I am smoking my first pork butt....did my rub, stored overnite, now in the Bradley for two hours so far. Have the slide temp bar cranked all the way to the right cuz my Bradley doesn't seem to get too hot from past experience with brisket.
Here's my problem: Hooked the Maverick smoker temp probe to the rack and it now reads 245 degrees. However the door thermometer only reads 190. Meat temp is only 77 so far. So do I cut it down or just wait....was shooting for a smoker temp to 225. Can I trust the door thermometer? Tend to think the Maverick probe is more accurate and I should cut my temp bar down a bit.
thanks,
Mike
The maverick is going to be more accurate then the door gauge.
Thanks. Do you agree with a temp of 225 as my goal?
If your Maverick is reading 245ºF then I think you might have the temp probe in the wrong place. Is the probe below the pork butt? I agree that the door gauge is not very accurate but the Mav temp probe needs to be under the meat.
Smoker temp of 225ºF is what I use for my butts. Have fun ... good eats!!
Try to put it to where nothing is dripping on the probe. Below the
Rack where the butt is on.
Also, do the boiling water test on your maverick to make sure that it's accurate. I try to do it the day before or the day off while the Bradley is coming up to temp or I'm doing other prep work. Like anything else it can go bad. I have a maverick et73 that reads 12' less than the actual temp that the meat is at. I have the new et732 but I will check that one also. You just never know and it doesn't take that that long to do.
Nothing like cooking something and it doesn't look quite done ;D (from personal experience)
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Thanks. Still goin, taking longer than I thought for 8 lb butt. Did 4 hour smoke. Have vents opened all the way. Temp was up to 235 earlier, now down to 219 cranked all the way up. IT is only 161 after 9 hours. Geez. Can't have for dinner tonite, that's for sure cuz I want to FTC for at least an hour. Guess doing butts overnight makes more sense.
;D ;D ;D ;D
Welcome to low and slow my friend, ya better get used to it ;)
Yep. Bet its gonna be awesome when its done. Can already see bigtime bark.
And at 161F IT your still in the stall most likely :o
It may stay there for a few hours before rising. Keep plenty of cold libations available. Your in for a long haul ;)
I don't get why I can't get higher temps or at least keep it at 225. I have a classic Bradley. I read some of you guys put in extra heating elements. Is this why? Disappointing.
So maybe get the digital Bradley and dump the classic? Not sure why the heating element is so weak. Is the digital version better?
During the stall like muebe talked about the temp will not start to go up till it's over. You have to remember this is only a 500 watt element and yes thats why we sometimes add an extra one. It will come around for you and when it does the temps will come back to normal. You either need lots of coffee or lots of beer....I go for the beer ;D ;D ;D
Same element different controls.
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Quote from: Smokin Elvis on April 07, 2012, 05:01:13 PM
I don't get why I can't get higher temps or at least keep it at 225. I have a classic Bradley. I read some of you guys put in extra heating elements. Is this why? Disappointing.
Where are you taking your temp reading from? Are you using a digital thermometer like a Maverick?
The temp reading in the door gauge will not be accurate because it is located above the meat. You need to take the temp with a digital thermometer like a Maverick with the probe below the meat on the lowest rack. A large cut of meat like a 8lb butt is going to absorb a lot of energy. The stall is when the connective tissues in the meat begin to breakdown. This usually starts at around 160F IT. This is the reason that pulled pork can be "pulled" and falls apart. Once you get out of the stall the temp will start to climb again.
I have two 8lb butts in my Original Bradley right now. I have a 900w upgraded element and a convection fan. I put them in last night at 10PM at 220F for 4 hours while smoking and bumped it up to 240F after that. It is 5:33PM currently and they are at a IT of 187F and 184F. I will pull them at 195F IT and then FTC. As you can see even with more horsepower and higher temps it still takes time. So just be patient and the results will be worth it ;)
Yes I am using a Maverick. Finally gave up after 12 hours, put in foil and fridge...will start again today. I think next time starting the night before is the way to go. Do all of you recommend putting in the extra heating element in the original Bradley? And a fan? Sounds like I'm customizing a car....need to drive these butts a little faster..... :P
I have the 6 rack digital and added an extra element to help with temp recovery. When I do butts I just plan on 14-20 hours depends on the butt. Stall periods may be a couple of hours butt that is ok. It does what it is supposed to do and when I hit an IT of 195 I FTC for a couple of hours. They come out great. Patience is the key.
