longer cook times than expected

[RaginCajun]

I received my #2 a few weeks ago and need to check on an issue I'm having. First thing I smoked was a Boston butt, it was in the 8lb range. It took longer than I expected based on some of the time/pound I've seen mentioned here. I ended up pulling it off when it was close due to some time constraints on my own. I wasn't too worried about it then.

But yesterday I did two Boston butts in it, one on the top shelf and the second one below it. I put them in on Saturday night at 7:50pm at 225*. They just hit the 195* temp tonight, Sunday, at 10:50pm, that's 27 hours cooking time. That seems way longer than what I was expecting. Unfortunately I don't have the exact weights of them but they were average size, in the 8 lb range I think.

So.....what's going on??? Why the long cook time? Any thoughts/suggestions????

 

[NDKoze]

For 2 butts, I always smoke at 235. For one butt, I smoke at 225.

Were you monitoring your box temps? If so, were they close to 225?

I usually start my butts at 11:00pm the night before and they are usually done by mid afternoon the next day.

I usually figure 2 hours per pound and that gets me pretty close.

Did you use any drip pans on a shelf below the meat to catch the drippings? These will cause the problems that you describe.

 

[RaginCajun]

I had a loaf pan filled with water next to the wood box and the normal drip pan under the smoker.

No I only had one probe in the meat, none monitoring the box temp.

I just finished pulling it, let it sit two hours. Had a good smoke flavor but though it was a bit dry but other pieces were moist. I didn't brine it, haven't gone down that path yet. Overall a good flavor but feel like I need to add sauce to it to bring back some moist for it. Thanks for the reply Koze, still a mystery....

 

[NDKoze]

I would highly recommend brining. I brine 95% of my butts and have never had one that was too dry.

I am wondering if your probe may not have been reading right or the probe placement was giving inaccurate reading as it sounds like they got overcooked.

What internal temp did you take them to? I pull mine around 190-195.

Did you probe both butts? The bottom one should have gotten done well before the top one.

I am lucky to have enough room in my #3 to smoke my dual butts on the same shelf so they both get done at pretty much the same time.

 

[Pork Belly]

Typically I don't brine but sometimes I do. Butts go in at 230 at midnight and are removed at 4PM to rest until dinner. I don't check temps anymore the #3 is to constant.

While we typically say don't watch box temp due to the swings you should check yours to insure you are close to the set point.

Tou do not mention your target temp so you may be overcooking also.

 

[RaginCajun]

I pulled them at 195*. I had the temp probe in the top butt.

Can I run the smoker empty and check the box temperature or does it need something in it to get a truer reading??

 

[NDKoze]

The bottom butt would have gotten done well before the upper one as it is closer to the element and hotter toward the bottom. So, I would have temped the lower butt and removed it when it hit temp and then moved the probe to the upper butt and smoked until it also hit 195. The temps toward the top of the smoker are typically more stable, but the lower portion of the smoker will always be hotter and have more swings no matter whether you have an Auber or a traditional model. Your swings with the Auber will be smaller, but there will be swings none the less in the bottom portion of the smoker and it will be hotter.

Actually 195 is on the top end of the internal temp that I use for butts. I try to pull as close to 190 as possible, but invariably I always overshot by a degree or two.

So, the next time you do two Boston Butts, I would first recommend brining. After trying this you may never smoke an unbrined butt again. And second, temp the lower butt and remove double-foil and rest the first butt, while temping the upper butt until it hits 190.

Running the smoker empty will not be a good test as without some type of heat sink your temps will swing wildly and will be way off. I have a feeling your smoker is just fine and not sure I would bother trying to test the smoker temp. I think overcooking the lower butt by smoking until the upper butt hit 195 and lack of brine probably attributed to your issues.

 

[RaginCajun]

Thanks for the advice Greg, I appreciate it!!!!

Darn...sounds like I'll just have to cook some more to get some practice....what a shame!!!!   

 

[NDKoze]

Dang, what a great problem to have.

You may want to invest in a Maverick 733-ET or something similar so that you can probe both of your butts at the same time. You can use the second probe to monitor the box temp too, but as other including me have said it really isn't necessary. I only temp my smoker box if I am only smoking one piece of meat and have a free probe.

