Finishing up Pork Butt in an Oven?

[standles]

Hello all:

I have seen several references here (especially from iceman) on using the smoker to smoke them then transferring them ot an oven for finishing.   

My question is how much does this take off the total cooking time (if any) and are we setting the oven at the same temp (about 200deg F) for this as well.

Steven

[Gizmo]

After the smoke stops rolling, the Bradley is nothing more than an "Easy Bake" oven.  With that, if all temperatures are kept the same (i.e. the Bradley temp and the house oven temp are truely identical), then the total cooking time will not change.  If you run the oven (or the Bradley) temp up higher than 200, then you will reduce the total cook time.  I will risk the brow beating from violating the montra of low and slow for anything smoked that tends to have a considerable amount of connective tissue and fat that needs rendering, but if you raise the temperature up in the oven, you will reduce the time it takes for the internal temperature target to be reached.  I have talked to many people that make pulled pork, especially for carnitas, that use an oven temp of 350 deg and they have had excellent results.  There have been a few here that have posted similar results so it would appear that the pork butt is more forgiving.  I typically finish mine in a foil pan covered with a sheet of tin foil but keep the temps at 200 deg.

[acords]

I usaully finish in the oven at about 275 with no problems

[Wildcat]

190 to 210 for me.

[standles]

Thanks guys...

I have folks coming over tomorrow and I guess I need to get those 3 butts cooking now.   ;D

two 11# butts and one 9#

I figure at a box temp of 210 it will take around 14-16 hours to finish these off.  Do you think I am close or not?




Steven

[Wildcat]

I smoked two totalling 16# bone in butts for T day.  Took me about 24 hours averaging 205 box temp to a 193 meat temp.

[standles]

Thanks for the data point wildcat.

Glad I dropped them on early.   

Hehhhhhh   I see you in pace.  we are almost neighbors.   I live over in Niceville but shoot at ERML regularly over in Cantonment.

Steven

[Wildcat]

Howdy neighbor.  What is ERML?

[standles]

ERML used to stand for
Escambia River MuzzleLoaders Range.


I say used to because that may be where it got it's start but it has grown into a flull fledge gunclub now.

Steven

[Carter]

I finished a butt in the oven about a week ago because I couldnt' get the thing out of the 160 degree holding zone.

I brought it inside, put it in a 350 degree oven for an hour and just like that, we were at 190 degrees.  The eaters of the sandwiches didn't have a clue about the low and slow violation

The only problem I had (if you could call it that) is that our house smelled like bacon for about a week afterward.  This wasn't as bad as the time I made a Fish Risotto using fish stock.  Wow.

[iceman]

This wasn't as bad as the time I made a Fish Risotto using fish stock.  Wow.

At least you didn't do "Blackened Salmon" in the house and set off the smoke detectors and sprinkler system like a friend of mine did a few years back.  :o :D
He had a vent over the stove but didn't know it was a recirculating type and didn't vent outside. LOL
He's not the sharpest tool in the box sometimes he he he. :D
Here's yer sign ;) ;D

[standles]

Well the results are in.

The pork butts went into the smoker at 6pm with a box set temp of 210.   They smoked for 4 hours and I rotated the meat.   Went to bed and with temp at 130deg F on the butts.

(12 hours of heat)
Next morning at 6am the box temp was at 190 (on the DBS unit) and the butts still temped at 135deg F.
Upped the setpoint to 260 deg.   
2 hours later the butt temps were 155-165  box temp was 214. 

(18 hours heat)
At noon box temp 214 and butts still 160ish.    Guests arriving at !6pm.
Upped setpoint to 320deg.   

(22 hours of heat)
Box temp never registered above 214.   Butts still 160-165. 
Called it and moved one to the oven inside set at 350deg.  One hour later I had 190degrees.   FTC and went to get another butt.   Temps still in 160's for the ones on smoker.   Second went into oven and 1 hour later 190degrees.   FTC as well.
Third followed suit and FTC'd it as well then shredded the first.

Looks like I am going to start (for these big cuts of meat) smoking then finishing in the oven.

Steven
 

[KyNola]

Steven,
Butts will plateau at about 160-165 sometimes for several hours before you will see a noticeable temp change.  Just the nature of the beast.  Learned that the hard way.  I have found poultry can plateau as well, just not as long.  Enjoy the ride, it all comes out delicious.

KyNola

[standles]

Yeah I knew about the plateau.   But these held there for 8 hours.  Now may have been the amount of meat I had in there (two 11# and one 9# butt) but I thought it would have pushed passed the 165 especially after raising the box setpoint to 320.

Oh well.....  The oven worked great and the meat never knew the difference.

Steven

[Gizmo]

Standles,
I would say the extra long time was due to the low temperature you had the DBS set to when you went to bed.  You mentioned the temperature was from the digital temp read out on the box which is not the temperature that I see the meat receiving when monitoring with external temperature probes.  I will typically have a set temperature around 260 deg when the meat first goes in and for a few hours after that.  After the smoke finishes (4 hours), and the meat temperature gets close to 140, the measured temperature in the area of the meat will start to rise and therefore I will lower the set temperature to keep the 200-210 deg temp at the meat.  Usually do 10 deg at a time until the whole unit levels out.  When the internal temperature gets to 160 to 170 deg or higher, the set point will be close to what the meat will be experiencing. 

You didn't mention how the taste of the finished product was so I would be interested how it turned out.  It isn't always about the journey but the final destination.  At least when it comes to food and how it tastes for those that didn't make journey.