The Pulled Pork Thread

[Jeff Lebowski]

After applying rub and wrapping in saran to sit overnight in the fridge. I read some talk about putting in a plastic bag or else it will make a mess in the fridge. Maybe I misunderstood.

Aha.. Gotcha.

Yes, the juices will leak out of the saran wrap. You should either put them in a large bag or in a big pan. However, it is not essential to apply the rub and let it sit overnight. You can apply the rub right before you put them on the smoker if you want. I often do it the night before but I don't think it makes a big difference.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Butcher twine?

No, just push them together with your hands.

[FN Phat]

I support "The DDD-Approved BBQ Template!"

[TripletDaddy]

I support "The DDD-Approved BBQ Template!"

I'm new. I need to get organized!

btw, I just went to that hot sauce/rub place at the Gateway and they are all out of Butt Rub. Whoops. Where can I purchase it locally?

[Jeff Lebowski]

I'm new. I need to get organized!

btw, I just went to that hot sauce/rub place at the Gateway and they are all out of Butt Rub. Whoops. Where can I purchase it locally?

Here you go:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Byrons-Butt-Rub-4-5oz/dp/B000QV4U4U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337111632&sr=8-2"]Bad Byron's Butt Rub - 4.5oz: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ErPtCYmZL.@@AMEPARAM@@31ErPtCYmZL[/ame]

If you are an Amazon Prime member you are set. If not, buy a few more things and get your order over $25 or pay a little more for 2-day shipping.

[Coach McGuirk]

Here are mine

St. Louis pork ribs were a successful maiden voyage.

This weekend, I'm going to keep it simple and go with a low risk/high return follow-up: pulled pork. Plan on hosting 7-10 adults and 9 children.

Based off what I have read in this thread, I have decided to do the following:

1. Buy the meat at Costco (will it be called picnic, shoulder, butt, or Boston Butt?) Shoulder Roast, Jeff is spot on with the weights.
2. Go boneless
3. Smoke both shoulders, save some leftovers, freeze the rest.
4. Skip the smoke setting and go 225 the entire time
5. Try new rubs....Butt Rub on one and maybe Coach's SYD rub. I am having fun trying rubs. Last week I used a homemade rub on the ribs and it was a huge hit. I want to continue to mix it up to see what everyone likes. Coach, is there a local place to buy SYD rub?
No Local Place I know of. I mixed mine myself.
SYD All Purpose Rub (makes about 1 cup)
4 tbsp Kosher Salt
2 tbsp White Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp California Mild Chili Powder
2 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Ground Cumin
1 tbsp Granulated Garlic
1 tbsp Black Pepper
1/2 TSP Cayenne Pepper (use sparingly or not at all)

6. Will skip FTC. I'm with Lebowski. There doesn't seem to be anything magical about a towel and a cooler. Why not just use the oven? Less work and one less thing to lug out, clean, etc.
I completely agree with this

Still need some more convincing on the following. Help me out, dudes:

1. Injection (leaning against)
2. mop (leaning towards, just to try to get a nice vinegar tang going...any recs on a mop recipe?)
3. mustard (leaning towards just so I can say I tried it but is this really necessary? rub sticks to meat without the mustard and do I want my pork to taste like mustard?) I think the rub stick initially, but the mustard helps bond it to the meat once the cooking starts. I didn't notice a mustard taste at all on any of the meats I have used it on.
4. Someone earlier in the thread was talking about specific sugar to use in conjunction with the rub...should I add this sugar to the Butt Rub or SYD or will it screw up the flavor? SYD has both brown and white sugar in it, the butt rub has none.
5. I also want to keep trying new BBQ sauce. Not enough time to mail order for this weekend but any place locally to buy some good sauces? Someone mentioned sissy sauce. I'm open for suggestions beyond the normal ones you can find in any grocery store.
6. Wood type? I wanted to try apple. I also have oak, hickory, and mesquite. Suggestions?

General questions to verify my understanding:
1. At 225, I should budget approx 1.5 hours per pound of meat, correct? So if I buy a 12 lb. two pack at the Co, that should take around 9 hrs in the smoker? ((12/2)*1.5)
2. When do I pull it off the smoker? I've read several temps in this thread. 195? 180? over 200? I did 195, but make sure you have a Thermapen (nod to the lebowski gods) as the temp on my butt had some guess work and having a thermapen would have saved me trouble.
3. Post-smoke oven at 170, correct? And if I go oven, I can skip the foil altogether and just cover the pan?
4. I believe all of you, but just out of curiosity, why do you put the pork in a trash bag? What happens to the meat overnight in the fridge? Juices were EVERYWHERE IN MY FRIDGE

[Jeff Lebowski]

5. I also want to keep trying new BBQ sauce. Not enough time to mail order for this weekend but any place locally to buy some good sauces? Someone mentioned sissy sauce. I'm open for suggestions beyond the normal ones you can find in any grocery store.

Forgot to respond to this. One of my favorite sauces is Cowtown Sauce from Kansas City. I first tried it at Oklahoma Joe's in KC based on KCCougar's recommendation. I order it online here:

http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/oj/in...=index&cPath=1

I have an extra bottle you can try if you want to swing by sometime this week. You might want to try it before you order a box.

As for the more common and easily accessible brands, I like the following:

KC Masterpiece - original
Famous Dave's - Sweet and Zesty
Sweet Baby Ray's

I do not like Stubb's. Yuck.

