My Pork Butt was dry and seemed undercooked

[mabjets]

I recently bought a RT1250 and made my first pork butt last weekend. I have done many, many cooks on a traeger prior to getting the recteq and pork butt always seemed like the easiest cook possible. This one came out a bit tough and a bit dry. I noticed during the uncovered part of the cook that the bark never got dark. The bark was actually wet for most of the cook and stayed a light reddish brown and never got dark. I wrapped it at 165 and kept it on until it hit 202. I let it rest 30 minutes (could not wait longer because everyone had been waiting awhile to eat). Normally the pork butt falls apart and the bone easily slides out. This time the bone was a bit stuck, the outside bark was not dark, and the pork butt was kind of dry and was a struggle to pull apart. I'm going to give it another try this weekend and would love some advice to make sure I don't make the same mistake. I started the pork on Low for 2 hours to let the smoke get in. Then I went to 225 until the internal temp was 165. Then I wrapped it (put it in foil pan with butter, apple cider vinegar, etc), and then put the temperature at 275. I don't think I had the probe in the wrong place, but I can't be sure. Should I be running this at a higher temp? Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[kstone113]

Did you double check your probe with a therma pen or some kind of hand thermometer? If you are using the RecTeq probes, those can be WAY OFF! I recommend the probes off Amazon named Elgin probes for RecTeq grills. I think they are like $15 or $20 for one. They are really accurate but I always double check with a therma pen regardless and/or just stick a probe in and see if it feel like butter putting in.

Another thing, don't wrap based off internal temp(165), wrap based off the bark. If you bark is not dark as you stated, let it go until it is even if that means letting the internal get into the 180's or even low 190's.

Since your 1250 is new, it is not seasoned much on the inside therefore a lot of that smoke will stick to the walls of the grill and not as much get to the meat. Overtime this will change but that has nothing to do with the meat being tough and dry however does have to do with the bark.

 

[mdkraft99]

Hey mabjets,

Welcome to the forum! I will preface my response with an important caveat - in my humble opinion, smoking and BBQ-ing are very much about personal preferences. What one person loves, another may not like at all. Find what you like, have fun with it (and have some cold beverages), and enjoy! I will also say that you may very well know some/most/all of this, and if so then my apologies for the redundancy, just sharing my thoughts based on your post.

With that said, I have a few thoughts/questions for you:

• Is this the same brand and cut of meat you have used in the past? I have found that can have a big impact, I haven't seen as much variation with pork butts, but it certainly can - perhaps this one was a bit more lean (combined with perhaps other factors - see below); was it fresh or had it been frozen for a long time?
• "The bark was actually wet for most of the cook":
  • Did you brine and/or inject this?
  • Were you mopping or spraying during the cook?
  • Without the injection (and/or brine) and the spraying, it will definitely dry out in my experience; if not, then that wet look was moisture evaporating from the meat...which would explain why it was so dry
• I wouldn't go above a temp of 250 to smoke, I would worry it would dry out even more
• Here are my thoughts and how I typically smoke a pork butt (again, just my opinions and preferences - YMMV)
  • I used to brine, but I've gone to more injecting - usually apple juice, maybe with a little ACV, could also mix up with different soda flavors if you wanted (Coke, root beer, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc.) - just let it get flat first
  • I inject and let it sit in the refrigerator in a foil pan for a couple of hours or so; when ready to smoke I take the pork out, rub with mustard and then rub/seasonings, and let it sit, then I get the smoker going
  • I smoke at ~225-250, and I plan at least 12 hours (sometimes it's done sooner depending on size) - I think it's more likely to dry out with a higher temp (maybe the deep internal parts and around the bone are OK, but the exterior will be dry)
  • I usually cook it on a rack over an aluminum foil pan (see below for the reason, besides keeping the grill grates and drip pan cleaner)
  • Then after the first couple of hours I spray with a mix of apple juice and ACV (usually ~2:1 ratio or so), and I spray every hour or so
  • Once the internal temp hits about 160, usually I have a good bark developing, I then take the meat off of the rack and put it into the foil pan with the drippings, add some liquid (apple juice, maybe apple juice/ACV mix, maybe others as I noted above), this last time I also added some butter and brown sugar on top (a little too sweet for me so may not do this again or may cut with other seasonings), then cover with butcher paper and cook until internal temp hits about 200 just over (I've gone to butcher paper instead of foil - in my opinion, it gives a better "balance" of keeping the meat moist but also allowing some bark to continue developing)
  • I will then uncover, check to be sure it's done (check temp in a few places, wiggle the bone (should be loose) - then take the meat out of the foil pan, wrap, wrap in towels and place in a cooler for at least an hour to rest - save the foil pan and leave on the grill while it's still warm and cooling down (or set in the oven)
  • Once I'm ready to pull the meat, I unwrap and set in a clean foil pan, pull the bone, and start shredding - I taste/test, and then add more rub/seasoning and some of the reserved drippings/liquid from the cook to desired moisture and flavor - then dig in!

