Fast Butts

[FLBentRider]

350F is too hot - it will dry it out.

Here is what I would do:

Double wrap in foil, towels and into a 5-day cooler if you have one. pack any empty space with more towels.

Don't open that cooler for at least 4 hours.

At the six hour mark, check the temps, if they are above 140F, leave it.

At 140F pop into a 200F oven, 150F if you oven goes that low.

If you have a couple of bricks, wrap then in foil and into a 500F oven for 15 minutes - (carefully) wrap in a towel in into the cooler too.

every couple of hours re-heat the bricks.

[crestman]

Thanks FLBentRider,

I've held some for a while, but this is longer than I would "normally" do. I'll try your idea. I've got them double wrapped in foil, then plastic wrap, then foil, then towl and in  cooler bags. the bags are small so they just fit in, I'll then stick them into a large cooler. Gonna suck to unwrap all that to check temps!!!...hehe.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

After cooking, so long as keep the temp above 140 °F you will be fine from a food safety standpoint, 150 °F is a good, safe target.  From what you described on temperature and time you have no problems. 

Just either keep it warm (above 140 °F) or chill it as quickly as possible (below 40 °F) until you're ready.  If the temperature drops to 135 °F or below you can within two hours reheat it to 165 °F, keep it there for at least 15 seconds and still be considered safe.  If you need to chill then reheat, get it back to 165 °F in under 2 hours from 40 °F and keep it there for the 15 seconds and you'll be fine.

[FLBentRider]

After cooking, so long as keep the temp above 140 °F you will be fine from a food safety standpoint, 150 °F is a good, safe target.  From what you described on temperature and time you have no problems. 

Just either keep it warm (above 140 °F) or chill it as quickly as possible (below 40 °F) until you're ready.  If the temperature drops to 135 °F or below you can within two hours reheat it to 165 °F, keep it there for at least 15 seconds and still be considered safe.  If you need to chill then reheat, get it back to 165 °F in under 2 hours from 40 °F and keep it there for the 15 seconds and you'll be fine.

Also bear in mind that the smoke offers some antimicrobal protection.

[crestman]

Thanks allot for the advice guys!!!...It sure helps out.

It's not like I was kicking the dog and yelling at the wife....ok, so maybe the wife part's a lie, but I was ready to head over to Safeway and purchase some roasted chickens!!!

Thanks again, I'm sure we'll be fine.

[classicrockgriller]

I THOUGHT you would be ok and IF it was my BUTT I was

trying to save, I would have done exactally what you did.

Just remember the L O N G ..... FTC.

[Habanero Smoker]

Sorry I haven't been following this thread until now. When I logged on this morning I had three pages of new messages.

BHSL has answered the safety question. About reheating, I generally pull my butts while warm and reheat later if needed. I tightly foil, add some sauce (such as vaunted vinegar) or apple juice, and reheat at 350°F, until it reaches 160°F - 165°F. The time depends on the amount, I average 1:15 - 1:45 hours for reheating 4 -  5 pounds of pulled pork in this manner.

If your butts have not been pulled I would place some apple juice in a pan, tightly foil and reheat at 350°F. Since I've never reheated a whole butt I could not give you an estimate on the time.

[crestman]

thanks again for all the advice guys!!!...

I got them out of the double coolers etc. and stuck em in an oven around 3:30 @ 175. When I opened them up to eat at 6:30 they were reading 179 internal. I also checked them when we were putting them into the oven and they were reading 175 at that time. I added back some of the drippings along with some apple juice and it was fantastic. No real "bark" to speak of, but good none the less.

[TonyL222]

I've only smoked one butt, but I recall that the IT hit 140 or so after about 4-5 hrs, and I began to panic (cook temp was 220).  I let it go and it hovered at 140 for several hours after that and then began to climb.  I let it go to an IT of 195, and total cook time was about 10-11 hours.  I used my Auber PID so I had cook time based on IT and not time.  I learned from that to be patient.  IT seem to rise fast and then level off, before rising again.

[crestman]

Tony,

I hear ya on the patience. My problem this time was that they got done in half the time ever. And I think I have done more than 20 cooks (to some that's still a rookie which I still am) with my Bradley, most of which are butts. I think I know why now though, and it's due to lack of power in my garage which is where I've always done my cooks. This time I had moved the cooker to my work which has huge exhaust hoods to cook under. Being the cook was for our staff Christmas party I wanted it hear to look after. I believe the power draw in my garage isn't allowing my element to get hot enough. It's not the weather factor as my garage is insulated and I heat it when I do a cook. I always preheat the cooker for a couple of hours and I always use foiled covered bricks etc. I try to keep everything the same every time. So, I have an electrician coming over to my garage this week to see what we can do. Maybe put a bigger breaker in, I'm not sure.   

[Wildcat]

I am no expert but if you have an electrical issue in the garage, it is probably too many things on the same run, or the wire may not be of adequate size for the distance from the breaker.

[Hiram]

I must have been lucky all last summer. Most of the time I just dump two 8lb butts in 24 hrs before the feast, set the auber for 210, smoke for 5 hrs. I spray some apple juice and turn every 4 to 5 Hrs and check the water. Sometimes when I pull the IT is 195, other times it's 210 after 20 hrs,then FTC for 4 hrs, the only discernible difference is there my be a little thicker bark on the 210 IT. I do this because I can plan to the minute on mealtime, it's really hard to screw up a butt, it can be not done but I've never had one too done. Most of the neighbors and family prefer the 210 IT.