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Why is my pork butt taking way longer than it should?

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WannabeeEgghead
WannabeeEgghead Posts: 6
in EggHead Forum
Why is my pork butt brisket taking twice as long as it should to cook in my BGE?
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Answers

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,894
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    Have you calibrated your dome thermometer lately?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Eggdicted_Dawgfan
    Eggdicted_Dawgfan Posts: 1,896
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    How long should it take? My guess is you are cooking it too low. At 225° they take forever. Bump it up to 275-300° next time, if you don’t have a lot of sugar in the rub. See if you can tell a difference. 
    Snellville, GA


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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all have fun.  
    Nothing further to add regarding the cook as it will finish when it does...and time is not the decider.  
    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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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,989
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    At 225°F, typically I give it about 2 hours per pound. My last pork butt was 12 pounds after trimming. 24 hour cook, on the nose for 202°F IT.

    Like @lousubcap had mentioned previously, the roast decides when it is done.

    Best of luck, hope it turned out excellent.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,894
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    One recipe word you might want to check for future cooks…turbo butt! That means egging those butts 325 to 350 dome temp. That more than cuts the time in half or more! I haven’t done a low and slow butt in maybe 12 years after doing some tests. In blind taste tests neither my family, my friends nor class students could distinguish any difference! The only caution is as mentioned above - if you choose a rub with a high sugar content it MAY blacken! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • WannabeeEgghead
    WannabeeEgghead Posts: 6
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    Thanks! That’s the first time anyone’s told me anything other than 90 minutes per lb. I’ve been told to take it off at 210 degrees. I’ve taken it off at 203 and today at 205. Had varying degrees of tenderness. Wonder if there’s a sweet spot for the thermometer?🤔
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,378
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    The sweet spot is the feel-"probes like butter".  Temperature is only a guide. 
    So, when you climb on the brisket horse it is the same finish-feel.
    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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  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,052
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    There is no need to cook pork butts at 225.  275 works great and cooks it much quicker.  No difference in the end result either.

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

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  • BlueRidgeSmokers
    BlueRidgeSmokers Posts: 105
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    210 degrees internal - depending on how probed, I suppose - is a way overcooked pork butt. BBQ is done when it's tender, temperature is a secondary thing. Tenderness is judged with a poke. 

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  • DavidCrumpton
    DavidCrumpton Posts: 198
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    Low and slow. What’s the rush. 😬
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 6,300
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    That pig 🐖 is fighting on even after death. 
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,894
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    DavidCrumpton said:
    Low and slow. What’s the rush. 😬
    Well, Sir...maybe some of us are older and have less time on life's conveyor belt. Just sayin =)
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • DavidCrumpton
    DavidCrumpton Posts: 198
    edited July 2021
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    RRP said:
    DavidCrumpton said:
    Low and slow. What’s the rush. 😬
    Well, Sir...maybe some of us are older and have less time on life's conveyor belt. Just sayin =)
    Then you are all ready low and slow. 
    I have always been curious as to why when people retire and age that they become more in a hurry with less things to do. 😇
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,894
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    DavidCrumpton said:
    RRP said:
    DavidCrumpton said:
    Low and slow. What’s the rush. 😬
    Well, Sir...maybe some of us are older and have less time on life's conveyor belt. Just sayin =)
    Then you are all ready low and slow. 
    I have always been curious as to why people retire and age that they become more in a hurry with less things to do. 😇
    Well, Sir, if you knew my personal situation then you would know that even at my age 77 I am not “low and slow”!  I have caregiver issues (that I would never wish on anyone) to  prove why I seem to always be in a hurry BUT NEVER “with less things to do”! Egging a pork butt in half the time is only one of my many time saving efforts that work for me.

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • WannabeeEgghead
    WannabeeEgghead Posts: 6
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    Thanks everyone for the input. I guess it’s just like any other grilling in that regard. Use a little common sense and poke the thing. I gues towards the end of a long slow cook, I don’t have to worry about opening the egg occasionally to check the tenderness?
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