Low & Slow Pork Failure!

StoneX · Post by **StoneX** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:02 am

Hi guys,

I tried to low and slow a 7.1kg piece of pork but could not get it to pulling temp (195F for me)... Does anyone know why? My temp log and some pictures are below. I can only assume it was just too big

Trimmed

Rubbed

On the smoker

Time - ET-73 Meat/ET-732 Meat/ET-732 Smoker
18:40 - 30F/34F/140F
19:00 - 30F/34F/176F
19:30 - 30F/32F/195F
20:00 - 30F/32F/226F
21:00 - 31F/34F/243F
22:00 - 73F/81F/192F
23:00 - 107F/109F/210F
00:00 - 126F/127F/237F
01:00 - 141F/142F/244F
02:45 - 157F/158F/261F
07:30 - 169F/165F/248F
08:00 - 170F/165F/246F
09:15 - 168F/163F/239F

10:00 - 167F/162F/237F
11:00 - 167F/163F/234F
12:00 - 168F/165F/221F
13:00 - 171F/169F/239F
14:00 - 174F/172F/266F
15:00 - 175F/172F/255F
16:00 - 176F/174F/239F
17:00 - 176F/174F/248F
18:00 - 176F/176F/262F
18:30 - 178F/178F/257F - 24 HOURS
19:00 - 180F/180F/253F
19:30 - 181F/180F/248F
20:00 - 182F/180F/201F (added extra fuel 5 mins ago)
20:30 - 181F/178F/262F
21:00 - 180F/178F/261F
21:30 - 180F/180F/232F
22:00 - 181F/180F/271F
22:30 - 183F/180F/270F
23:00 - 185F/183F/270F
23:30 - 187F/185F/266F
00:00 - 188F/187F/255F
00:30 - 189F/187F/255F
01:00 - 190F/187F/255F
01:30 - 190F/187F/190F (refilled water and fuel)
02:00 - 188F/185F/207F
02:30 - 186F/183F/237F
07:30 - 180F/178F/210F - NEARLY 37 HOURS
Removed and wrapped.

fleetz · Post by **fleetz** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 10:58 am

That doesn't look like a neck? Meat too lean with no fat marbling which is what renders down and keep the meat moist during the cook.

Probably should have taken around 12 hours or so at the pit temps you were holding on your WSM. Then an hours rest...

StoneX · Post by **StoneX** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 11:35 am

I have no idea what the piece of meat is... My stepfather saw the pic below that I had printed to take to a butcher and he decided to speak to his butcher friend and the piece I cooked above is what he brought home.

I assumed I got the butt and a whole heap of extra around it. I'm no butcher so I had no idea

It pulled alright but certain parts were a little dry.

gnol · Post by **gnol** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 3:55 pm

Are you sure the probes on the thermometer are ok.
I have 2 ET732's and have found that the probes have failed on both of them within 12 months of purchase.

So much for a "quality" piece of equipment.

I'm now looking around for quality that will last, but that is for another thread.

StoneX · Post by **StoneX** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 4:28 pm

The ET-73 and ET-732 both measured 0C/32F correctly before the cook and stayed within 0-5C of each other throughout the cook at opposite ends of the meat so I assume they're fine. Also my previous cooks have got to my desired temps so I know they can reach 195F!

Next cook i'll test 100C before I start to ensure they're still accurate at higher temps.

Does anyone know what cut I got? Can you recognise from the bone that came out of it and the ribs at the start?

beermee · Post by **beermee** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:26 pm

Those pics are the shoulder - upper and lower parts (and I think the neck is part of, or connected to, the upper part). The cut of meat should have been fine for the cook.

I too am surprised it took that long, so keen for someone to respond. I'm not familiar with the workings of a wsm, nor do I have a maverick (other than the instant read probe similar to a thermapen).

One thing about your cook - an awesome pinkiness to meat. It must have got a bit of smoke!!

Gary

the dane · Post by **the dane** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 6:19 pm

yep looks like shoulder and scotch (neck). after all that time in the pro Q it should off pulled! you would think after 12 hours it would of pulled! strange think there is something wrong somewhere!

Sent from my GT-I9305T using Tapatalk

StoneX · Post by **StoneX** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 6:31 pm

Thanks for the replies.

beermee... Yeah, the meat actually turned out fairly good, maybe a little on the dry side in certain muscles but moist in others. Generally with the smoker (it's a Pro Q) as long as it's temp is higher than the meat my meat has eventually hit the target temperature. This one just refused to go past 190F which is actually pullable but I prefer to take it to 195F.

the dave... It may have pulled much earlier but as I'm a newbie I purely go by temperature as it seems (seemed?!) like the most reliable option.