So I usually plan on an hour of smoker time per lb with brisket....I am thinking I should double that for butts, right? I still only use 4 hours of smoke for both.
Where do you buy the extra element and how hard is it to install?
Usually after 4 hours of smoke the meat does not take on much more smoke flavor so that is the max I do.
I bought my extra element I got from Yard and Pool(http://www.yardandpool.com/dealoftheday.asp)
Putting it in is fairly easy especially if you know anything about electronics which I don't ;D
Here is a great link for adding an extra element;
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?572-Additional-Heating-Element-Modification
Don't be afraid to ask questions on this, there is plenty of people here who can help.
The first few I did I ended up calling Pizza hut :-\ wife complaining that it was taking to long , Cooking to temp can be a little difficult to predict.
Quote from: Smokin Elvis on April 08, 2012, 04:12:18 AM
Yes I am using a Maverick. Finally gave up after 12 hours, put in foil and fridge...will start again today. I think next time starting the night before is the way to go. Do all of you recommend putting in the extra heating element in the original Bradley? And a fan? Sounds like I'm customizing a car....need to drive these butts a little faster..... :P
I think most people would say not to stop cooking it midway through the process, especially when it is in the stall stage. Hope it turns out OK for you.
I smoked a 10 lb butt Friday. I put it in my OBS at 4:30 before I left for work. When I got back home 12 hours later it was 192*F and within 3 degrees of being done. Perfect timing, although I'd expected it to take closer to 15 hours. I did the FTC for a few hours, pulled it and put it in the fridge and reheated the next day for the big meal Saturday afternoon.
I added a second element in my OBS but not a fan yet, although I have one and it's just a matter of doing the work. If you add a second element you should also add a PID controller. The original temp control isn't designed to handle 1000W. You can buy an Auber internal PID controller for around $45 plus the things to make it all work (thermocouple, SSR, heatsink) for a total of around $70-$80. Then there's the plug-n-play versions for $140-$190.
Stopping it certainly wasn't my original plan but to let it cook through the night would have likely meant jerky butt cuz I damn sure wasn't gonna get up all night to check it and doubt even I could sell the wife on doing that. ::) I have a feeling it will probably be drier than it would have been if I could have cooked it straight through (as the outer meat is having to re-heat twice) but have been collecting drippings in a foiled rack below it and they will likely do a good job moistening it up in the crockpot after FTC. A learning experience for sure. I will start it day before next time.
As to installing an extra element and PID and fan....whew.....you guys are definitely hard core. ;D That means I gotta clean up the inside of the smoker (yeck) then try to play electrician.....I'm just a Texas boy wanting BBQ, not to build a new smoker...but sounds like that's what I need to do...where can you buy the plug and play version cuz that is definitely safer than me wiring something.
Quote from: Smokin Elvis on April 08, 2012, 08:06:05 AMwhere can you buy the plug and play version cuz that is definitely safer than me wiring something.
Auber Instruments:
Single Probe PID Controller (http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_28&products_id=72)
Dual Probe PID Controller (http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14_28&products_id=151)
Thanks for the links but I am not sure I need the PID unless I am smoking fish....I have read on this forum on multiple posts that the temp fluctuations of the standard Bradley are fine when smoking ribs, pork and brisket and thats mainly what I do. The second heating unit may be useful though as mine seems to be weak...but I have now noticed much higher temps since I opened up the vent completely and it may be OK for my applications. I am using a Maverick dual probe thermometer and plan on pulling the butt at IT of 195. Thanks again.
You probably had enough smoke, why not just finish in the oven?
Only used 4 hours of smoke.......way back there yesterday...when I was a young man.......smoker temp at 255 and just hit 178 IT so I think we are now through the stall!!! Will FTC for 2 hours after we hit 195 then feed my starving family..... :o
I think just about everyone here has been through the 160 + stall, and that is when the magic is happening...I've never added the extra element and have done up to four and five butts at one time...the name of low and slow is how I do it, sometimes it takes less time then others, but I have had butts go as long as 22 hours...we are talking about cooking at 200 + degrees not 350 or 400...Patience is a great vertue when cooking with the Bradley...