The Pulled Pork Thread

[Jeff Lebowski]

I've only to page 12 on this thread, but do you mop it?

Not always, but I am today. I use a vinegar mop and I apply it with a small spray bottle. Here is the recipe, but I usually use 1/3 of a batch and have plenty:

3 C rice vinegar
2 T sugar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T lemon juice

Mix it up and you might need to heat it up a bit to get the sugar to dissolve. It gives the bark a very nice tangy flavor.

[Surfah]

The stall is normal. The issue is how long it lasts.

Well it was stuck at 160 for a bit but I just checked and it seems to have powered through. 175+ all over so I am going to leave it without foil and hope it gets to temp in the next 3 hours.

I did a brisket at the same time and I pulled it off and put it in the oven already. It's my dad's birthday and this is what he asked for. Surfah clan gon grind tonight.

[Green Monstah]

Mine is at 174. It's funny how much that stall screws with your head.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just reached temp after 8.5 hrs. With these Costco butts at ~8 lbs, typical time for me is 9 hrs. Did not foil.

[Green Monstah]

So, yesterday was my second shot smoking a Boston butt. The first time I simply didn't leave myself enough time, and the result was mediocre at best.

Yesterday my 7 lb butt took 13 hours to reach temp (including the last hour wrapped in foil in the oven at 275). I FTC'd it for two hours, and only pulled it out of the cooler when the guests arrived. Things were a little hectic, so I was only able to snap one picture. The bark was tasty, but maybe a little too dark as a result of the amount of time it took to cook, but the flavor overall was exceptional. We had a family with seven kids over, and their four older kids did some serious damage on the meat.

I served it with sweet hawaiian rolls, and coleslaw with the Litehouse dressing, and four different sauces: Sweet Baby Rays, Head Country (a sweet, mild sauce that's popular in OK), Raspberry Chipotle, and regular KC Masterpiece. My rub was Joe Davidson's Chicken and Pork Rub (from Oklahoma Joe's) with some brown sugar. Even my wife (who is not a huge smoked meat fan) loved the pulled pork.

pork.jpg

[Mormon Red Death]

Not pulled pork but I an art Pappys bbq in St Louis. Best damn bbq you will ever have. Here are some ribs they gave me while i wait for my family to arrive.

[FN Phat]

Not pulled pork but I an art Pappys bbq in St Louis. Best damn bbq you will ever have. Here are some ribs they gave me while i wait for my family to arrive.

I've heard great things about Pappy's. I am planning on catching a Cards game in the next month or so and it is on my list of eats.

[TripletDaddy]

Not pulled pork but I an art Pappys bbq in St Louis. Best damn bbq you will ever have. Here are some ribs they gave me while i wait for my family to arrive.

Since you didnt make those, let me say yikes. those ribs looking absolutely terrible. were they warmed up in the microwave? seriously, i think those are the worst looking pork ribs that anyone has posted on this site. maybe it is just a bad picture. #sjbh

[Jeff Lebowski]

Since you didnt make those, let me say yikes. those ribs looking absolutely terrible. were they warmed up in the microwave? seriously, i think those are the worst looking pork ribs that anyone has posted on this site. maybe it is just a bad picture. #sjbh

Beat me to it. That one on the right looks three days old.

[Green Monstah]

Watched an episode of BBQ pitmasters last night, and the participants were cooking Pork butts and St. Louis style spareribs. As a result, I've got some questions for you.

1. Do you guys smoke your butts in a shallow pan? If so, what is the rack called you put in the pan to keep the meat out of the juices?

2. All of the contestants wrapped the butt in foil or covered their pan with foil after the bark reached the right color (3 to 5 hours). Those who used a pan poured apple juice in the pan prior to covering. Anyone ever tried this? My bark is typically a little too dark/thick, probably because I don't wrap (I thought wrapping was a last-resort, but I guess I'm wrong).

3. Two contestants cooked at 300 degrees, the other at 275. I was surprised by this, but may have been a function of the competition clock. Does 275-300 increase risk that the pork won't be as tender?

[TripletDaddy]

The initial smoke phase is basically to set the bark. Once it is set you can move to foil and crank it if you want to. 300 won't do harm, it just means you start checking for doneness sooner. Use your thermapen to know when it is completely done and ready. BTW, this isn't a temperature test it is a consistency test. If the probe meets resistance, the meat isn't done yet. Has to be smooth like butter.

i smoke shoulder directly on the grill but did try in the pan once. Didn't make much of a difference and actually there was no cleanup, which is nice. Not sure why I don't do it more, actually.

The Apple juice in the pan is common, I'm positive everyone here has done it. Helps add some moisture to your pork steam bath. Water works, fruit nectar, whatever.

The Harry Soo scratch test works every time. Smoke your shoulder until the bark sets enough to be able to withstand a scratch. Once you do that, you are good to move to the next phase.

