First use of my new #3

[Ed K]

I tried a pork but for my 1st use of my new unit.   An 8# Butt that I had on for 10 hours.   Thought it would be long enough but did not pull apart like I'm used too.  It had good smoke flavor and nice bark but just not cooked enough.  Is this normal?  Looks to me like I would need about 18-20 hours to get a good fall apart pulled pork.   Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Ed

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[va_rider]

If you don't have one, get a good thermometer to read the internal temp of the meat.

I did pork butts in the crockpot for years before getting the smoker, and it was easy enough to pop the lid, stick a fork in it, and twist to see when it was done. With the smoker, you're looking more for internal temp than time, as each piece of meat is different. I've said it a dozen times on here, but I've had a 12# brisket take 14.5 hours, and the next week, had a 16# brisket take 13.5 hours. Common "knowledge" says 1.5 hours per pound on brisket, but the 16 pounder was definitely an outlier.

Alternately, you can go by feel. Push a probe or a fork or knife into the meat. When pork is done, you should have almost no resistance pushing something into it. I've actually been known to grab a handful of pork and pull just to see if it was done. If it's done, you'll be able to pull a handful of meat out cleanly (or the bone).

Welcome to the forum!

[SuperDave]

Welcome Ed.  "Should have been long enough" isn't a phrase that good Qers use, EVER!  Meat is done when it's done.  Get a thermometer, preferably a 2 probe so you can monitor box temp and meat temp.  Smoke butts at 235 - 240 or be prepared for overnight smokes. 

[swthorpe]

Butts can be tricky as the time for smoking will vary any where from 1.5 to 2 hours per pound.  Like others have said, you really need a meat therm to check the internal temp of the butt.  For pulled pork, an IT of 195 is good, followed by a couple of hours resting, double wrapped in HD foil.

[drains]

Ed, save yourself the frustration of trying to guess when your meat is done and invest in a good remote read thermometer with probes as has already been stated by others. These smokers are capable of producing some really good Q with very little work or worry but you must follow some rudimentary rules and one of the rules is every hunk of meat cooks differently and the only way to tell when it's really done is by internal temp. By hunks of meat I mean butts and briskets and whole chickens, etc. Good luck!

[DivotMaker]

Hi Ed!  Welcome to the club!!    Looks like the need to get a remote thermometer has been adequately covered, so I won't beat you up about it, too!

Remember this:  BBQ is not an "exact" science!  This is not like baking a cake, with a very consistent set of ingredients, temperature and time, yielding consistent results every time.  Instead, BBQ is one part technique, one part technique, and one part "feel" and experience.  Unfortunately, there's one "wild card" in every smoke:  The meat!!  It's made by animals, and their quality control sucks sometimes!    As mentioned, the meat is done when it decides it's done!  That's why cook times vary, especially on the larger cuts like butts and briskets.  We live and die by internal temperature!  The only meat I smoke by time is ribs (not enough meat for a good internal temp), but I judge "doneness" by feel, not the clock.

A single-probe external thermometer is OK, if you don't want to go dual-probe.  My opinion is that monitoring box temp is a waste of time.  The smoker will "average out" to your set temp, so don't sweat it.  Gotta know the meat temp, though!

[SuperDave]

A single-probe external thermometer is OK, if you don't want to go dual-probe.  My opinion is that monitoring box temp is a waste of time.  The smoker will "average out" to your set temp, so don't sweat it.  Gotta know the meat temp, though!

I think all new owners owe it to themselves to verify, at least once, that the box temp is the set temp.  The last couple of months have had some members asking about how to calibrate the dial as it wasn't performing per the temperature indicated on the dial even on a high swing. 

[Ed K]

Thanks all for your inputs.  I have a manual thermometer, I guess I'll start looking at a remote sensor - more toys! I also believe it's getting use to the new smoker - it's different than my old one.  But on the bright side the food was still good 😃

[gregbooras]

Ed,

You will be really glad when you get a digital thermometer. But at least it sounds like your smoke turned out well!

Greg