Once again, these are just my opinions and preferences, you and others may prefer something else, but this has worked pretty well for me. I hope that helps, good luck and have fun with it!

-Mike

 

[mdkraft99]

Did you double check your probe with a therma pen or some kind of hand thermometer? If you are using the RecTeq probes, those can be WAY OFF! I recommend the probes off Amazon named Elgin probes for RecTeq grills. I think they are like $15 or $20 for one. They are really accurate but I always double check with a therma pen regardless and/or just stick a probe in and see if it feel like butter putting in.

Another thing, don't wrap based off internal temp(165), wrap based off the bark. If you bark is not dark as you stated, let it go until it is even if that means letting the internal get into the 180's or even low 190's.

Since your 1250 is new, it is not seasoned much on the inside therefore a lot of that smoke will stick to the walls of the grill and not as much get to the meat. Overtime this will change but that has nothing to do with the meat being tough and dry however does have to do with the bark.

Great thoughts here that I didn't include in my reply!

 

[BethV]

Just my thoughts... Sometimes it's just the piece of meat and not the chef. You do the best with what you got.
I don't see anything wrong with the way you prepared and cooked this meat. But what I have learned over the years is that I very rarely look at a thermometer unless I'm cooking chicken and fish. Everything I do is based on whether or not the meat is probe tender. Does your probe go into the meat as if it were warm butter? And not just one area but in all areas. If not, it's not done.

Like mdkraft99 said, moisture is generally from the meat evaporating. And it's a general rule of thumb to not wrap until your bark is set.

You might want to check the internal temperature of your grill to make sure it's calibrated accurately.

 

[Gonefishin]

Pretty much what Beth says. I cook to about 197 then start checking with an instant red thermometer probe till the whole beast is like butter, no tough parts, clock be damned.

We long ago gave up trying to hold to a specific time to eat, it’s done when it’s done. If we need it for a 5pm dinner I try to have it done around 2 or 3.

I don’t wrap so can’t help with the bark. Total time for mine is in the 16 hr area at 225 for a 7ish pounder.

 

[kstone113]

One more thing, with a pellet grill, the only big meat i usually wrap is a brisket which I add beef tallow to the paper and brisket. I stopped wrapping pork butts and ribs. Big reason why is you don't get the heavy smoke like an offset or a weber, etc and I not only want the better bark that will happen but also I personally like the meat smokey and not wrapping achieves my preference.

I do put an aluminum pan under the pork shoulders with a little bit of water or apple juice to catch the fat and use that at the end when pulling apart. Doing this was a big game changer for me as when you pull apart, the meat can dry out quickly over time but with the added fat/apple juice mix, that keeps the meat nice and moist.

I haven't ever had a need to inject pork shoulders but never a bad idea.

 

[mabjets]

Did you double check your probe with a therma pen or some kind of hand thermometer? If you are using the RecTeq probes, those can be WAY OFF! I recommend the probes off Amazon named Elgin probes for RecTeq grills. I think they are like $15 or $20 for one. They are really accurate but I always double check with a therma pen regardless and/or just stick a probe in and see if it feel like butter putting in.

Another thing, don't wrap based off internal temp(165), wrap based off the bark. If you bark is not dark as you stated, let it go until it is even if that means letting the internal get into the 180's or even low 190's.

