The Pulled Pork Thread

[smokymountainrain]

. But you need to give yourself plenty of cushion just in case.

This. A thousand times this. You don't want all your guests waiting on you and as Lebowski mentioned there is no problem letting it rest for a few hours. Better early than late.

[Y84it]

OK, I do these all the time.

First of all, that should be just about right in terms of quantity.

It will take anywhere from 9-11 hrs to bring them up to final cooking temp. But you need to give yourself plenty of cushion just in case. Here is what I would recommend:

1) Apply your favorite rub liberally.

2) Get some short bamboo skewers and pin up those flappy ends where they cut out the bone. This will help prevent the butt from drying out.

3) Cook at 225 using hickory or apple pellets for about 6 hrs. The internal temp will be in the 160-170 range.

4) Pull the skewers and wrap the butts in two layers of heavy duty foil. Add a little apple juice to each if you like (optional).

5) Return the butts to the smoker and cook util they hit 195 in the thickest part. Should take around 10 hrs from when you started.

6) Carefully remove the butts from the smoker and put them on a big cookie sheet or something and put them in your oven at 170 degrees.

7) Hold the butts at this temp until you are ready to eat. Don't listen to GM, you can keep them in there for six hours or so without any problem. In fact, this will help break down the connective tissue even more.

8) Pull the butts from the oven and place in room temp at least 30-45 minutes before you are ready to eat. This is critical. As the meat cools down a bit it reabsorbs water. You pull too soon and you will end up with dry meat.

9) Pull your butts using your hands or maybe some metal tongs. Pulling means you pull the meat into chunks. DO NOT SHRED. Shredding dries out the meat and makes it oxidize faster. Put the meat into a warmer of some kind (crock pot on low) or into a big bowl. Put the drier cuts on the bottom and the moist cuts on top. Take 1-2 cups of the drippings and pour over the meat. The meat in the bottom will absorb much of it and make tender, juicy leftovers.

Add all these times up and make sure you give yourself plenty of time. I recommend 13-15 hours total.

HAVE FUN!

Awesome will follow this exactly! Thanks!

[Donuthole]

8) Pull the butts from the oven and place in room temp at least 30-45 minutes before you are ready to eat. This is critical. As the meat cools down a bit it reabsorbs water. You pull too soon and you will end up with dry meat.

Care to distinguish between these two uses of the word? I presume the first is a removal of the meat from the heat source and the second is the act of pulling the meat apart. I only clarify because the way it is worded is kind of confusing (i.e. pull the meat at least 35 minutes before you eat, but don't pull it too soon or it will be dry) unless you understand the separate meanings of the word.

Awesome will follow this exactly! Thanks!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Care to distinguish between these two uses of the word? I presume the first is a removal of the meat from the heat source and the second is the act of pulling the meat apart. I only clarify because the way it is worded is kind of confusing (i.e. pull the meat at least 35 minutes before you eat, but don't pull it too soon or it will be dry) unless you understand the separate meanings of the word.

Sorry. It should have read "8) Remove the butts from the oven". I fixed the original post.

[Y84it]

Although DH is mostly correct as far as my intelligent level goes. I distinguished the two well enough through context to know what you meant to say. With that said thanks to both of you for the Tip/Advice/Clarification ( FYI I most likely wrote that incoherently and will be properly corrected forthwith. Thanks) <<<<< I think this should be my new signature.

[Moliere]

Boneless

Part of the fun of doing pulled pork for bbq novices is pulling out the clean bone...

Also, JLs tips above are great and you won't go wrong with them. I wrote something similar, which I thought was in this thread but maybe it was in that Traeger thread. Anyway, good luck and be sure to return and report.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Boneless

Part of the fun of doing pulled pork for bbq novices is pulling out the clean bone...

Also, JLs tips above are great and you won't go wrong with them. I wrote something similar, which I thought was in this thread but maybe it was in that Traeger thread. Anyway, good luck and be sure to return and report.

I asked the guy in the meat dept at Costco if they could sell me some with bone in before they package them and he said that they get them pre-boned from the supplier.

I have gotten used to cooking them this way. Not that big of a deal.

[Y84it]

Boneless

Part of the fun of doing pulled pork for bbq novices is pulling out the clean bone...

Also, JLs tips above are great and you won't go wrong with them. I wrote something similar, which I thought was in this thread but maybe it was in that Traeger thread. Anyway, good luck and be sure to return and report.

