Cellulite Boston Butt

[PMillen]

My pulled pork usually gets a "B" from me and an "A" from some family members.  I normally don't pay a lot of attention to the weight.  All I can say is that the latest was comperable to what I usually buy, about ⅔ the size of a shoe box.  Like always, I started it at 200°F at 10:00 PM Sunday night and expected it to go to 195°F IT and FTC about 4:00 PM Monday.

Well, at 200° the temperature climbed so slowly that I began to question the Auber dual probe accuracy.  But my Thermapen and Maverick matched closely enough that Auber regained my trust.  So I decided to wait it out.

At 9:00 PM Tuesday, realizing that waiting was ruining the cook, I cranked the temperature to 225°.  The IT shot up the last 11° in an hour.  That made a total of 48 hours!

When I pulled it I could see that, internally, this was a super fatty butt.  Evidently the majority of the heat energy was used to render the fat.

Taste-wise, it's kinda' a bust.  There's a ¼-inch of rock-hard dry meat below the bark.

So my last two smokes, both at 200°, had significant stalls.  Curiouser and curiouser.

[Kahunas]

I cook butts at 230 and when it gets to 165 I wrap it in foil with a splash of apple juice for the remainder of the cook. It should stop the 1/4 inch of jerky you got. Yea, you don't get bark, but I'm ok with that. I always get moist, tender, flavorful butts.

[PMillen]

Yea, I'm done with 200°.  These were the first two smokes after acquiring my Auber PID.  Prior to the PID I had some higher temperatures as I manipulated my OBS's slider.  I suspect that I was frequently smoking and roasting hotter than 200°.

The PID has six available programs.  I can smoke at 200° for a few hours, raise it to 225° or so 'till the IT hits my 195° target and then hold at some appropriate temperature until I can FTC.

Still climbing the learning curve.

[Kahunas]

It's all fun. And even if it isn't the best you've ever had and as long as you don't have to give it to the dog and HE turns his nose up to it....you done good.