Rest Your Butt??

I usually take mine to 200+.  Was it a bone in?  If so when the shoulder blade pull out clean you should be done.

191º is normally too low. Resting will not help if not done. I normally find that mine are done at 200-205º, sometimes a bit lower.

203 and then put in old ice chest for 1.5 hours to rest (in foil).  It will fall apart with only gloved hands...no forks needed!

Agree with the 195-202 for my most recent butts.  It all depends on the individual animal.  Some will go at 195, some are stubborn and go till 205.

The bone pull is the key.  If it wills with very little tug, then you are good to go. 

Resting, I feel, is important.  Yes, you should wrap in multiple layers of foil and towels to retain heat, but that lets the liquids redistribute throughout the meat before you pull it.

I have taken to injecting my most recent butts with some apple juice and rub mix to get a little more moisture in the slab.  Then, when about to start wrapping to rest, I will inject a little more to get even more moisture in the butt.

It wasn't done yet. Oh, it was done from a food safety standpoint, but not pull-able. I don't pay attention to finish temp. Probably 200° or so. Whenever the bone pulls out or the probe meets no resistance (in multiple places), it's done. Also, I never rest a butt unless I have mistimed the finish and it's not time to eat yet. That's rare though - I usually eat whenever it's ready, regardless of the time. Lunch at 10AM? Dinner at 3PM? No problem! It will never be better than fresh off the grid.

fishindoc said:

 dont know if thats gonna upset the BBQ gods,

 Do alot of people inject meats?

The Gods are actually quite forgiving in this arena. Some of them inject meat themselves and as such look down in favor either way. The truth be told, injections can be a very useful tool depending on the meat in question. Injections are not necessary across the board for most cooking. However they really have their place in competition style cooking or when cooking very low quality meat. If you are getting the results that you want by injecting, then by all means, inject away. Some folks dismiss injections all together but turn right around and brine or marinate. To me injecting falls right inline with brining and marinating. It's just another way to reach a particular end. To me there are just some things that really are better when injected. Turkey is one of them. I shoot them full of Land O Lakes butter no matter if I'm smoking, grilling or deep frying them. I assure you my friend that a deep fried turkey shot full of butter is food truly fit for the Gods themselves. Another thing that is great to inject due to its leanness is pork loin. Again, if you like the results that you are getting by injecting, then inject away my friend. Don't stop just because someone says it's not necessary. As long as the end product is good, the Gods will keep you in their good graces irregardless if you injected or not. 

blasting said:

I'm not in the "start checking" camp.  I set the alarm for an IT of 203 and just pull it off.  Seems to give a consistent result. 

For PP I agree. It's always done in 200-205 range and it's never "overdone"

Mine tend to finish at 203 +/-. If the probe goes in smooth all the way to the center when probed at a couple of angles, then you are done. I just rest it on the cutting board for a little while and then pull it before eating. If it will be a while, then I set the convection oven to 165 and then pull before eating.