Bull Possible Temp Issues - thoughts please

[HackintheBull]

I am a proud owner of a New RT700, just got it 2 weeks ago, and am also a total newb when it comes to Smoking. I got into it because my teenage son and i love smoked food and its something nice for us to do together. I am concerned though that i am either having temp issues or just newbie problems and wanted to get the Forums thoughts.

So far i have had 3 cooks on my Bull, first was a 6.5lb pork butt for pulled pork, second was some chicken cordon bleu chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, and 3rd were two whole spare rib racks. The chicken thighs were cooked at 300 degrees for 2 hours and came out fantastic.

The pulled pork and whole spare ribs however took way longer than i ever expected. The pork butt took about 5 hours to reach an internal temp of 150 degrees and stalled for 2 hours, this was my first experience with the stall, very frustrating but part of the game so ive read. I finally wrapped the pork at 165 and cooked until internal temp of 195 for a total cook time of 10 hours. Considering this was my first cook i was relatively pleased, there was some very tender pork but not the fall apart pulled pork i was expecting. I have read that in general pork butt cooks at about an hour per pound, this seems like my cook time was fairly long. I chalked this up to learning and moved on. For Super Bowl i decided to cook a couple of racks of whole spare ribs, i decided to go unwrapped and figured i would smoke for no longer than 5 hours at 235 degrees. Well i was wrong, at 5 hours i did the bend test to see if the ribs were done and they were still stiff and not done. I ended up leaving them on for another 2 hours with the internal temp only reaching 175. The ribs were good and flavorful but again not as tender as i was expecting for a 7 hour cook.

So here is the deal, im thinking that my internal temp probe is off, so yesterday i test both probe A and B in ice water against an instant read thermometer i have and they both matched my instant read. Now i place a brick in the center of the smoker and place both probes and another thermometer on the top of the brick and wait to see what the internal temp of the grill is near the cooking surface. I started my Bull and turned it to 250 degrees, after 1 hour both probes and the thermometer finally hit 250.

Thanks for bearing with me to this point, here are my questions: 1) Should it take an hour for the cooking surface to reach temp? 2) Do these cook times seem long to anyone else? 3) Should i try cooking at a higher temp, say 250? Am i just overthinking it and this just comes with the territory of being a beginner? 4) Or is they something else i am not thinking of or doing right?

Thanks for any help or incite.

 

[Wslayer]

You don't state where you are from so weather may be somewhat of a factor. Just did 2 racks of spares on Sunday in ND. ( Stampede ) Temps were about 20° outside, light wind. Unwrapped ribs were taken to IT of 197° in 5:45 @ temp 225°.
Butts are hard to determine some times. I have had 9# that took about 14 hrs. May have just been a tough old oink. No two ever the same,sometimes temp up to 210° or higher for probe tender.

 

[HackintheBull]

I live in Florida, its been in the 70s so i didnt think weather would be to much of a factor right now. I do agree that it could have just been a tough piece of meat and i will try again.

 

[Uncle Bob]

I'll agree with slayer, I run a 9 pound butt nekkid the whole way (for better bark) and 14 ish hours is typical. I have independent pit probes on a couple Thermoworks devices I have so don't do that brick thingy you did, but my gut doubts whether that is an effective way to measure. Maybe, if you don't have a proper device, stick the probe through a ball off foil with the tip out in free air (that's where the thermistor is). Also look at the pit temp sensor on the left wall of the internal. If it is leaning toward the wall it will confuse the controller. It should be vertical, though a very slight lean to the pit center would be acceptable.

 

[ccmjr77]

The only pork butt I did in under 10 hours was one that I wrapped and I did not like the results, so 10-14 hours is not unusual for a 7-10 lb butt.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I don't think you'll find many experienced bbq chefs that cook a butt to temperature. Every butt that I do, I check for tenderness for when I remove it from the heat. This regardless of time or temperature of the pit or meat. I will say that tenderness often coincides with a internal (very core) temperature of about 203F or more with my equipment. Still, only a "poke" test for tenderness is the standard for removal from the pit.

At 235F and no wrap, I would expect ribs to finish in the 5-6 hour range. But this is just an approximation. A lot of things can affect the time it takes. Pre-heat vs no pre-heat, how many times the pit is opened, meat temp when beginning. Air leaks and temperature errors is low on the list of probabilities with a Rectec.

BBQ is not like baking bread, cakes, or confectionery where specific and precise temperature and time react on the precise chemistry to yield a desired result. Most of the tougher cuts of meat have a lot of variability of fat, connective tissue, bone and meat, that make cooking to time and temperature unreliable. Toss in temperature swings from opening the pit and other reasons, and it gets hard to predict time and temp cooking. But as you learn your pit and your methods get more consistent, your results will be more consistent. BBQ is done when it's done.