I choose convenience over the openly gasped audience. I am a novice BBQer. (I once tried a brisket on my propane grill using punctured tinfoil with wood chips. disaster.) I am hoping the Traeger brings me success along with the tips on this board.

[The_Douger]

I asked the guy in the meat dept at Costco if they could sell me some with bone in before they package them and he said that they get them pre-boned from the supplier.

I have gotten used to cooking them this way. Not that big of a deal.

Isn't there some gland you ahve to dig around for and remove? Or am I thinking of a different cut?

[Green Monstah]

I respectfully disagree that FTC'ing a pork butt for more than four hours is a good idea, unless you like pork mush or you pull the butt before it's done, but whatever.

If you smoke the butt until it probes like butter, there really isn't much more that needs to be done, so six hours in the oven or cooler is a waste. Less than four hours of FTC plus sufficient rest is the perfect combo. For your first cook, I think simple is best. In lieu of foil and apple juice, I'd go with a foil pan covered with HD foil. The meat will render enough fat and juices to keep the cooking environment moist, and I honestly think apple juice is overrated. Plus, it's easier to check with a toothpick in the foil pan. But, if you want to give it a shot, put a few cups of apple juice in the foil pan...it's still more convenient than wrapping tightly.

[Donuthole]

I asked the guy in the meat dept at Costco if they could sell me some with bone in before they package them and he said that they get them pre-boned from the supplier.

I have gotten used to cooking them this way. Not that big of a deal.

Pre-boned is a funny word and needs to be used more freely. I'll give it a whirl:

By keeping Kyle Whittingham as their head football coach, the Utes effectively pre-boned their 2015 football season.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I respectfully disagree that FTC'ing a pork butt for more than four hours is a good idea, unless you like pork mush or you pull the butt before it's done, but whatever.

If you smoke the butt until it probes like butter, there really isn't much more that needs to be done, so six hours in the oven or cooler is a waste. Less than four hours of FTC plus sufficient rest is the perfect combo. For your first cook, I think simple is best. In lieu of foil and apple juice, I'd go with a foil pan covered with HD foil. The meat will render enough fat and juices to keep the cooking environment moist, and I honestly think the apple juice is overrated. Plus, it's easier to check with a toothpick in the foil pan. But, if you want to give it a shot, put a few cups of apple juice in the foil pan...it's still easier than wrapping tightly.

I use foil pans also. A half-size steamer pan is perfect for a Costco butt.

Trying to perfectly time your cook so that it only sits for one hour is not a "simpler" approach. Giving yourself some flexibility in timing is highly recommended, esp for the first time. And I did not say that you need to do it more than four hours, just that FTC'ing more than one hour is not a problem at all.

And the butt will not turn to mush in four hours at 170. Knock it off. I did ten butts at once recently and they sat for six hours before pulling (longest wait I have had - they were done earlier than I expected). Turned out great. Maybe you are overcooking before you move to FTC stage.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Pre-boned is a funny word and needs to be used more freely. I'll give it a whirl:

By keeping Kyle Whittingham as their head football coach, the Utes effectively pre-boned their 2015 football season.

[Moliere]

I asked the guy in the meat dept at Costco if they could sell me some with bone in before they package them and he said that they get them pre-boned from the supplier.

I have gotten used to cooking them this way. Not that big of a deal.

I've done both and they taste the same. But I like nostalgia and pulling out a clean bone makes me happy.

[Green Monstah]

I use foil pans also. A half-size steamer pan is perfect for a Costco butt.

Trying to perfectly time your cook so that it only sits for one hour is not a "simpler" approach. Giving yourself some flexibility in timing is highly recommended, esp for the first time. And I did not say that you need to do it more than four hours, just that FTC'ing more than one hour is not a problem at all.

And the butt will not turn to mush in four hours at 170. Knock it off. I did ten butts at once recently and they sat for six hours before pulling (longest wait I have had - they were done earlier than I expected). Turned out great. Maybe you are overcooking before you move to FTC stage.

I think a butt can definitely turn to mush with an FTC over four hours. You're right that it mostly depends on how done the meat is when it is pulled from the smoke. I had the same thing happen with my third try at pulled pork--my shoulder was done way earlier than I had planned. In my instance, the 6-hour FTC was too long. At any rate, 1-4 hours gives plenty of cushion, achieves great results and mitigates the risk of overcooking. That was my point.