Cooking to TEMP NOT Time.

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cheezydemon3

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The biggest difference in my cooking of meats has come from the cooking of meats to a specific temperature, rather than a time.

If making BBQ, then yes, it is measured in hours. You go past "just cooked" into the realm of still delicious, but falling off the bone.

The most extreme example is the thanksgiving turkey for me. If you time turkey, it has to err on the side of caution, because underdone will make you sick. If you wait for the little plastic thingy to pop, there is no saving that bird, dump on the gravy.

We now have turkey 4-5 times a year. I cook it to 165F and take it out of the heat.

My digital thermometer goes off when it is done, no guesswork.

Even the white meat is moist and delicious. A different animal from my grandmothers turkey.

Pork loin is the same deal. If you aren't cooking by temp, you have to err on the side of caution and overcook it. To temp? Moist and delicious.
 
Only thing that should ever get cooked to solely time is pasta, and even that not so much to an extent.
 
The biggest difference in my cooking of meats has come from the cooking of meats to a specific temperature, rather than a time.

If making BBQ, then yes, it is measured in hours. You go past "just cooked" into the realm of still delicious, but falling off the bone.

The most extreme example is the thanksgiving turkey for me. If you time turkey, it has to err on the side of caution, because underdone will make you sick. If you wait for the little plastic thingy to pop, there is no saving that bird, dump on the gravy.

We now have turkey 4-5 times a year. I cook it to 165F and take it out of the heat.

My digital thermometer goes off when it is done, no guesswork.

Even the white meat is moist and delicious. A different animal from my grandmothers turkey.

Pork loin is the same deal. If you aren't cooking by temp, you have to err on the side of caution and overcook it. To temp? Moist and delicious.

I try to tell people this all the time. My Martha Stewart digital thermometer can be set to go off at certain temperatures. It's also great for brewing, I set it to get off at 208F, just before a boil starts so I know when to add my hops.
 
Also, with bbq it really isn't temp as much as it is feel too. Some butts for example will be done at 185-190 while some others need close to 205.
 
I absolutely agree. I always cook to temp these days. The other key is letting the meat warm to ambient temp for a couple of hours before cooking starts. It helps to ensure the meat heats through evenly so you're not over cooking the outside while waiting on the inside to catch up.
 
I agree. Another thing to consider is carry-over cooking. If you want your Turkey to end up at 165, pull it out at about 160, and the heat will carry it up to 165.

I also thing published and suggested temps are too high. I usually pull turkey at 155, and consider beef rare at 118-122.

Gremlyn, I have done that a few times with prime cuts and agree with you. It cooks much more evenly, and any marinade gets in better.
 
Absolutely Sean. Especially a large bird will carry over more heat after removal from the grill, smoker, or oven.

SWMBO is a little overcautious, so we compromise, pulling the turkey at 165F. It gets to 171F or so.

Even then, it is so much more moist and delicious that the 180F recommended by the terrorists in the "We likes our turkey DRY" federation, or the "plastic poppers know best" association.
 
Cooking to temp is why SWMBO thinks my baked boneless breasts are the best she's ever eaten. I don't tell her about taking it out early and carryover, she's overly cautious when she cooks.
 
My temp probes die each year.

I get the walmart or bedbathandbutthole cheapy because I abuse them.

An expensive one would just suck that much worse to lose.

also, I like to have 2 in different places at once to make sure all my bases are covered. Too often the breast reads a nice done 160F and when you take it out and check the thigh, 195F.
 
so what? for his and my boiling point to be below his 208 we would need be boiling in a low flying plane or in the eye a pretty powerful hurricane.

damn straight!

if you were boiling in the eye of Super Typhoon Tip you'd be at 203F

lol
 
If making BBQ, then yes, it is measured in hours. You go past "just cooked" into the realm of still delicious, but falling off the bone.

