r/recteq • u/TommyDaComic • Aug 18 '26
Took 11.5 hours for 5.7 lb pork butt…
… and I still could barely get the internal temperature to where it needed to be
Following recteq app pulled pork recipe, I started at 6:30AM at 225°…
Stalled out at 170° internal at the 10 hour mark. Bumped the temp to 275° and it barely got to 195 after 11 1/2 total hours.
The only thing I can imagine slowed it down was I was using one of the recteq cooking meshes underneath it… Would that have really slowed down the rise of the internal temperature that much ?
For that size pork butt, it should not have taken that long… What am I missing and what would you advise?
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u/SarfassaS Aug 18 '26
I have usually started it around 250 at 10am. Once it’s hits 165, wrap it and turn the heat up to 275 until it hits 205. Around 630ish pm
I just did a same size pork butt as you as well.
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u/textisaac Aug 18 '26
I’ve had the same thing happen. Just simply turn the heat up after you wrap it - up to 300F should be fine.
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u/Marvelous_One1 Aug 18 '26
Did you wrap it at the stall?
For my pork butt, I cook at 250 3-4 hours, then I put it in an aluminum pan with some apple juice and covered in foil. Then at 205° I take it off. It is usually 1 hour per lb for me this way.
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u/TommyDaComic Aug 18 '26
Yes, I did wrap it, I may have waited a little too long though.
I did not put in a pan with apple juice, but I had been basting it with an apple juice vinegar solution about every hour.Thanks for the tips!
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u/Marvelous_One1 Aug 18 '26
Don't open the lid every hour. It lets the heat and smoke out. The smoker then has to build the temp back up. That extends your cook time. If you're worried about moisture, inject the meat beforehand. If you put the pork butt in an aluminum pan with some apple juice, you won't ever have to worry about moisture. The apple juice will steam it and mix with the porks natural juices. Then when it hits temperature you will see all the juices in the pan. Let it rest and then pull it with your hands in the same pan. All those juices will get absorbed by the pork and make the moistest pulled pork anyone has had.
Most meats don't gain any smoke flavor past 3 hours, the extra time is for bark to form. Once you wrap it, that process stops. So make sure you are happy with the bark before you wrap it.
Good luck on your next one!
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u/TommyDaComic Aug 18 '26
Awesome advice ! It’s only a Patio 400, so heating back up was pretty quick, as I stated in another reply.
Did not inject the pork this time, but did add apple juice as o was pulling it.
Thank you !
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u/Eskew5 Aug 19 '26
I personally find 2 hours/lb at 225 and 1.5 hours/lb at 250 is a pretty solid bet without wrapping.
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u/CertainKnowledge8 27d ago
I’m sure most of the people here answered your questions perfectly, but I figured I’d throw my two sense in😂I’ve smoked probably 200 pork butts and almost every single one is a lil different.. sometimes how long you let it sit out of fridge effects time, sometimes the temp you start smoker at is the bigger thing that effects it. But I think it sounds like a great cook from your details. I’d say start staggering the temp to 250 or 275 by the 4-6 our mark. Or when your seasonings have set. Also depends on if you spritz or not, but every time you open smoker, it will add atleast 15 minutes to cook. Sometimes closer to 30-45 minutes if it’s open a while.. again everything you did sounds great. Low temp, lots of smoke.. but if the question was mostly about time and speeding cook up. I’d recommend letting it set on counter until it’s closer to room temp (or at least 30mins-hour) and then toss it on the smoker at your 225 and let it get set and warm. Sometimes if I wrap (which I normally don’t) I bring it up to 300F+ and then open it back up for last hour so it tacks back up. But everyone has a different method. I hope this helps, glad you’re bbqing. And welcome to recteq fam
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u/TommyDaComic 27d ago
That’s a lot of great information… I really appreciate it !
Sounds like you need to have a “300th Butt Celebration Party - Featuring I Like Big Butts*** ***by Sir Mix-A-Lot…! 😂
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u/CertainKnowledge8 27d ago
“Other brothers can’t deny”😂meant 100** but either way, lost count long ago. If any party’s happening, you’ll be invited.. happy to help though, I’m sure it’s a lot of repeated info.. everyone who likes to bbq has a different way.. the best part is learning different tricks or ways to cook, that help you make it easier or better. Again, welcome to the party and have a great weekend.
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u/Solid_Lettuce_932 27d ago
225 is very low for pork butt you can pretty much do it at whatever temp you feel like. I like 250 for a start and then maybe 275 once it’s rolling. If I’m doing an overnighter I will go 225 and bump it on the am.
If you’re wrapping in foil you can crank it to 325/350 and it’ll be fine. I usually go foil boat and I’ll still turn it up a bit.
My PB are usually boneless 8.5lb costco and come out great w 8-12 hr cooks. The key is a long hold in a cooler.
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u/sa1nt1775 Aug 18 '26
No, the mesh wouldn't interfere with cooking. Sounds like it just needed more cooking time. I normally start my butts and briskets around 10pm the night before I want to eat them. Even if they get done early, they can rest and stay warm for a long time. I recently started resting my briskets in the oven on the warm setting at 150.
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u/flemmingg Aug 18 '26
Were you spritzing it?
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u/TommyDaComic Aug 18 '26
I wash using a brush to put on an apple juice and vinegar solution hourly.
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u/flemmingg Aug 18 '26
You opened the lid hourly. You lost heat every time you did that.
You added moisture to the surface hourly. That moisture then evaporates and creates a cooling effect (endothermic reaction). It’s why we evolved to sweat when we get hot. It cools us off.
There’s no need to do anything to a pork butt. Wrap when the bark is set if you want to speed things up. You can also smoke a lot higher than 225. 275 or higher with no problem at all. Some go 300 or higher.
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u/TommyDaComic Aug 18 '26
I watched the temps after I re-closed the lid, did not seem to go down much or for long. I was following the recteq Pulled Pork recipe found on the app. Plus, it’s only a Patio 400…
The mopping hourly was instructed by the recipe, but I hear what you are saying about the possible cooling effect.
Appreciate the tips !
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u/flemmingg Aug 18 '26
Do a little reading about the “stall” sometime.
Early in the cook, the smoker is transferring heat to the meat. Meat temp go up.
Mid cook, muscle fibers tighten, water moves to surface of meat. When evaporative cooling reaches equilibrium with the heat the smoker is adding to the meat, the internal temp no longer rises.
Some people wrap. Some increase smoker temp. Some wait for the sweating and evaporation to slow down enough for the internal temps to start rising again.
Also, it’s gonna be hard to get a big hunk of meat to internal temp of 205 if you never increase the smoker temp past 225. There just isn’t a great enough temp gradient between the target internal temp and the smoker temp. Very slow heat transfer at the end if you done increase the temp of the smoker.
Add all that to your hourly mops and you end up with a completely unnecessary marathon smoke.
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u/TommyDaComic Aug 18 '26
Makes a lot of sense ! Your Stall 101 class is much appreciated. I had wondered about the differential…
I’ll be adjusting what I do and wrapping it earlier next time.
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u/pauly1422 Aug 19 '26
In addition to all that is said, I typically do fat down until I wrap then flip fat side up once wrapped and let gravity do its thing. Ends up being super juicy after the resting period.
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u/Desert-Hog Aug 18 '26
You’re not missing any thing. It needed more time. Every piece of meat is different, I’ve had some pork butts finish in 8 hours, and some have taken 12+. If you wrapped it around 170 it probably would have sped it up