 

[SconnieQ]

Although brining a butt is a good thing, it should not be necessary for moist meat. Butts are loaded with fat and moisture on their own, and when smoked inside an SI with a water pan on the floor of the smoker next to the wood box, they should not come out dry, brined or not. They are almost fool-proof.

I would troubleshoot the most basic things first. #1: Did you use an ambient thermometer to measure the box temperature? Did it give you a similar reading as your set temperature? You can test your ambient temperature probe by placing in ice water, and placing in boiling water, and seeing if it registers 32°F and 212°F. #2: Is your meat temp probe accurate? Did you place it in the thickest part of the butt, avoiding touching large pockets of fat or bone? Test your meat temperature probe for accuracy (placing in ice water, and placing in boiling water, and seeing if it registers 32°F and 212°F).

My best guess is that your meat temperature probe is off based on two things you mentioned: #1 the long cooking time, and #2 the fact that when the meat was done, it was dry. I feel like your probe might be registering "low", and your meat has possibly reached temp long before your probe indicates. When you put your probe in boiling water, if it reads less than 212, it is low. If not, then I'm stumped. But seems probe accuracy is a really common problem.

 

[NDKoze]

Kari, you're right that you don't have to brine a butt to get a moist result.

I think the biggest problem that I saw was that he had a butt on a lower shelf and another on the upper shelf and only probed the upper butt. The lower butt was most likely way over done by the time the upper butt hit his temp of 195.

Scott, I would be interested to know if the upper butt was as dry as the lower one? My guess is that it was not.

This is my thought anyway.

 

[SconnieQ]

Kari, you're right that you don't have to brine a butt to get a moist result.

I think the biggest problem that I saw was that he had a butt on a lower shelf and another on the upper shelf and only probed the upper butt. The lower butt was most likely way over done by the time the upper butt hit his temp of 195.

Scott, I would be interested to know if the upper butt was as dry as the lower one? My guess is that it was not.

This is my thought anyway.

True, one or the other or both. Check the probe accuracy first, then temp the bottom butt on the next smoke.

 

[DivotMaker]

Scott, try pulling your Boston butts at 188-190.  No need to go to 195.  I agree with Gregg that the bottom butt was probably done way before the top one.  If you do 2 like that again, rotate the top and bottom shelves halfway through cooking.

 

[RaginCajun]

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions guys, I appreciate you guys helping out a rookie!!!! 

I did use that same probe to check a freezer temperate only a few days earlier and did get a reading of 32* (although I don't know if that was accurate or not, so I will try the boiling water check).

Greg, you are right one of the butts was not as dry as the other. I didn't pay attention to which butt was the one on the top/bottom when I took them out of the ice chest to open the foil and pull them. But one pan of meat is definitely more moist then the other.

I'm learning a lot in this "experiment", I now have a new lower temperate to shoot for instead of 195*, I have placed an order for a Maverick ET-733, I'll also rotate the butts next time I'm cooking two.

And I'm still very happy with the #2, just have to learn the ropes and the personality of it and the meats I'm cooking. Family and friends gave good review of the taste of the butts so that's good.

Next up....baby back ribs!!! Looking forward to this!!    I'm planning to cook this based on time not temp based on the comments/recommendations on this site.

And for the weekend, I have a brisket on the menu!!! I'll go read some previous postings about smoking a brisket to research further. Any different suggestions for temps/tips, etc that I should keep in mind for this???

Again thanks to all you guys for helping a newbie along!!!!
This is the first forum I've participated in where with each posting I get hungry!!!!! 

 

[NDKoze]

There is a learning curve for these smokers, but as compared to other smoker types I think it is relatively short.

The hardest part is for longtime users of other smokers to realize that many of the methods that they have used for years in their other smokers are not necessary or a change in the process is necessary for the best results with the SI style smokers.

You are well on your way my friend.

 

[Limey]

Scott, you commented that "one pan of meat is definitely more moist than the other" Did you cook them in pans? If so this would definitely contribute to longer cook times in my experience.

 

[RaginCajun]

Roger, I cooked them on the racks, the reference to the pans was where I had the meat after pulling it.

 

[Smokey]

I can get 2 8lbs on the top shelf of , my number 2.  It takes some moving around but is doable.  During the cook they will shrink down some as well.  I have done this on a few occasions.  May be worth a shot.  You just want to try to keep the 2 pieces from touching each other. They will be close to the sides.  Or I have tilted one piece on its side as well as I would rather have all on the same shelf than 2 separate.