 

[Chrisg]

I don't think you'll find many experienced bbq chefs that cook a butt to temperature. Every butt that I do, I check for tenderness for when I remove it from the heat. This regardless of time or temperature of the pit or meat. I will say that tenderness often coincides with a internal (very core) temperature of about 203F or more with my equipment. Still, only a "poke" test for tenderness is the standard for removal from the pit.

At 235F and no wrap, I would expect ribs to finish in the 5-6 hour range. But this is just an approximation. A lot of things can affect the time it takes. Pre-heat vs no pre-heat, how many times the pit is opened, meat temp when beginning. Air leaks and temperature errors is low on the list of probabilities with a Rectec.

BBQ is not like baking bread, cakes, or confectionery where specific and precise temperature and time react on the precise chemistry to yield a desired result. Most of the tougher cuts of meat have a lot of variability of fat, connective tissue, bone and meat, that make cooking to time and temperature unreliable. Toss in temperature swings from opening the pit and other reasons, and it gets hard to predict time and temp cooking. But as you learn your pit and your methods get more consistent, your results will be more consistent. BBQ is done when it's done.

Agreed

 

[Chrisg]

Well, I always cook pork butt at 250. If you want more smoke, use the smoke tube.... works good for me. I cook unwrapped till it gets a mahogany color, then wrap in foil with pineapple juice. Use thermometer probe to check for done... usually is around 200... ribs are similar usually 5 hrs for st Louis ribs and less for baby back.. use a rib rack.. meat between bones is close to 200.

Chris

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Just another data point, I roasted a couple shoulders in the oven, in aluminum half trays, covered with foil, at 400F last night. When I saw the temp on my Thermoworks Smoke monitored probe reach 200F I checked it with the pointy Themapen by poking it. It was not done. Later, I checked it again around 209F in the core. It was still not done. It took about 212F to be done to tender in the core. I believe that was because of the fast cook at 400F. Long, low cooks seem to finish to tender in the core at lower temps, like I've had some around the 195F range be completely tender thru.

 

[jmplunkett]

I am a proud owner of a New RT700, just got it 2 weeks ago, and am also a total newb when it comes to Smoking. I got into it because my teenage son and i love smoked food and its something nice for us to do together. I am concerned though that i am either having temp issues or just newbie problems and wanted to get the Forums thoughts.

So far i have had 3 cooks on my Bull, first was a 6.5lb pork butt for pulled pork, second was some chicken cordon bleu chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, and 3rd were two whole spare rib racks. The chicken thighs were cooked at 300 degrees for 2 hours and came out fantastic.

The pulled pork and whole spare ribs however took way longer than i ever expected. The pork butt took about 5 hours to reach an internal temp of 150 degrees and stalled for 2 hours, this was my first experience with the stall, very frustrating but part of the game so ive read. I finally wrapped the pork at 165 and cooked until internal temp of 195 for a total cook time of 10 hours. Considering this was my first cook i was relatively pleased, there was some very tender pork but not the fall apart pulled pork i was expecting. I have read that in general pork butt cooks at about an hour per pound, this seems like my cook time was fairly long. I chalked this up to learning and moved on. For Super Bowl i decided to cook a couple of racks of whole spare ribs, i decided to go unwrapped and figured i would smoke for no longer than 5 hours at 235 degrees. Well i was wrong, at 5 hours i did the bend test to see if the ribs were done and they were still stiff and not done. I ended up leaving them on for another 2 hours with the internal temp only reaching 175. The ribs were good and flavorful but again not as tender as i was expecting for a 7 hour cook.

So here is the deal, im thinking that my internal temp probe is off, so yesterday i test both probe A and B in ice water against an instant read thermometer i have and they both matched my instant read. Now i place a brick in the center of the smoker and place both probes and another thermometer on the top of the brick and wait to see what the internal temp of the grill is near the cooking surface. I started my Bull and turned it to 250 degrees, after 1 hour both probes and the thermometer finally hit 250.

Thanks for bearing with me to this point, here are my questions: 1) Should it take an hour for the cooking surface to reach temp? 2) Do these cook times seem long to anyone else? 3) Should i try cooking at a higher temp, say 250? Am i just overthinking it and this just comes with the territory of being a beginner? 4) Or is they something else i am not thinking of or doing right?

Thanks for any help or incite.

The last pork butt I did - around Thanksgiving - ran for 21 hours to hit 205 internal temperature. It finis up at 5:45 am the day after I started it. It was tender and moist, pulled nicely after a short rest. It went through a long stall, but I just let it ride, monitoring the temperature with the phone app. Last ribs I did, also at 225 pit temp, used the 3-2-1 method with a wrap for the middle 2 hours. I wrap with butter, brown sugar, and apple juice. These were very tender, a bit over cooked by competition standards, but very tasty. All in - keep smoking but run meats a little longer and expect things to take longer than you would think.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

That's serious " LOW AND SLOW" dedication !
Haha, nice.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

The last pork butt I did - around Thanksgiving - ran for 21 hours to hit 205 internal temperature. It finis up at 5:45 am the day after I started it. It was tender and moist, pulled nicely after a short rest. It went through a long stall, but I just let it ride, monitoring the temperature with the phone app. Last ribs I did, also at 225 pit temp, used the 3-2-1 method with a wrap for the middle 2 hours. I wrap with butter, brown sugar, and apple juice. These were very tender, a bit over cooked by competition standards, but very tasty. All in - keep smoking but run meats a little longer and expect things to take longer than you would think.

