Large Temperature Swing....Is this the Norm?

[schmoopyke]

My choice for first smoke after the seasoning of the smoker was a pork butt.  I wanted to go low and slow and set box at 225.  The temperature went to the 300's.  After zeroing in on the the 225 temp on my temp prob I had to set the smoker dial down to aroung 190.  The temperature swing was from 198 to 290.  Is a 92 degree temperature swing normal?  Is there something I can do?  I could live with a 25 degree temp swing but an over 90 degree temp swing is crazy for such a pricey smoker.....please help.....thanks.

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[DivotMaker]

Hi, and welcome!

Glad to have you with us, but can you give us a little more information?  What model do you have?  Where did you place your box temp probe?  I would be very surprised if you actually had temp swings that large, and there are explanations as to why you saw that, depending on what you tell us.

Now, here's the main question:  How did your pork butt turn out?  How big was it, and how long did it take?  If the answer is it was great, and it took from 1-2 hours per pound, then my question to you is "what does it matter what the temp swings were?"  The analog controller (I'm assuming you have a standard model, not a "D") are typically 10-20°, but your probe placement can give you false readings, big time.  The bottom line is that if your meat cooked properly, in a "normal" amount of time, then all is good!  Let me give you a piece of advice:  Monitoring the box temp, on a standard unit, will make you crazy and add unnecessary stress to your life!  If the food cooks properly, then let the smoker do its thing, and trust (as so many of us do) that it is "averaging" to the set temp!

Also, now that you've joined us, do us a favor and add a first name and town to your signature line; we like to know our new friends!  And, head over to the Introductions section and tell us a little about yourself (BBQ experience, etc.).  Nice to see folks follow good forum etiquette and introduce themselves to the group.  We're here to help, and hope you a willing to join in the discussions and participate!

[jcboxlot]

I'll second that thought.   The 1st few times I cooked I checked the box temp.   Not needed if you ask me.


If the food turned out fine and cooked in a good time per lb you are good to go.

[schmoopyke]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I have a dual wireless temp monitor. I put one prob in a 7 lb boston butt which i placed on the bottom most rack.  I placed the ambient prob on the bottom most rack as well on the right side of the the butt and near the right side of the box.  The smoke took about 13 hrs with mesquite wood and turned out very good.  However, anyone with a little smoking experience knows a boston butt is very lenient as far as temp due to its large fat content.  I am afraid this 90 degree temp swing is gonna really kill jerky or a brisket.  Please help I really want this smoker to work....thanks.

[NDKoze]

I see a couple of things that you did differently than most which may account for the higher than normal temp swings.

• You want to place your butt as high as you can in the smoker while leaving enough room for the probe wires to come in through the smoke hole. The temps toward the top of your smoker are where they will be most stable. It stands to reason that the temps right next to the heating element will be greater.
• You want to place your box probe at the same level as your meat but as far away from the meat that you can while still maintaining 1" or so from the smoker wall. This prevents the temperature of the meat from affecting your temps.
• If you ever do get a huge 100-degree spike, it may be that your wood caught on fire. If this happens, do not panic and open the door because this will flood the smoke with fresh oxygen and make the problem worse. Make sure you are using high-quality smoking wood such as many of us get from www.smokinlicious.com and you will not have to worry about your wood catching on fire as often is the case with wood purchased from big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes, Wally World, etc.

I have a #3 and I get bigger temp swings than Tony says is normal. My temp swings at the start of the smoke range from 20-30 degrees, but as the smoke goes on the swings get less and less. I am assuming that the tightening up of the swings are the result of the meat not affecting the box probe as much. This has zero effect on my final product and is not a concern for me. I rarely even temp my box anymore as I have used my smoker enough and trust that the temp swings will be within 30 degrees for a Boston Butt smoke.

For jerky, I smoke at 140 and the top end of the swings do not typically go over 150. So at lower temps, the swings will not be as great.

