Help! Please..a little advice on my pork butt and temp of the Bradley?

pjplovedog · January 01, 2014, 12:39:18 PM

Hi all,
I need just a quick bit of advice. This morning at 10:00 I loaded a halved pork butt into the pre-heated Bradley. Each half is about 4.5 pounds. It is about 45 degrees out there today. I noticed the Bradley having a lot of trouble getting above 171 degrees in the cabinet. I also threw a rack of baby backs above the butts. It has been 2.5 hours now, and the IT of the meatiest pork butt is 91. The cabinet hovers around 170, but has been erratic. I have not opened the door except for one time to move a jammed bisquette. I have the vent wide open.
My concern is..... the cabinet temp. I believe the temp of the meat needs to be at 140 by 4 hours to be safe. At this rate, I wonder if it is going to make it. At what point do I bail and preheat the house oven and put the butts into the oven? Is the low cabinet temp too low to be safe?
I have been applying smoke as well... unfortunately having to push the advance button manually every 20 minutes as it is not auto-advancing...that's a whole 'nother matter entirely.
Obviously I have some troubleshooting to do, but after I get through this smoke.
Thanks so much in advance for help.
PJP

TNRockyraccoon · January 01, 2014, 12:43:54 PM

What time are you planning on eating?

If it's within a few hours I'm thinking you should finish the last hour or so it a hot oven just be sure.

I just finished a 13lb butt that was done on two racks. It took 20 hours to get up the 190 degree easy shred temp being cooked at 215 - 230.

I'm not positive about the minimum IT for pork but I thinks it's 160 or so.

Saber 4 · January 01, 2014, 12:44:37 PM

Get you a 9x13 cake pan and fill it with boiling water to replace the small water bowl, this will help with heat recovery, you've got a lot of meat in there for the outside temp. Once your smoke time is done you can finish in the oven or an SRG if you have one. Also are you using the Bradley thermometer for the cabinet temp or hanging a probe inside? If you meat is on the higher racks rotate it and lower it to one of the bottom 2 rack positions.

As for the puck advance issue, you'll have to go through the troubleshooting steps after your cook is finished.

Hope this helps you get through this cook, other's will come along with their expertise and I suggest you follow whatever works best for your situation.

pjplovedog · January 01, 2014, 12:51:05 PM

Quote from: Saber 4 on January 01, 2014, 12:44:37 PM
Get you a 9x13 cake pan and fill it with boiling water to replace the small water bowl, this will help with heat recovery, you've got a lot of meat in there for the outside temp. Once your smoke time is done you can finish in the oven or an SRG if you have one. Also are you using the Bradley thermometer for the cabinet temp or hanging a probe inside? If you meat is on the higher racks rotate it and lower it to one of the bottom 2 rack positions.

As for the puck advance issue, you'll have to go through the troubleshooting steps after your cook is finished.

Hope this helps you get through this cook, other's will come along with their expertise and I suggest you follow whatever works best for your situation.

Saber, thank you. I will do the hot boiling water in the pan, also am using a Maverick temp thermometer, it's hanging about middle of the cabinet, as I don't trust the Bradley one. I have the meat as low as it'll go on the rack position. I think I'll pull it after the smoke is done, I have a TBE but not an SRG. I'll probably preheat the oven to finish it in there. I've never had to do that, but of course it is a bit cooler out there today than I usually experience.
We don't need to eat until 7:00 or so, it is 12:45 right now, so I am not worried about the clock, just food safety.
Thanks so much for the suggestions. :)
PJP

Saber 4 · January 01, 2014, 12:53:19 PM

I think you'd be fine finishing in your TBE and then FTC if time gets short. Love to see some pictures and hear how you finished it up when you get done.

pjplovedog · January 01, 2014, 02:06:49 PM

Well I yanked them off the Bradley at 1:25, stuck them into a 350* oven they were only at 110 IT, to get the IT up quickly. They hit 140 IT at the 3 hours and 50 minute mark. Phew! Now I'm turning down the heat to finish them at 225* until they're pullable.
Thanks for the help. If I remember I'll grab some photos. :)
PJP

GusRobin · January 01, 2014, 03:08:34 PM

if they are only at 140* you have a ways to go. They will stall at about 160ish for an hour or so. I would boat them and leave at a higher temp if you want them tonight.