I'm glad the meat was from the right area though! Next time I think I'll ask it to be a little smaller or go back to the old scotch that worked perfectly

Green Nigel · Post by **Green Nigel** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:05 pm

I'm wondering if it's due to a combination of factors specifically the overall size of the joint of meat & the fact that your WSM uses a waterpan that helps maintain a high moisture level during the cook.

I've posted a link below to a very Interesting article that uses science to dispell the myth about what actually causes the stall...after reading through it my interpretation is that an excess of moisture around the joint can actually cause the stall to stall or at the very least prolong the stall.

Have a read through & see what you think...it might provide an answer to your question.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/craig-gol ... 87719.html

urbangriller · Post by **urbangriller** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:19 pm

Ok, well that's the shoulder so that's fine. Your smoker temps are moving around a bit, no biggie, they just are, the meat temp shows steady increase, the meat probes look to be behaving, two different units within a couple of degrees of each other.

If in doubt, stick a fork in and twist, that will tell you if it's ready or not.

Cheers
Chris

StoneX · Post by **StoneX** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:40 pm

Green Nigel... I was thinking my large amount of injection liquid and spritzing the meat surface (only 3 times around 18-22hr mark) may have contributed to the extended stalls but couldn't work out why the temp dropped at the end when the smoker was still hotter than the meat.

Thanks Chris. Yeah, I had trouble keeping a stable temp... All the restocking of heatbeads and refilling the waterpan would drop it and after about 24 hours I had ash issues. I kept playing with the vents to try to remove ash and must have not returned them to the correct positions.

I think i'll stick to multiple smaller pieces in future

After all of that a 7.1kg shoulder ended up as 3.8kg of pulled meat. I'm interested to see how heavy a 1.6kg scotch ends up being once cooked.

overspiceddave · Post by **overspiceddave** » Sun Mar 09, 2014 9:37 pm

StoneX wrote:Green Nigel... I was thinking my large amount of injection liquid and spritzing the meat surface (only 3 times around 18-22hr mark) may have contributed to the extended stalls but couldn't work out why the temp dropped at the end when the smoker was still hotter than the meat.

Thanks Chris. Yeah, I had trouble keeping a stable temp... All the restocking of heatbeads and refilling the waterpan would drop it and after about 24 hours I had ash issues. I kept playing with the vents to try to remove ash and must have not returned them to the correct positions.

I think i'll stick to multiple smaller pieces in future

After all of that a 7.1kg shoulder ended up as 3.8kg of pulled meat. I'm interested to see how heavy a 1.6kg scotch ends up being once cooked.

I have limited experience but the times I have bothered to weigh before and after 1.6kg comes home a little over 1kg

Dave

MrT · Post by **MrT** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 2:59 pm

At the risk of being shunned by the BBQ community, my thoughts on smoking low and slow for an extended period of time are that you may as well use the electric kitchen oven once you have finished smoking. It will hold the temp without you having to faff around with adding extra heat beads. Heat is heat, and if you aren't imparting taste with your charcoal, then you may as well make life easy for yourself...
Mind you, you may not fit a 7kg pork shoulder in a kitchen oven!

Smokey · Post by **Smokey** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 4:11 pm

Sorry to hear that didnt go to plan,
There are two cuts in your pic above The one on the right is the Boston butt and includes the scotch or collar butt.
Even some parts of that cut can be dry particularly on our lean Aussie pigs.
The one on the left will be even dryer being the front leg.
Im thinking that the bones were sinking heat and slowing down the cook.
That spine needs to be boned out just leaving the blade.
Also, The fat cap looks a little too much trimmed, Aim to leave 6mm right over the top. It renders and self bast's.
Longest Ive had one that big go is 22 hours so they can get up there unexpectedly.
That pig may have just had less collegen. Pulled pork IS DRY of water but rather full of slipery gelatine.
If I get a dry one Ill add gelatine to the sauce to slick it up a bit. When the dry and good bits get mixed together, Its not so noticable.
Ill let you know if something else pops to mind, However Id do it again to see its a one off.

shayneh2006 · Post by **shayneh2006** » Mon Mar 10, 2014 4:16 pm

MrT wrote: you may as well use the electric kitchen oven once you have finished smoking.

MrT wrote:Mind you, you may not fit a 7kg pork shoulder in a kitchen oven

I wouldn't worry about fitting the piece in the oven,,,,, my main concern would be,,,,, the ability to get an indoor oven to sit on such a low temp, needed to complete the low n slow.

...... the chance next to none

Shayne

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