Being a Pro BBQ'er I disagree. Everything is cooked to temperature except ribs in the world of competition BBQ. Ribs are done by sight and feel. Since falling of the bone ribs are marked down in score we make sure that the meat has pulled back from the bone about 1/4" and if we grab the rack by one end the rack should bend 90* without meat separating from any bones. In competition, we are looking for a bite that easily separates from the bone without taking any other meat with it. That is the test for perfect doneness. Falling off the bone is considered overcooked and the scores are marked down.
 
Being a Pro BBQ'er I disagree. Everything is cooked to temperature except ribs in the world of competition BBQ. Ribs are done by sight and feel. Since falling of the bone ribs are marked down in score we make sure that the meat has pulled back from the bone about 1/4" and if we grab the rack by one end the rack should bend 90* without meat separating from any bones. In competition, we are looking for a bite that easily separates from the bone without taking any other meat with it. That is the test for perfect doneness. Falling off the bone is considered overcooked and the scores are marked down.

Agreed that ribs are a different animal. Thanks for your pro input!

What temp is a pork butt cooked to for pulled bbq?

When I say "pork" I am referring to a loin or chops, admittedly, almost a different animal from the shoulder.

When I grill, smoke, or bake a whole loin, my digital thermometer is in it, and when it is perfect, it is still ever so slightly pink.

When I smoke a butt, I smoke it low for 4 hours or so, and then oven or crock pot until falling apart. (with 3 kids, I can't babysit the butt for 12 hours;))
 
Thank you lt DATA!!

A little emberrassing since I started this mess of a thread, but it is now in zombie state...

meaning: It died some time ago, but has been reanimated for some reason and I had failed to re-read all of it to refresh my memory.

Thanks for your star trek like memory, that will be all.
 
Thank you lt DATA!!

No, thank you! My first time being able to "do a revvy" :mug:




Seriously though, it has gotten to the point that if all the butts I am cooking at the roughly the same size I will only stick a thermo in one of them. That is enough to let me know roughly when I need to start checking them and it is rare that they are all ready at the same time.
 
Is that sanctioned by the captain?

The day I cook more than 1 butt at a time will be a great day indeed.

My kids will eat ribs, but no pulled bbq. If I am showing off for a crowd, I do ribs.


I wonder though.........some need 205, but some 195....??????????

Doesn't that suggest that time, not temp is the factor?

Fast cook any pork to 205 and it will be rubber.

I am skeptical.
 
Is that sanctioned by the captain?

The day I cook more than 1 butt at a time will be a great day indeed.

My kids will eat ribs, but no pulled bbq. If I am showing off for a crowd, I do ribs.


I wonder though.........some need 205, but some 195....??????????

Doesn't that suggest that time, not temp is the factor?

Fast cook any pork to 205 and it will be rubber.

I am skeptical.


It as to do with the amount of each of the different connective tissues in each inndividual butt. If you cook it at 350-400 degrees and take it that high it won't be rubber, it will be charcoal. But do it at 225-250 over the course of 12-18 hours and it is pure bliss. You don't cook them by time or temp, you do it by feel. Similar to the way that you should cook a steak.

When you are able to take something, I use a bamboo skewer, and poke it into the butt and it just goes in like warm butter then you know it is done. Every butt is different though as far as the temp at which this happens.

If you cook all of your butts to 185 or 195 or whatever, it isn't going to be ruined or terrible, just not as good and tender and juicy as it could be.





Starting with the next time I make some butts I won't make anything less than a case which is usually 6 or 7 butts. It is a lot of time and effort to make pulled pork. The thing is though it doesn't take too much more time or effort to make 70 pounds than it does to make 8 pounds. The stuff also freezes phenominally well.
 
If you don't want to use a thermometer when smoking a port butt get a bone-in butt. Cook it until the bone turns easily and it can slide out of the butt real easy. At that point it is done.
 
If you don't want to use a thermometer when smoking a port butt get a bone-in butt. Cook it until the bone turns easily and it can slide out of the butt real easy. At that point it is done.

That works too. I just personally prefer the skewer but they are both the same principle.
 

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