[SconnieQ]

Gregg is spot on. A couple things to add. Make sure your ambient probe tip is "floating" and not touching a metal rack, etc. If your probe was toward the bottom, where the element was cycling on and off, for sure it was all over the place. Toward the top of the smoker or next to your meat toward the top is best for measuring your ambient temp. I have the low-tech #1, and when it was new, I saw some pretty dramatic temperature swings. Once it got seasoned, those swings evened out, and are now in the 20-30 degree range (...or so...). And the swings are greatest as the smoker is heating up. They become less as your cook progresses. Don't worry about it, your food can handle it, and will come out great. I come from a more traditional smoking background where maintaining 225 was a sleepless night, and I would have been thrilled with temp swings in that range! If you are cold smoking, and are concerned about box temp, there are several techniques, tube smokers, cold smoke plate, etc., that can help you keep your temp down. I don't even use my ambient probe anymore. Now that I've done enough smokes and know the box temp will be fine, I just set the dial, probe the meat, and that's it. The meat temp is what matters.

[ARmike]

Hi, first post after buying my 2 analog.  I was worried about the temp swings but this thread has resolved that....but.

 In here I read that smaller pounds of meat take "twice" as long as larger cuts of meat.  Like under 7lbs.  That makes no sense to me but it also said to trust us on this.  If true that is disapointing to me.  There is just my wife and I and we dont need to make 8-10 lbs just 3-4.  I didnt buy this thing to sit around for 16hrs for three lbs of meat.  Is this really true?  My ribs, riblets, steaks, and fish have all turned out but I want butt.

[DivotMaker]

Mike,

Do yourself a favor, and smoke a 8-10 lb butt.  The leftovers save really well, especially if you have a vacuum sealer!  Make up packages of the pulled pork, and enjoy it all winter, when you don't feel like smoking a fresh one.

About small cuts:  Can't explain the science behind it, but any cut that requires a "stall" (butts and briskets) to render the internal fat, take twice as long if they are under 7 lbs!  And, it's pretty much impossible to get a 3-4 lb Boston butt anyways.  If you do get a "pork shoulder" that small, it's likely a picnic roast, which is not near as good for pulled pork.  Get a 7+ lb bone-in Boston butt, and have the best pulled pork you've ever had!  And, save the leftovers for later!

[DivotMaker]

One more thing...  The cuts you mentioned, that have turned out great, cook entirely different from pork butts and brisket.  They don't have a lot of internal fat, and never "stall." 

[Limey]

Very much +1 on Tony's comments. Smoke a decent sized butt, get a vacuum packer and freeze leftovers in meal sized portions-the ultimate lazyQ as you defrost them for dinner. As a bonus, pulled pork tastes even better this way than straight out of the smoker, at least to me.

[ARmike]

Thanks Tony,  I do have the sealer so I guess that isn't a problem.  I just like to keep in fridge eat on sandwiches all week then start over on Sun.  Ah well, guess one can't always have icing on the cake.  I don't usually pull my pork I like slicing it.  Seems to make less messy sandwiches, just a personal thing.  Well I love my smoker anyway and just counseled one of my wifes work colleagues to get an SI but go on the forum before, during and after as the wealth of info is vast.

[ARmike]

Hey everybody,
Pulled off my 3.65lb pork shoulder and it took 8.5hrs which is a little over 2hrs per pound so Im happy with that in that is wasnt 2x longer it looks great and tastes, parts I picke off, great it is now resting.

Tks for the advice.  This forum is really the best source of info on a subject, with civility, I have ever seen and Iv'e been on computers and internet since the inception.  Go back before the actual civilian opening of the internet. lol

[DivotMaker]

Mike, sliced pork butts are great!  No need to go higher than 175 for slicing.  Save 190 for when you are going to pull it.

[NDKoze]

I don't do sliced butts as often as I should because I absolutely love them for making pork sammies. You could actually use a picnic roast for sliced butts too (but I would NOT use a picnic for pulled pork).

Regarding smoking an 8+ pound butt and vacuum sealing I strongly agree. I almost always have a pack or two of frozen pulled pork (you could do sliced too) in my freezer and it makes for a really fast easy meal. I actually think that my reheated smoked butt usually tastes a little better than when it was fresh. It seems like the smoke flavor mellows and spreads evenly to all of the meat versus primarily on the outer parts of the meat.

To reheat, just place your vacuum-sealed back in some simmering water for 30 minutes and you are good to go without any loss of moisture. If you have a Sous Vide cooker that would be a great option as well.

[ARmike]

Tks for the advice.  Will end up trying all the above ideas.  I usually have enough people to "spread the wealth" with also so, there ya go.