Since your 1250 is new, it is not seasoned much on the inside therefore a lot of that smoke will stick to the walls of the grill and not as much get to the meat. Overtime this will change but that has nothing to do with the meat being tough and dry however does have to do with the bark.

Thank you! I did not check the accuracy of the probe. I'll check that out this time and if the probe is not accurate I'll buy the Elgin probes.

 

[mabjets]

Just my thoughts... Sometimes it's just the piece of meat and not the chef. You do the best with what you got.
I don't see anything wrong with the way you prepared and cooked this meat. But what I have learned over the years is that I very rarely look at a thermometer unless I'm cooking chicken and fish. Everything I do is based on whether or not the meat is probe tender. Does your probe go into the meet as if it were warm butter? And not just one area but in all areas. If not, it's not done.

Like mdkraft99 said, moisture is generally from the meat evaporating. And it's a general rule of thumb to not wrap until your bark is set.

You might want to check the internal temperature of your grill to make sure it's calibrated accurately.

Thank you! I did use a different brand and the butt was not the same size as I typically get. This was actually smaller. I really didnt check how tender it was, I just relied on the temp of the probe. I wont make that mistake again. I'll also check the temp of the grill and see if its accurate.

 

[mabjets]

Hey mabjets,

Welcome to the forum! I will preface my response with an important caveat - in my humble opinion, smoking and BBQ-ing are very much about personal preferences. What one person loves, another may not like at all. Find what you like, have fun with it (and have some cold beverages), and enjoy! I will also say that you may very well know some/most/all of this, and if so then my apologies for the redundancy, just sharing my thoughts based on your post.

With that said, I have a few thoughts/questions for you:

• Is this the same brand and cut of meat you have used in the past? I have found that can have a big impact, I haven't seen as much variation with pork butts, but it certainly can - perhaps this one was a bit more lean (combined with perhaps other factors - see below); was it fresh or had it been frozen for a long time?
• "The bark was actually wet for most of the cook":
  • Did you brine and/or inject this?
  • Were you mopping or spraying during the cook?
  • Without the injection (and/or brine) and the spraying, it will definitely dry out in my experience; if not, then that wet look was moisture evaporating from the meat...which would explain why it was so dry
• I wouldn't go above a temp of 250 to smoke, I would worry it would dry out even more
• Here are my thoughts and how I typically smoke a pork butt (again, just my opinions and preferences - YMMV)
  • I used to brine, but I've gone to more injecting - usually apple juice, maybe with a little ACV, could also mix up with different soda flavors if you wanted (Coke, root beer, Cherry Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc.) - just let it get flat first
  • I inject and let it sit in the refrigerator in a foil pan for a couple of hours or so; when ready to smoke I take the pork out, rub with mustard and then rub/seasonings, and let it sit, then I get the smoker going
  • I smoke at ~225-250, and I plan at least 12 hours (sometimes it's done sooner depending on size) - I think it's more likely to dry out with a higher temp (maybe the deep internal parts and around the bone are OK, but the exterior will be dry)
  • I usually cook it on a rack over an aluminum foil pan (see below for the reason, besides keeping the grill grates and drip pan cleaner)
  • Then after the first couple of hours I spray with a mix of apple juice and ACV (usually ~2:1 ratio or so), and I spray every hour or so
  • Once the internal temp hits about 160, usually I have a good bark developing, I then take the meat off of the rack and put it into the foil pan with the drippings, add some liquid (apple juice, maybe apple juice/ACV mix, maybe others as I noted above), this last time I also added some butter and brown sugar on top (a little too sweet for me so may not do this again or may cut with other seasonings), then cover with butcher paper and cook until internal temp hits about 200 just over (I've gone to butcher paper instead of foil - in my opinion, it gives a better "balance" of keeping the meet moist but also allowing some bark to continue developing)
  • I will then uncover, check to be sure it's done (check temp in a few places, wiggle the bone (should be loose) - then take the meat out of the foil pan, wrap, wrap in towels and place in a cooler for at least an hour to rest - save the foil pan and leave on the grill while it's still warm and cooling down (or set in the oven)
  • Once I'm ready to pull the meat, I unwrap and set in a clean foil pan, pull the bone, and start shredding - I taste/test, and then add more rub/seasoning and some of the reserved drippings/liquid from the cook to desired moisture and flavor - then dig in!

