Lowering temp to slow finishing when away

[Jessesaint]

I have a party coming up that I am smoking for. I have pork butts, ribs and a brisket, all of which I would plan to smoke at 225. I will put the Brisket and butts on late evening Saturday night at 225, expecting to be at stall by morning, at which time I will wrap them and add the ribs. I plan to do the ribs at the 3-2-1 method. Here’s the problem. I leave for church and will be gone for 4-4.5 hours. I will get home around 12-12:30, and have a party at 4:00. If the butts & briskets get to finished temp an hour before I get home, then they will exceed their ideal temp and overcook. The ribs will get beyond when I would normally wrap them. Is there a problem droppings the temp to 200-210 while at church to slow the cooking a little? If something isn’t ready when I need it to be after I get home, I can bump the temp up to 250 if necessary. Any comments on this method?

 

[Jim6820]

In theory, that should work, but being absent for the final 4-5 hours of a multi-protein cook will certainly be an act of faith.

Good luck!

 

[Jessesaint]

I’ll be back for 3-3.5 hours before the party to finish things up. We’ll see how it goes.

 

[SmokeOCD]

Start the butts later? Wrap the butts before church. Move butts to oven after church either to finish or hold. Start the ribs at 275 when you get home, 3 hours no wrap they’re done. Just an opinion, may not work for you.

 

[Jim6820]

Start the butts later? Wrap the butts before church. Move butts to oven after church either to finish or hold. Start the ribs at 275 when you get home, 3 hours no wrap they’re done. Just an opinion, may not work for you.

What @SmokeOCD said!

 

[Motodad1776]

Perhaps stay home from church this time, and don't do 3-2-1 method on the ribs.

 

[Gonefishin]

Prep ribs before church, leave church about 10, put on the ribs, go back to church.

 

[Jessesaint]

Church is 40 minutes away & I teach Sunday School. I can do ribs after church. What do you mean by “start butts later”? What about the brisket?

 

[SmokeOCD]

Missed the brisket but same idea. I’ve never finished a brisket in under 12 hours. 12 hours from when you get home is where I’d start.

 

[Jessesaint]

I should be home soon after noon on Sunday, so I plane to put the Butts and the Brisket on at midnight. I'll wrap them around 7:30 and if they are getting done before I can get here, I'll turn the temp down a little. I will to the faster/hotter method for the ribs when I get home, but will have them prepped and in the fridge before I go.
Do most people here season the brisket and let it sit in the fridge for a day or two, or just overnight, and should it be wrapped in plastic wrap while in there?
Thanks for all of the comments. I'm fairly new at this, but have really been enjoying my RecTeq RT-1250 and the Dual Heat unit.

 

[Gonefishin]

I season, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, just before it goes on the smoker. If I were holding a brisket in the fridge it’d be wrapped. But do it however you feel like, everyone does things a bit differently.

 

[Waterboy]

What @padlin00 said

 

[Jessesaint]

It looks like those that let it sit overnight leave the whole fat cap on. If I trim the fat cap to 1/4" or so, then not as much need to sit overnight, but it can't hurt, I suppose.

 

[SmokeOCD]

I almost never have the fridge space to hold it flat on a tray to catch any leakage. Meat sits in a cryo-pile until smokin' time. Wash (very controversial here), trim and season while smoker comes up to temp.

 

[RHEINLEIN]

I have a party coming up that I am smoking for. I have pork butts, ribs and a brisket, all of which I would plan to smoke at 225. I will put the Brisket and butts on late evening Saturday night at 225, expecting to be at stall by morning, at which time I will wrap them and add the ribs. I plan to do the ribs at the 3-2-1 method. Here’s the problem. I leave for church and will be gone for 4-4.5 hours. I will get home around 12-12:30, and have a party at 4:00. If the butts & briskets get to finished temp an hour before I get home, then they will exceed their ideal temp and overcook. The ribs will get beyond when I would normally wrap them. Is there a problem droppings the temp to 200-210 while at church to slow the cooking a little? If something isn’t ready when I need it to be after I get home, I can bump the temp up to 250 if necessary. Any comments on this method?

@Jessesaint
I wouldn’t subject myself to all that stress, not what bbq is all about.

Maybe just cook a couple of butts and call it. ??? Everyone will be happy.

Just me …

 

[Jessesaint]

I understand all of the opinions, but my original question still stands. Is there anything wrong with dropping the temp a little to slow the finishing before I can get to the grill?

 

[RattleR]

I would offer you can. Just keep in mind the protein cooks from outside in, so it will still be hot for sometime after turning the heat down. I have done it on my stick burner, not real sure how well it worked. YMMV.

 

[Jim6820]

I understand all of the opinions, but my original question still stands. Is there anything wrong with dropping the temp a little to slow the finishing before I can get to the grill?

OK, specific answer to your specific question; there is nothing wrong with reducing temperature to slow a cook. I do it frequently.

Now, what I would say is that the predictability of the cook extension is problematic. @RattleR's point about cooking from the outside is valid and how much you reduce the temperature vs time extension is difficult to predict.

 

[Gonefishin]

FWIW, I run my overnights at either 180 or 200 as I put the meat on at 10pm and don’t want it to finish too early the next day, so in my opinion yes, you can drop the temp to slow the cook, if that’s what you are asking.

 

[SmokeOCD]