The Pulled Pork Thread

[Drunk Tank]

The Pulled Pork Thread

Ok, ok, unemployed comedians. Yes, I pulled one apart a little and yes, I now think they're all shoulders and yeah, I feel a little stupid. A few things were throwing me off. One, there were four of them, and I swear she told me this was a single pig (I just texted her to find out for sure). Two, I've always gotten them from the same place and the bone was always pretty obvious. Three, they were only partially thawed this morning so I couldn't really pull the meat back to check.

Carry on with the mocking.

There are 4 shoulder roasts per animal. The Boston Butt and the Picnic.



Like I said earlier, organic fed animals are usually smaller than normal, or maybe they are the size they should be, and the ones we normally buy are bulked out on steroids.

[ERCougar]

Like I said earlier, organic fed animals are usually smaller than normal, or maybe they are the size they should be, and the ones we normally buy are bulked out on steroids.

Yeah, they were just small, I think.
On the other hand, that meat was amazing--best pork I've ever had anywhere. I'd like to say it was the smoker, but it wasn't. I was trying to get rid of a bunch of extra rubs i had around, one of which was some I'd made like a year ago, so I wasn't expecting much, but wow...I couldn't stop sampling. She's been offering to sell me pork or beef for a while, but i usually don't buy into the no GMO feed and organic stuff, so I've never taken her up on it. I'm still not sure I buy into it, but she's doing something right.

[Drunk Tank]

Yeah, they were just small, I think.
On the other hand, that meat was amazing--best pork I've ever had anywhere. I'd like to say it was the smoker, but it wasn't. I was trying to get rid of a bunch of extra rubs i had around, one of which was some I'd made like a year ago, so I wasn't expecting much, but wow...I couldn't stop sampling. She's been offering to sell me pork or beef for a while, but i usually don't buy into the no GMO feed and organic stuff, so I've never taken her up on it. I'm still not sure I buy into it, but she's doing something right.

That's awesome it turned out so well. Congrats! I started the paleo diet about 3 weeks ago and everything I've read suggests eating only non GMO grass fed organic meats. Personally, I am not a big fan of grass fed and finished beef, but I hear pastured organic pork is supposed to be great.

[Green Monstah]

I need some serious help from the CS pitmasters. I just checked my Boston butt (at 6am) and it's done. It finished about 5 hours faster than I planned. I won't be serving it until 4:30pm. It's wrapped and in the oven @180 right now. Any tips to keep it from drying out? What should I do pull it, refrigerate, reheat?

[Moliere]

I need some serious help from the CS pitmasters. I just checked my Boston butt (at 6am) and it's done. It finished about 5 hours faster than I planned. I won't be serving it until 4:30pm. It's wrapped and in the oven @180 right now. Any tips to keep it from drying out? What should I do pull it, refrigerate, reheat?

That sucks. I've never had great results in reheating BBQ but it can still be good. If you try to hold it at 180 until dinner you likely will end up with mush. I'd recommend you pull it and refrigerate it in some sealed ziplock bags. Reheat it slowly in the oven. I usually have it covered as I reheat and I"ll spray apple juice on it to keep it moist. It'll still be a bit dry and the consistency won't be as good, but even old, reheated BBQ can still be better than most other meals.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I need some serious help from the CS pitmasters. I just checked my Boston butt (at 6am) and it's done. It finished about 5 hours faster than I planned. I won't be serving it until 4:30pm. It's wrapped and in the oven @180 right now. Any tips to keep it from drying out? What should I do pull it, refrigerate, reheat?

Interesting. When did you start cooking it? What temp? Bone-in or boneless?

[Green Monstah]

Interesting. When did you start cooking it? What temp? Bone-in or boneless?

9.5 pound bone in. 225-245 (my smoker was fluctuating all night) My other shoulder cooks were for 7-8 pound butts and took around 14 hours, so I started at 7pm hoping to pull it at 11am (due to larger butt) and then FTC it until meal time.

I just pulled it in large chunks and it was awesome. I don't have large zip locks, so I left it in the aluminum pan with its juices, dusted it with rub, and covered in Saran Wrap. I saved all the juice and fat that came off it, so I figure I'll add some when I reheat and cross my fingers.

I know what happened on this cook. Once it reached the color I liked (after around 7 hours, I out it in an aluminum pan with some ape juice and covered with foil. It sped the cook up considerably.

The good news is that the results are great.

[All-American]

That's your problem. Never go with ape juice. Ruins it, every time.

[TripletDaddy]

9.5 pound bone in. 225-245 (my smoker was fluctuating all night) My other shoulder cooks were for 7-8 pound butts and took around 14 hours, so I started at 7pm hoping to pull it at 11am (due to larger butt) and then FTC it until meal time.

I just pulled it in large chunks and it was awesome. I don't have large zip locks, so I left it in the aluminum pan with its juices, dusted it with rub, and covered in Saran Wrap. I saved all the juice and fat that came off it, so I figure I'll add some when I reheat and cross my fingers.

I know what happened on this cook. Once it reached the color I liked (after around 7 hours, I out it in an aluminum pan with some ape juice and covered with foil. It sped the cook up considerably.

The good news is that the results are great.

7pm to 11am?? That's crazy talk.

[Green Monstah]

7pm to 11am?? That's crazy talk.

It is if you wrap it. My three previous butts were 14 hour cooks, and 15-20% smaller.

That said, I put it in the oven to reheat an hour ago. I think it will remain moist.

[Moliere]

7pm to 11am?? That's crazy talk.

Yeah, my typical butt smoke goes at most 12-13 hours but typically they are done in 10.

[Green Monstah]

Yeah, my typical butt smoke goes at most 12-13 hours but typically they are done in 10.

Ha! I planned for 16 based on this post.

[TripletDaddy]

I'm just saying, if you are serving at 430pm, starting the meat (really any meat) at 7pm the day before is crazy talk, wrap or no wrap, bone or boneless. Seems like your pork shoulder agrees.

sounds like it all worked out in the end.

[Green Monstah]

Yeah. Trial and error.

[Moliere]

Ha! I planned for 16 based on this post.

I'm just saying, if you are serving at 430pm, starting the meat (really any meat) at 7pm the day before is crazy talk, wrap or no wrap, bone or boneless. Seems like your pork shoulder agrees.

sounds like it all worked out in the end.

DDD hit on it but 16 hours means 16 hours before you actually serve the meat, not 16 hours before you start to hold it in a cooler. At the earliest you should have started it at 11pm the night before and of course wrapping the butt does make a difference. If I go 12 hours on the smoke then I can hold it for 4 hours in the cooler or it if goes 11 hours I can hold it 5 hours in the cooler (I generally won't go above 5 hours of holding time). But you live and learn.

Anyway, I'm sure the meat will be tasty. I've usually really liked reheated butt as long as I have a decent slaw and sauce to go with it on the bun.