Finished the pork butt (Pics)!

[FLBentRider]

I looked at this AFTER lunch. And it still made me hungry!

[Old Smokey]

That pork sure looked great!  I have a mystery that maybe you guys can help with.  I have smoked/cooked butts several times at 210 degrees for 12 hours, and the temp never gets above 165.  The meat is cooked and tastea good, but is not falling off the bone like I have seen here.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

[Big Dawgg]

That pork sure looked great!  I have a mystery that maybe you guys can help with.  I have smoked/cooked butts several times at 210 degrees for 12 hours, and the temp never gets above 165.  The meat is cooked and tastea good, but is not falling off the bone like I have seen here.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

I had this same problem when I first got my Bradley. Is the 210 temp reading the display on the DBS or are you using a different thermometer to check your temps. I have found my DBS can run 20-40 colder than what it says it is running. If you are not at a high enough temp you will never get the meat where you want it.I don't even look at what the DBS says its running for temp anymore.

[Habanero Smoker]

That pork sure looked great!  I have a mystery that maybe you guys can help with.  I have smoked/cooked butts several times at 210 degrees for 12 hours, and the temp never gets above 165.  The meat is cooked and tastea good, but is not falling off the bone like I have seen here.  Any ideas?  Thanks.

Hi Old Smokey;

Welcome to the forum.

It looks like you are hitting what is called the "plateau". This happens around 160°F - 165°F. The meat temperature will stall for several hours. This happens because this is the point where the collagen in the connective tissue begins breaking down rapidly, and releasing a lot of moisture. During this time most of the energy (heat) is used to convert the connective tissue to gelatin and you will see a stall in temperature for several hours.

[Kane]

I agree with Big Dawgg. if you are depending on the Bradley to show a correct pit temps it just isnt gonna be accurate for you. ya need a maverick.

I actually wish I wouldve just bought a OBS instead of my DBS. I wasnt impressed with the DBSs wild temp fluctuations.  I ended up buying a controller to eliminate this but if I had went with the OBS and Controller from the start I wouldve saved myself $150.   I wouldnt recommend the DBS to a newbie at this time. Bradley needs to tighten up the control on this thing!

[West Coast Kansan]

HabS answer about the plateau is correct...you will be at 160 to 165 for a very long time - plus each piece is different.  The accuracy of the Bradley is not the issue in this case. Just a feature of Butts.

Those fluctuations on the Bradley are a feature with Butts cuz it overshoots for a few minutes and gets the juices flowing and then drifts down below the set point so the meat can equilibrate with maximum moisture. Then repeats the cycle until the desired internal temperature is achieved. Cant really get this action on anything except a Bradley Digital. --- Sometimes even I dont know when to believe me  ;)  ;)   ;)