Ive had great success putting the shoulder in a pan on a grate then foiling the entire pan. I tried foiling individual shoulders but I found that it messed with the bark a bit. Either method is fine, personal preference.

also, since my bam bams smoking class, I haven't used temp probes for anything and it has been a great move. I have a thermapen to spit check, but the constant presence of a maverick temp probe....much like sustaining people in sacrament, basically silly and pointless.

[TripletDaddy]

Btw bumping this thread exposed me to those horrendous looking pappys ribs. Can we block images for certain posts? Those things are traumatizing.

[ERCougar]

The initial smoke phase is basically to set the bark. Once it is set you can move to foil and crank it if you want to. 300 won't do harm, it just means you start checking for doneness sooner. Use your thermapen to know when it is completely done and ready. BTW, this isn't a temperature test it is a consistency test. If the probe meets resistance, the meat isn't done yet. Has to be smooth like butter.

i smoke shoulder directly on the grill but did try in the pan once. Didn't make much of a difference and actually there was no cleanup, which is nice. Not sure why I don't do it more, actually.

The Apple juice in the pan is common, I'm positive everyone here has done it. Helps add some moisture to your pork steam bath. Water works, fruit nectar, whatever.

The Harry Soo scratch test works every time. Smoke your shoulder until the bark sets enough to be able to withstand a scratch. Once you do that, you are good to move to the next phase.

Ive had great success putting the shoulder in a pan on a grate then foiling the entire pan. I tried foiling individual shoulders but I found that it messed with the bark a bit. Either method is fine, personal preference.

also, since my bam bams smoking class, I haven't used temp probes for anything and it has been a great move. I have a thermapen to spit check, but the constant presence of a maverick temp probe....much like sustaining people in sacrament, basically silly and pointless.

That's an expensive doneness probe!
Interesting stuff here. I'm not sure I'm ready to eat pork with just a "butter" check.
So, I haven't been foiling for a while but decided to try it again and yeah--it messes with the bark. But I like the idea of smoking in a pan. No cleanup would be nice, but it seems like it would bake the drippings to your pan, no? Do you tent foil over the whole thing?
What's wrong with just leaving a probe in the meat? Did they say? It seems like it's at least nice to know when you're close without going out to check on it all the time.

[TripletDaddy]

That's an expensive doneness probe!
Interesting stuff here. I'm not sure I'm ready to eat pork with just a "butter" check.
So, I haven't been foiling for a while but decided to try it again and yeah--it messes with the bark. But I like the idea of smoking in a pan. No cleanup would be nice, but it seems like it would bake the drippings to your pan, no? Do you tent foil over the whole thing?
What's wrong with just leaving a probe in the meat? Did they say? It seems like it's at least nice to know when you're close without going out to check on it all the time.

The thermapen is used to spot check temps but frankly, once your shoulder has been cooking for 10 hours there is no concern that it hasnt hit a safe temp to eat. You can eat pork safely at around 145-150.

There is nothing wrong with using a maverick or other constant temp probe, his opinion simply was that it was pointless. It was a mental blow and the first time I smoked without it was weird. But now I can't imagine what I was thinking using one. They are basically pointless. why do I have to know the internal temperature of the meat every minute of the smoke? I ditched it and haven't looked back since. I admit that it was an uncomfy transition (especially for brisket) but it works. And with each smoke, I am getting a little better and testing by touch.

his other point, which was very convincing, was that every cut of meat is different. You cant cook every shoulder to 195 (or 200 or whatever your magic temp may be) and then assume that you are going to get consistent results. The only real way to know is to check the meat individually for doneness. And that is a feel test, not a temp test.

Give it a try. You will be nervous, but i promise afterwards you will feel liberated!

[imanihonjin]

The thermapen is used to spot check temps but frankly, once your shoulder has been cooking for 10 hours there is no concern that it hasnt hit a safe temp to eat. You can eat pork safely at around 145-150.

There is nothing wrong with using a maverick or other constant temp probe, his opinion simply was that it was pointless. It was a mental blow and the first time I smoked without it was weird. But now I can't imagine what I was thinking using one. They are basically pointless. why do I have to know the internal temperature of the meat every minute of the smoke? I ditched it and haven't looked back since. I admit that it was an uncomfy transition (especially for brisket) but it works. And with each smoke, I am getting a little better and testing by touch.

his other point, which was very convincing, was that every cut of meat is different. You cant cook every shoulder to 195 (or 200 or whatever your magic temp may be) and then assume that you are going to get consistent results. The only real way to know is to check the meat individually for doneness. And that is a feel test, not a temp test.

Give it a try. You will be nervous, but i promise afterwards you will feel liberated!

So for every meat it is the buttery resistance test you are using?