Boston butt issues…please help

[SmokinNC]

Hi Guys,
I’m having issues with the process as it’s taking way too long. Internal temp is 225 the butt hits the stall and just stays there. On my first attempt I was at 13.5hrs for a 4.5lbs butt and I turned the temp up to help it break thu, I got to 195, pulled it out. Dry. Second attempt same thing happened except I didn’t increase the temp. Pulled to out at 14 hrs and 170F. Dry butt again. This is not to say I haven’t had success with the butt when I wrap it at 160F, but everyone says put it in and forget it……this technique isn’t working for me. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong?

 

[PulledPorkSandwich]

Hi Guys,
I’m having issues with the process as it’s taking way too long. Internal temp is 225 the butt hits the stall and just stays there. On my first attempt I was at 13.5hrs for a 4.5lbs butt and I turned the temp up to help it break thu, I got to 195, pulled it out. Dry. Second attempt same thing happened except I didn’t increase the temp. Pulled to out at 14 hrs and 170F. Dry butt again. This is not to say I haven’t had success with the butt when I wrap it at 160F, but everyone says put it in and forget it……this technique isn’t working for me. Can anyone tell me what I’m doing wrong?

I'll chime in and watch for advice from the experts. 

All I can say is that I've had trouble with dry ribs, pork shoulders, and briskets and very long cook times when cooking at low box temperatures (225) without wrapping.  (I aim for 203 degrees IT with pork shoulders and briskets.)  I've resorted to wrapping and spritzing ribs, and wrapping pork shoulders and briskets even though doing so conflicts with the LazyQ "forget it" approach.  I've confirmed that my thermometers are accurate at 32 and 212 degrees.

I smoked my most recent pork shoulder at 250 degrees box temperature and aimed for 203 IT.  I wrapped in butcher paper at 160 IT and pulled it at 203 IT.  The shoulder weighed about 7 pounds and the total cook time was nearly 16 hours.  The meat came out moist and tender.

My results with wrapping (and spritzing for ribs) have been consistently very good, so I'm happy to continue smoking them that way.

I believe part of the problem is that the meat itself could be prone to come out dry after cooking.   

Others here report consistently good results with the "forget it" approach.

 

[old sarge]

One thing I have found in smoking large cuts of meat with a high fat content is that one has a good chance of inserting the temp probe into a solid fat pocket, and when the fat renders during the cook, that pocket becomes just empty space.  What is the probe supposed to monitor?  And thus, a smoke will take a huge amount of time pulling out of the stall, if at all. If I am in that stall with little to no movement for a couple of hours, I will use a second thermometer to check meat temp. And if necessary, reposition the onboard probe.  As for dry ribs, I have had them and have had great meaty moist ribs.  As far as I am concerned, it comes down to fat content.  I smoke ribs fat side down which helps insulate the meat from the heat below.  If the ribs are very lean, I will use a small disposible loaf pan with water to keep the chamber humid. As for wrapping, if that works and the results are good, have at it.  No hard and fast rules.  Enjoy.