Once again, these are just my opinions and preferences, you and others may prefer something else, but this has worked pretty well for me. I hope that helps, good luck and have fun with it!

-Mike

Mike,
Thank you for the response. It was a different brand, but it was fresh, not frozen. I don't typically inject as for the most part my prior cooks have turned out moist, tender and tasty pork. It seems like from most of the posts in response that I really should have checked the meat for tenderness rather than just relying on the temperature of the probe. This was all really helpful and I appreciate the thorough response!
Mark

 

[Motodad1776]

I don't typically smoke/cook anything under 240F, some of the lower temps I see so many cooking at makes little sense to me. Yeah meat does some strange things, you can do everything right and still have a subpar turnout. By the way, my understanding with many professional BBQ joints and competitions, is that many smoke in the 250/275F range literally all dead animal flesh. I have also experimented with varying temps, and for me my best and most consistent results have been at 240/250F. Happy cooking, trying new methods and experience from others is part of the fun.

 

[Waterboy]

When I cook on a drum or offset I’ll cook at 250-275 or even higher because I can get good smoke flavor and a clean fire. On the pellet smoker I have to cook in the 180-225 range for at least the beginning of the cook to get enough smoke flavor for my taste. YMMV.

 

[Motodad1776]

When I cook on a drum or offset I’ll cook at 250-275 or even higher because I can get good smoke flavor and a clean fire. On the pellet smoker I have to cook in the 180-225 range for at least the beginning of the cook to get enough smoke flavor for my taste. YMMV.

That's so weird, I've never had an issue getting great smoke flavor or smoke ring on my 590.

 

[Waterboy]

I have no problem getting a smoke ring, the smoke flavor is just lighter than I prefer. I can get closer to what I’m looking for by starting at the lower temps which produces more smoke.

 

[Gonefishin]

For Father’s Day thee kids took me to a new BBQ joint a few towns away, what a difference in smoke flavor comparing their indoor wood burner made brisket to mine on the pellet smoker. It was probably a mistake going there. I’d love to participate in a side by side comparison of offset, pellet, charcoal. I just may have to buy a 2nd smoker, one for flavor, one for convenience.

 

[JimB]

For a ~10 lb butt, I put it on at 9-10 pm the night before on low/max smoke. When I get up in the morning, I raise temp to 225 and let it sit there until internal temp reaches 203-205. This usually ends up being 2-3 PM. I then pull and wrap in red paper, then foil (to keep cooler clean). Place towel in bottom of cooler, then meat pack, then 2 towels on top. Meat can rest 4-6 hours like this and still be 145-160 internal temp. I think the combination of long, slow cook (never above 225) and resting at least 2 hours (preferable 3-4) are the key to being moist and tender.
There are times though where it is just the particular cut of meat. I've had a few where 2/3 to 3/4 of the roast is fall apart tender and moist, but there is 1 knot of muscle in there that is tough and drier.

 

[TheRicker]

I once had a pork shoulder mislabeled as a butt. While both are part of the whole shoulder, the butt has more fat…the shoulder leaner…more “white meat”. I’m a bit more careful now.

 

[Gonefishin]

I once had a pork shoulder mislabeled as a butt. While both are part of the whole shoulder, the butt has more fat…the shoulder leaner…more “white meat”. I’m a bit more careful now.

how does the finished shoulder cut come out compared to the butt? I see more of the former in the local grocer but have never tried one.

 

[Nerdygrrl]

how does the finished shoulder cut come out compared to the butt? I see more of the former in the local grocer but have never tried one.

They can be a bit tougher. You can make it work, but if you have the option of the two, butts are better than shoulders for pulling. They have more intramuscular fat and just cook down better.

It's all about that location.

 

[DesertRat]

Well, I don't claim to have any expertise at all. Many of the commenters are far ahead of me in smoking. But I have gotten very good bark on butts and ribs for the most part. And I didn't use low. In fact, I have never used the low setting. It seems to me that 2 hours may have contributed to your dryness. Just my thought. I have a 590.