The Pulled Pork Thread

[statman]

I'm ready to try a brisket. In fact, that reminds me I need to post a question or two in that thread.

Brisket is HARD. It takes dedication and perseverance. My real success rate with brisket - when it comes out of the smoker just right - is only about 25%, and of the 75% remaining, about half is terrible and inedible (smoked too long and it dries out and tastes like leather that came out of a toxic landfill or smoked too long and turned to mush) and the other half is really only good to be chopped up and either drenched in bbq sauce or mixed in with some other dish - not a total failure, but not "brisket". The biggest issue is size - I think especially the thickness - of the brisket. When I try it again I'm going to have to standardize everything...

[statman]

Pulled pork can be such a dick. Last week I used boneless from Costco. I cooked for 13 hours at 225. It never got to 190. I had to pull it off and put them in the oven at 350 for another 90 minutes. We are have a massive family birthday party today. I was asked to do pulled pork. Eating at 3:00 I put bone in shoulders on at 9:00 pm last night. They were done at 6:00 am. They're wrapped and sitting in the oven right now. Amazing how different each cook can be with shoulders.

That's really funny - I think that pork is easy. As I noted above, my success with brisket is about 25%. My success with pork is about 90%. Even the bad ones can be shredded or chopped finer and put in a slow cooker for an hour or two with a little sugar, apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes and they end up tasting great anyway. I think I've only made pork one time that was a complete loss. Too low of a cooking temp, too much time under smoke and I used mesquite, which completely overpowered the pork. It was truly awful tasting. Like licking the exhaust pipe of a 30-year old diesel truck. But it's only happened once.

On a different note - anyone ever smoked with avocado? My niece's in-laws are cutting down an old avocado tree in their yard and her husband asked if I wanted any of the wood for smoking. One of his brothers is an avid smoker, but if I want some, he can get me some. I've never used it nor have I had anything smoked in avocado. Anyone have any experience with it?

[CJF]

That's really funny - I think that pork is easy. As I noted above, my success with brisket is about 25%. My success with pork is about 90%. Even the bad ones can be shredded or chopped finer and put in a slow cooker for an hour or two with a little sugar, apple cider vinegar and red pepper flakes and they end up tasting great anyway. I think I've only made pork one time that was a complete loss. Too low of a cooking temp, too much time under smoke and I used mesquite, which completely overpowered the pork. It was truly awful tasting. Like licking the exhaust pipe of a 30-year old diesel truck. But it's only happened once.

On a different note - anyone ever smoked with avocado? My niece's in-laws are cutting down an old avocado tree in their yard and her husband asked if I wanted any of the wood for smoking. One of his brothers is an avid smoker, but if I want some, he can get me some. I've never used it nor have I had anything smoked in avocado. Anyone have any experience with it?

Pork is easy to get to taste good, but every shoulder is so different time wise. I've had a tough time planning correctly recently. But I always get a pretty good finished product.

Never smoked with avocado, but smoked avocado guacamole sounds delish.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Hadn't done pulled pork in quite a while so I bought a 17.6 lb bag of boneless pork shoulders from Costco. Vacuum-packed and froze one of them and cooked the other. Put on the Traeger at 1:30 am at 225 with a mixture of perfect mix and hickory pellets. The next morning at 8:15 am the temp was at 170 degrees. Started a vinegar mop* with a spray bottle and sprayed every 30 minutes or so. Did not hit 190 until about 12:30 pm. Put in a covered roaster with some water and put in oven 180 degrees. Pulled at 3:15 pm. Served with raw sweet onions, pickle slices, and Guy Fieri BBQ sauce. Maybe it was fast sunday bias, but that might have been the best batch yet.

IMG_2149.jpg

*Vinegar mop

1.5 C rice vinegar
1 T sugar
1/2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 T lemon juice

[FN Phat]

very nice! What did you use for rub?

[Jeff Lebowski]

very nice! What did you use for rub?

Just my standard all-purpose rub.

[Drunk Tank]

That looks great JL! Making me hungry.

[Drunk Tank]

Loaded the Smoker up this morning. Going to be 108 today so glad I don't have to tend this thing all day. 16 pork butts, about 135lbs.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Those are some gorgeous butts.

[FN Phat]

Glad I didn't post pics of my butts that I did yesterday. Those look great dt. What did you use for rub?

Both of the butts that I did last night were by far my best. The cook was dialed in! We had 16 for dinner last night and then another 12 for pork tacos for lunch today. Oohs and ahHh a plenty!

[kccougar]

Glad I didn't post pics of my butts that I did yesterday. Those look great dt. What did you use for rub?

Both of the butts that I did last night were by far my best. The cook was dialed in! We had 16 for dinner last night and then another 12 for pork tacos for lunch today. Oohs and ahHh a plenty!

How much meat did you smoke for that group?

[Drunk Tank]

I used Byron's Butt Rub on 10 of them, John Henry's Pecan Rub on 2, and Fast Eddy's BBQ rub on 4. I was going to use Byron's on all 16, but I ran out.

They are about to come out.



Please note no wires. I just moved and my meat/pit probes are packed away somewhere. I have been having to check them with my thermopen.

[FN Phat]

How much meat did you smoke for that group?

2-8 lbs shoulders.

[mtnbiker]

It must be a butt weekend. I put a couple on the smoker, too, one with Butt Rub and the other with Spade L Ranch. Put them on at 12:30am at 225 and pulled them off at 4pm when they finally hit 195. I put them in aluminum pans with a cup of water each and foiled tightly and put them in the oven at 195 to maintain. We ate around 6:30, and these were the best I've cooked. Very tasty, moist, and pulled apart really easily. My sister had kind of volunteered me to cook for this extended family dinner as a way to convince her husband to get a smoker. It was a very positive experience for him.

[FN Phat]

It must be a butt weekend. I put a couple on the smoker, too, one with Butt Rub and the other with Spade L Ranch. Put them on at 12:30am at 225 and pulled them off at 4pm when they finally hit 195. I put them in aluminum pans with a cup of water each and foiled tightly and put them in the oven at 195 to maintain. We ate around 6:30, and these were the best I've cooked. Very tasty, moist, and pulled apart really easily. My sister had kind of volunteered me to cook for this extended family dinner as a way to convince her husband to get a smoker. It was a very positive experience for him.

Awesome. I used Spade L pork and Butt Rub as well. I wrapped when the color was just right. Once I hit between 195-198 I pulled and put in a roaster pan and put in the oven at 175. I added a cup of apple juice, some Apple Cider vinegar with the mother, seem rub and the juices from the butts when they wrapped on the smoker in the bottom of the roaster. I mopped with this mixture every 30-45 minutes.