2015

welcome. Post some pictures

Durangler · February 2015

Just run your dome at 250 to 275. This is your first effort. Take your time. if the egg settles in at 240, run it there. If you like, bump it up a bit to 270 and run it there for awhile. Then slow it down to 250 again. This will give you an idea how the egg reacts to various airflow changes. Tiny changes will change temps by 10 degrees. When you open & close the dome, give it 10 minutes to reestablish. No adjustments. It will settle back to temperature. Baby sit your first few cooks, you'll learn and be on your way.
Also, try not to overshoot the initial temperature. As the dome temp rises within 50 degrees of target, start slowing air. Approach last 25 degrees slowly. Have fun, observe and enjoy!

Blassiter · February 2015

This thing is amazing. Much easier than I thought and have temp settled around 250. So crazy how a little adjustment makes such a quick change in temp.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/4i/xbc9oj0rq5s4.jpg

grege345 · February 2015

Looking good @Blassiter

Blassiter · February 2015

So does tin foil increase temp? Lifted dome to wrap ribs at 3 hour mark and temp shot up about 10 degrees after it stabilized. Not a big deal, just curious.

grege345 · February 2015

10° is nothing. Foil shouldn't have anything to do with it. If you leave the dome open too long it can add more air to your lump increasing temp. By the looks of your bottom vent you can shut it by half to maintain a lower temp. When I'm doin 225-250 that ottom vent is only open the width of two quarters.

Jeepster47 · February 2015

Blassiter said:

So does tin foil increase temp? Lifted dome to wrap ribs at 3 hour mark and temp shot up about 10 degrees after it stabilized. Not a big deal, just curious.

As grege345 said, "10° is nothing."

Did you leave the dome open while you wrapped the ribs ... if so, then 10 degrees is a very small jump. To maintain a consistent temp, keep the dome closed as much as possible. So, open the dome, grab the meat, close the dome, and then, futz with the meat.

Another method, if you need to leave the dome open for awhile - slathering the ribs with sauce on the grill - is to close the bottom vent while the dome is open. Then reset the bottom vent when the dome is closed.

grege345 · February 2015

Good tip @Jeepster47 learning around here never stops

Blassiter · February 2015

Dome was only open long enough to get ribs out and then it was shut until I put them back on. Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. Neighbors are starting to invite themselves over for dinner. I have the whole street smelling like a BBQ.

Durangler · February 2015

Looking good & very good advise.

grege345 · February 2015

Done yet?

Blassiter · February 2015

Success! Ribs are gone and Pork Butt is cooling and preparing to be pulled in about 30 minutes. Mouth is watering.

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