Smoked Pork Butt Problems

by Nancy
(Winter Garden, Fl, USA)

I smoked a pork butt and when it was completed to the correct temperature it did not fall apart. What am I doing wrong?

Answer:-

First of all don't worry, many folks encounter problems when they first smoke a pork but and it's important not to get frustrated and remember that smoking is an art form. If you get it right first time then you're a very lucky person, normally it will take a good few times and an element of trial and error.

The main thing to remember is that it's not just about the temperature when smoking pork it's also about the timing and that's got to be low and slow. Work on 90 - 120 minutes per pound and smoke at 220°F.

The “low and slow” technique is what breaks down the fibrous tissue in the meat and allows it to fall apart so it might be a strange thing to say but to all intents and purposes you can't do it too long.

I hope that this helps you and please remember to be patient it may take you a couple more times before you get it exactly to your liking. Once you've cracked it you'll be trying all sorts of different rubs and your smoked pork butt problems will be behind you!

Smoked Pork Butt

First try at smoked pork butt.

Rubbed a 10 lb. butt with dry rub then I put it into my little chief smoker with apple chips after about 22 hours butt still only 130 degrees.

I decided to put it on my gas grill set the grill to 250 degrees put the butt on sprayed it with apple juice regularly after about 3 hours it reached 190 degrees.

I took it off let it rest then tried to pull it very hard to pull after removing the bone the meat around it seemed to be very mushy. The rest of meat very tough.

What did I do wrong?

Paul's thoughts:-

Not sure about the mush texture. Certainly grilling the meat will have toughened it up and made it difficult to pull.

My worry is that your smoker only got up to 130 degrees. Is there something wrong with your smoker? Is your temperature probe correctly calibrated?

I've said it many time. Smoking is an art form and the best way to learn is trial and error. Be patient and try again.

See Also:-

Easy Pulled Pork Barbecue Recipe
Southern Style Pulled Pork Barbeque
Smoked Pork Loin
Barbecue Cookbooks

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