As far as your temp of the cabinet - you should take the temp just below the lowest rack with meat. That gives you a more accurate look at what you cabinet is doing. Also, were you on an extension or or a circuit that has other things running on it? The Bradley does not share power well with others. Were all the plugs fully plugged in?

pjplovedog · January 01, 2014, 03:22:37 PM

Quote from: GusRobin on January 01, 2014, 03:08:34 PM
if they are only at 140* you have a ways to go. They will stall at about 160ish for an hour or so. I would boat them and leave at a higher temp if you want them tonight.

As far as your temp of the cabinet - you should take the temp just below the lowest rack with meat. That gives you a more accurate look at what you cabinet is doing. Also, were you on an extension or or a circuit that has other things running on it? The Bradley does not share power well with others. Were all the plugs fully plugged in?

Yes, they are stalling, but started to break through a few minutes ago, and are now up to 170. . No hurry at all. I have covered them fairly tightly with foil, is that the best way? I have never finished butt in the oven before, always on the smoker.
As for the cabinet, you are right, I should've put the probe lower. All of the plugs seem fine, no power flickering or anything. I still left my Back ribs in there, and when I removed the large butts, the cabinet came up to 225* with no issues. I don't have an extension cord, and as far as I know the Bradley is not sharing a circuit with a "big" user but that is definitely worth troubleshooting when I go to fix the issue with the pucks not auto-advancing. I have already read through the posts on that issue, but have to wait until cook is over.
Thank you for all the help!
PJP

GusRobin · January 01, 2014, 05:07:35 PM

Quote from: pjplovedog on January 01, 2014, 03:22:37 PM
Quote from: GusRobin on January 01, 2014, 03:08:34 PM
if they are only at 140* you have a ways to go. They will stall at about 160ish for an hour or so. I would boat them and leave at a higher temp if you want them tonight.

As far as your temp of the cabinet - you should take the temp just below the lowest rack with meat. That gives you a more accurate look at what you cabinet is doing. Also, were you on an extension or or a circuit that has other things running on it? The Bradley does not share power well with others. Were all the plugs fully plugged in?
Yes, they are stalling, but started to break through a few minutes ago, and are now up to 170. . No hurry at all. I have covered them fairly tightly with foil, is that the best way? I have never finished butt in the oven before, always on the smoker.

Neither have I, but if your temp is getting up to where it needs be, you are probably doing it right.

As for the cabinet, you are right, I should've put the probe lower. All of the plugs seem fine, no power flickering or anything. I still left my Back ribs in there, and when I removed the large butts, the cabinet came up to 225* with no issues.
That would indicate that the butts were blocking the door thermometer so you were probably getting higher temps then indicated.
I don't have an extension cord, and as far as I know the Bradley is not sharing a circuit with a "big" user but that is definitely worth troubleshooting when I go to fix the issue with the pucks not auto-advancing. I have already read through the posts on that issue, but have to wait until cook is over.
Thank you for all the help!
PJP

pjplovedog · January 02, 2014, 11:54:45 AM

Thanks, it all worked out fine, the butts got up to temp in my home oven, pulled beautifully. We had sammies last night, and it was good! It needed a little more seasoning, so I had to doctor it up, next time I'll use twice the rub amount... I'll try to get some photos of it today, forgot to last night.
Tonight a portion of the leftovers are going to be doctored with mexi seasonings and going in my pulled pork enchiladas with melty cheesey goodness!!!
Thanks for your advice, all.
:)

Saber 4 · January 02, 2014, 06:25:01 PM

Glad it worked out and the enchiladas sound great