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Question: Seem to have hit the plateau at 143

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
on my pulled pork. It's very cold (20 degrees in Atlanta) and I'm cooking a ton of butts for Christmas gifts (8 butts on the XL with grid extender).

Two questions:

1. Am I really in the plateau at this low temp?
2. Any food safety concerns? I know the danger zone is 40 to 140 degrees. Just double checking opinions.

Thanks!

BB
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Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    ive seen them plataue a couple times during the same cook, no problem safety wise as long as your pit temp is high enough, its all about pit temp not meat temp
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    matter as long as the pit temp is high enough? I never knew that. So I guess the bacteria can't take hold in the meat as long as the pit is high enough to keep it from forming?
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  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    The bacteria are, for the most part, on the exterior surfaces of the meat. Once that exterior surface meets the 140*+ambient temps the threat from those bacteria is gone.

    If you have a boneless butt then there is more potential for bacteria to have been introduced into the meat. Either way, once you hit that 140* mark you should be relatively in the clear.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    in bbq its the stuff that grows on the meats exterior, it doesnt happen when the pit temp is high enough. if you watch meat internal temps with a pit temp of 225 to 250 dome, the internal meat temp will not hit 140 for several hours, in fact on a standard 7 to 8 pound butt it wont pass 140 in the first 5 or 6 hours. if you read the 40 to 140 degree rule carefully, its talking about the environment the meat is in, countertop, fridge, oven,trunk of the car, not meat temps
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    im probably the only one to do this on the forum with a boneless butt, but i like to start with higher dome temps with those, 275 to 300 will get the interior of the wrapped up flaps of meat on a boneless butt up to 140 degrees in the 4 hours. i figure its safer with these to cook them this way
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    i'm glad that the tide seems to have turned here. i used to get the snot kicked out of me on a regular basis for saying that.

    (this is my 11,000th post, by the way. more than 3/4s of them had to do with me offering my opinion on 40-140 questions, probably....)
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    into the cook and the meat is still at 140.

    I'm guessing the fact that I have 60 lbs. of pork on the Egg has something to do with it. Probably pushing the heating capabiltiies of the Egg beyond a typical cook.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    last year at this time we were about tied at posts :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,589
    i think i would crank your temps up a little bit, you need some more heat in there with all thet meat or they are never going to get done
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Unknown
    Unknown
    come up to 151 in about 20 minutes. Christmas is saved!

    Thanks very much for all your wise counsel. It's amazing how much knowledge you gain on here in such a short period of time...
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  • Essex County
    Essex County Posts: 991
    You're not the only one. Most of the butts we get are boneless and I have decided my egg likes 275 better than 250. I always get anxious when the temp rises so quickly and worry that the meat will be done in 6 hours or so. It never happens. Even at 275, I've never finished a pulled pork cook inside of 14 hours.
    Paul
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
    He had a growing spurt!!
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  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 13,710
    with so much meat and cold ambient temp, watch out for lump running out.
    canuckland
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