225F/no wrap?

 

[Scholtesg0213]

I am a proud owner of a New RT700, just got it 2 weeks ago, and am also a total newb when it comes to Smoking. I got into it because my teenage son and i love smoked food and its something nice for us to do together. I am concerned though that i am either having temp issues or just newbie problems and wanted to get the Forums thoughts.

So far i have had 3 cooks on my Bull, first was a 6.5lb pork butt for pulled pork, second was some chicken cordon bleu chicken thighs wrapped in bacon, and 3rd were two whole spare rib racks. The chicken thighs were cooked at 300 degrees for 2 hours and came out fantastic.

The pulled pork and whole spare ribs however took way longer than i ever expected. The pork butt took about 5 hours to reach an internal temp of 150 degrees and stalled for 2 hours, this was my first experience with the stall, very frustrating but part of the game so ive read. I finally wrapped the pork at 165 and cooked until internal temp of 195 for a total cook time of 10 hours. Considering this was my first cook i was relatively pleased, there was some very tender pork but not the fall apart pulled pork i was expecting. I have read that in general pork butt cooks at about an hour per pound, this seems like my cook time was fairly long. I chalked this up to learning and moved on. For Super Bowl i decided to cook a couple of racks of whole spare ribs, i decided to go unwrapped and figured i would smoke for no longer than 5 hours at 235 degrees. Well i was wrong, at 5 hours i did the bend test to see if the ribs were done and they were still stiff and not done. I ended up leaving them on for another 2 hours with the internal temp only reaching 175. The ribs were good and flavorful but again not as tender as i was expecting for a 7 hour cook.

So here is the deal, im thinking that my internal temp probe is off, so yesterday i test both probe A and B in ice water against an instant read thermometer i have and they both matched my instant read. Now i place a brick in the center of the smoker and place both probes and another thermometer on the top of the brick and wait to see what the internal temp of the grill is near the cooking surface. I started my Bull and turned it to 250 degrees, after 1 hour both probes and the thermometer finally hit 250.

Thanks for bearing with me to this point, here are my questions: 1) Should it take an hour for the cooking surface to reach temp? 2) Do these cook times seem long to anyone else? 3) Should i try cooking at a higher temp, say 250? Am i just overthinking it and this just comes with the territory of being a beginner? 4) Or is they something else i am not thinking of or doing right?

Thanks for any help or incite.

Try the 3-2-1 method on your ribs. I cook 225 for 3 hrs. Wrap tightly with two layers foil and cook for 2 hrs. Remover from foil for last hour of cooking. About 15-20 min before I Finish I coat with my sauce.

 

[cookingjnj]

It drives my wife up a storm when I cook big cuts, and sometimes even ribs, because she will ask me how much longer and I have to answer not sure. It is done when it is done. As others have said above, each hunk of meat is different, and sings to a different tune. Times and temps are just a guide, the meat tells us when it is done. I have become far more patient since I started the low and slow cooking process.
That said, foil, a towel (or two) and a cooler can be your best friend. Start your cook earlier than you originally planned. Let it do it's thing and finish a little earlier than needed (up to 2-3 hours). Wrap, or keep already wrapped, tightly in foil, place in a cooler wrapped with a towel or two, and the meat will stay hot for hours. If I am putting something in the FTC that was wrapped during the cooking, I loosely unwrap for a few minutes to stop the cooking process, then wrap tightly again and put into the cooler.
Most important thing is to have fun, try different methods and do what works best for you! Having fun is what cooking is all about.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

@Scholtesg0213 looks good.

 

[bfletcher]

It drives my wife up a storm when I cook big cuts, and sometimes even ribs, because she will ask me how much longer and I have to answer not sure. It is done when it is done.

A few years ago I smoked a pork shoulder that was significantly smaller in weight than any I did prior to that date and any I've done since. At the time, I was familiar with the term "it's done when it's done" and I'm sure I borrowed the phrase so I could sound experienced but that was my first personal experience. Then, today, I did a 3.5 lb cured brisket flat for pastrami. I thank God it was not intended for tonight's meal; I did it because it was my day of R&R and offered an excuse for a couple movies and some adult beverages. That sucker took 8.x hours before it was ready to wrap at 160'ish and took a total of 10.75 hours before I pulled it at 195*f for a rest. I like pastrami, so I've done possibly a dozen during the course of my 4-year adventure, but I did not anticipate this lengthy cook at 250*f.