[Coach McGuirk]

Forgot to respond to this. One of my favorite sauces is Cowtown Sauce from Kansas City. I first tried it at Oklahoma Joe's in KC based on KCCougar's recommendation. I order it online here:

http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/oj/in...=index&cPath=1

I have an extra bottle you can try if you want to swing by sometime this week. You might want to try it before you order a box.

I highly recommend the Cowtown Sauce. The dude let me try a bottle and it is in my top 3 sauces.

[FN Phat]

Has anyone else tried Rufus Teague Honey Sweet BBQ sauce? Probably my fav so far:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Rufus-Teague-Honey-Sweet-Sauce/dp/B0013HH4MQ"]Rufus Teague Honey Sweet BBQ Sauce 16 oz: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DHmmipGnL.@@AMEPARAM@@41DHmmipGnL[/ame]

[TripletDaddy]

OK, I need some hugs and reassurance.

I purchased my pork shoulder at the Co.....2 cuts for a total of 14 lbs. Going to smoke 'em both.

Reading through this thread again has made me nervous. Some are saying that it usually takes them 12-14 hours, others are saying around 9 hours. That is a big difference, especially if you have to add oven time on top of that. I plan on doing 225 from start to finish. I want to eat around 4:30PM.

I was thinking of starting at 4AM, removing it around 1PM at 195, and then oven for 3 or so hours. If it really takes 12-14 hours to get up to 195, I need to start at around midnight, but im nervous....what if i start at midnight and the thing hits 195 by 10AM? do i want it sitting in the oven for 6.5 hours?

Also, how much does rain affect the smoke process? Do you guys smoke in the rain? I think it is supposed to stop raining later today.

[Coach McGuirk]

OK, I need some hugs and reassurance.

I purchased my pork shoulder at the Co.....2 cuts for a total of 14 lbs. Going to smoke 'em both.

Reading through this thread again has made me nervous. Some are saying that it usually takes them 12-14 hours, others are saying around 9 hours. That is a big difference, especially if you have to add oven time on top of that. I plan on doing 225 from start to finish. I want to eat around 4:30PM.

I was thinking of starting at 4AM, removing it around 1PM at 195, and then oven for 3 or so hours. If it really takes 12-14 hours to get up to 195, I need to start at around midnight, but im nervous....what if i start at midnight and the thing hits 195 by 10AM? do i want it sitting in the oven for 6.5 hours?

Also, how much does rain affect the smoke process? Do you guys smoke in the rain? I think it is supposed to stop raining later today.

better to start sooner than later. Put it on at 12 am then you can have it in the oven till guests arrive.

Having to wait for the meat to finish because you started too late is a drag.

[TripletDaddy]

better to start sooner than later. Put it on at 12 am then you can have it in the oven till guests arrive.

Having to wait for the meat to finish because you started too late is a drag.

but is that too long in the oven? maybe I start at midnight and go 220 (221?) the entire time it will prolong the cook?

[kccougar]

Forgot to respond to this. One of my favorite sauces is Cowtown Sauce from Kansas City. I first tried it at Oklahoma Joe's in KC based on KCCougar's recommendation. I order it online here:

http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/oj/in...=index&cPath=1

I have an extra bottle you can try if you want to swing by sometime this week. You might want to try it before you order a box.

As for the more common and easily accessible brands, I like the following:

KC Masterpiece - original
Famous Dave's - Sweet and Zesty
Sweet Baby Ray's

I do not like Stubb's. Yuck.

Not a fan of Stubb's either. If you want another good sauce, you'll have to order it, but consider Zarda Original also from KC. Yum.

[Jeff Lebowski]

OK, I need some hugs and reassurance.

I purchased my pork shoulder at the Co.....2 cuts for a total of 14 lbs. Going to smoke 'em both.

Reading through this thread again has made me nervous. Some are saying that it usually takes them 12-14 hours, others are saying around 9 hours. That is a big difference, especially if you have to add oven time on top of that. I plan on doing 225 from start to finish. I want to eat around 4:30PM.

I was thinking of starting at 4AM, removing it around 1PM at 195, and then oven for 3 or so hours. If it really takes 12-14 hours to get up to 195, I need to start at around midnight, but im nervous....what if i start at midnight and the thing hits 195 by 10AM? do i want it sitting in the oven for 6.5 hours?

Also, how much does rain affect the smoke process? Do you guys smoke in the rain? I think it is supposed to stop raining later today.

Don't worry about the rain. Won't make any difference at all.

I just went back to my notes. I have done pulled pork with the Costco roasts two times:

First time, the roasts were 13 lbs. total. I put them on at 11:30 pm at 225 deg and the next morning at 7:30 am the internal temp was 199 deg. I put them in the oven and we ate them for lunch. This was on January 16th so the outside temp was freezing.

Second time, they were 14 lb. total and I put them on at 7:30 am at 225 deg. They hit 195 deg at 4 pm. Put them in the oven and ate at 6 pm.

Neither of these were mopped. I suspect mopping may add a little to the cook time due to the evaporation effect, but I am not sure how much.

EDIT: As for how long you could keep them on hold after hitting target temp, you should be able to go 4-6 hours without a problem. I would be a little nervous going more than 6 hrs. I think it is important to put some time in on this stage as it breaks down the meat and makes it more tender.

[Jeff Lebowski]

but is that too long in the oven? maybe I start at midnight and go 220 (221?) the entire time it will prolong the cook?

Unless you have a different temp control than the rest of us, that is not possible. The settings are:

Smoke (180)
225
250
275
etc.