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Help - pork butt stuck at 180 degrees 20 hours later

chuckwoo
chuckwoo Posts: 20
in EggHead Forum
hi everyone,

i cooked a 9lb butt on xl bge last night and did everything as normal.  Used digiq guru so temp was steady 235 all night. Had a stall at 8am at 160 but it climbed later to 180 and then stalled out again.  It's been 20 hours.  I just wrapped in butcher paper and put in oven at 275.  Should I let it cook in oven on lower temp for couple more hours until hits 195 or just get it out now?  20 hours seems long for a steady temp cook.  It's fairly tender - some spots very easy to get probe out, some a little more tug.  Would pull but not perfect and no clue why. 

Thanks 
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Comments

  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    20 hours nine pounds, something is wrong....I'd bump the temp for sure-did you check it with another thermometer better yet, is the bone loose?? 20 hours is what I take on a 30 Pound Chuck Roll
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited July 2017
    Bump the temp to 320-350°. I don't even start checking until 195°. When it probes with no resistance anywhere or the bone pulls free, it's done. Not before, regardless of temp. Assuming you want pulled pork anyway.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • chuckwoo
    chuckwoo Posts: 20
    I did use two temp probes including digiq and it was accurate.  Just odd as I have done
    these before same way,  temp was perfect on grate at 235 although maybe I should have done a little higher like 250-270.  Maybe there is such thing as too slow
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,785
    The pig takes a page from the cow-"the pig drives the cook."  You can get equally exceptional pulled pork running higher in the dome (250-270*F) or even turbo (330-350*F) depending on the sugar in your rub.  
    Trust the "bone pulls clean" for the finish-line regardless of how or how long it takes to get there.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • chuckwoo
    chuckwoo Posts: 20
    So not going to dry it out if oven finish at 290 cook temp?  Going to 195 internal or so 
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  • lkapigian
    lkapigian Posts: 11,549
    chuckwoo said:
    So not going to dry it out if oven finish at 290 cook temp?  Going to 195 internal or so 

    Not @ all
    Visalia, Ca @lkapigian
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    edited July 2017
    No it won't. But don't cook to 195°. Cook til it's done.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Rte1985
    Rte1985 Posts: 304
    Don't be afraid when you get towards the finish line to crank up the egg to 350 to finish.  Remember turbo butts go the whole cook at 350.  If time is not on your side crank the temp up!  Also agree on cook till done.  I'm usually in the 198-205 range on most butts.
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,458
    Did you have liquid in the drip pan while smoking on the egg?

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • chuckwoo
    chuckwoo Posts: 20
    I thank you all for awesome timely support.  I finished the butt in oven in butcher paper for exactly one hour at 290 degrees. It has the most amazing bark I have ever gotten from a pork shoulder.   Pulled so easily.  I don't know why i was afraid to crank a little.  One time I cranked the temp on a butt to 350 when it was at stall and it dried out.  I knew this one was close to finished.  Lesson I think was that I cooked it too low.  235 is too low for a pork butt in the egg.  21 hours way too long.  Not sure why it took that long.  Only 9 lbs and I injected with apple cider.  Should have been done in 14-16hrs.  

    Mattman3969 - I never use liquid in the egg.  The moisture stays in on its own. Do you not find that to be the case? I am open to suggestions. 

    awesome community here.  I haven't logged in for two years and you guys really came thru!  


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  • Biggreenpharmacist
    Biggreenpharmacist Posts: 4,343
    Looks great. But yeah, you cooked at way too low a temp. I usually cook them between 275 and 300 (dome temp). 

    Little Rock, AR

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  • Rte1985
    Rte1985 Posts: 304
    I've had two butts that weight hit the second stall at 17 hours cooking around 225.  Had to crank the temp up due to the "I'm hungry for meat belly cramps"! I'm a fan between 250-350 cooking temp.  No juice.no wrapping.  Haven't had a butt come out bad yet.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    chuckwoo said:
    I thank you all for awesome timely support.  I finished the butt in oven in butcher paper for exactly one hour at 290 degrees. It has the most amazing bark I have ever gotten from a pork shoulder.   Pulled so easily.  I don't know why i was afraid to crank a little.  One time I cranked the temp on a butt to 350 when it was at stall and it dried out.  I knew this one was close to finished.  Lesson I think was that I cooked it too low.  235 is too low for a pork butt in the egg.  21 hours way too long.  Not sure why it took that long.  Only 9 lbs and I injected with apple cider.  Should have been done in 14-16hrs.  

    Mattman3969 - I never use liquid in the egg.  The moisture stays in on its own. Do you not find that to be the case? I am open to suggestions. 

    awesome community here.  I haven't logged in for two years and you guys really came thru!  


    Depends on where your 235* was reading. 235* dome temp, your pork temp will really crawl as you get closer to target temp. 235* dome is lower at cooking level. Plus, maybe your gauge is off by another 5-10 degrees. Now your cooking closer to 200* at your butt level.
    I started my last butt at 225* grate level and bumped it up in the morning to 245* and it went for about 23 hours. It timed out perfect for my planned lunch.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,458
    chuckwoo said:

    Mattman3969 - I never use liquid in the egg.  The moisture stays in on its own. Do you not find that to be the case? I am open to suggestions. 



    I don't use liquid unless I'm trying to quickly drop the temp inside the egg.  I asked because I thought maybe if you were using liquid it was retarding your cook time 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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