Slicing money muscle


 
B

B Stone

TVWBB Member
When smoking butts to "perfection", it seems like the money muscle portion falls apart just as the rest of the butt. That poses a problem for presentation/slicing of the money muscle. My conclusion is that one should try to slice the money muscle before that point, maybe when internal temps are around 175ish, rather than the 190-200 needed for the remainder to let loose. I could be wrong about this and gladly invite correction. If I'm not, how do you folks go about dealing with the discrepancy in temps here for ideal slicing of the money muscle. I assume you could separate the two before the cook, but I worry about drying out. Any other thoughts? Thanks in advance.
 
KCBS contests require the pork to be at least 5 lbs. and in one piece. You cannot separate the money muscle from the rest of the butt/shoulder prior to cooking. You can however, kind of "unfold" it by trimming the pieces on either side of the money muscle away without separating. This also allows for more surface area and bark. You might try bringing the whole thing up to 175ish, taking it off, removing the money muscle, and then tightly foiling the remainder in foil to rest in towels within a cooler (faux cambro). If you do it quickly, the remaining heat should bring the temp up a little closer to 190 or so for good pulling. Just a thought. Good luck.
 
"prior to cooking" is the key here. Once the MM is cooked to your liking, you can remove it from the cooker and reserve for later slicing, while continuing to cook the remainder of the butt to your preference. Then slice/pull/assemble at the appropriate time.
 
I've had some great success just cutting it off and letting it rest separately from the rest of the butt for awhile. It seems to tighten back up when left to cool down on its own, but not in the 10lb heat sink of the main part of the butt. when I wrap it separately and let sit, say, 15-20, it seems to hold together better and slice easier. When I take it off and try to cut it immediately, it tends to fall apart, and the same if I leave it whole on the rest of the butt all wrapped together.

Not sure if any of that helps at all...
 
Dave from Denver said:
"prior to cooking" is the key here. Once the MM is cooked to your liking, you can remove it from the cooker and reserve for later slicing, while continuing to cook the remainder of the butt to your preference. Then slice/pull/assemble at the appropriate time.
Click to expand...

This is not correct. Once you separate any portion of the pork butt, you CANNOT continue cooking any portion of it at all whatsoever. You cannot even use sterno in a cambro to hold it, since sterno is considered an active heat source.

It is my understanding that this rule will change in 2014; however, it is still in affect now.
 
I always understood that the butt had to be cooked as one piece of meat. You aren't allowed to seperate out the MM and then continue cooking the rest of the butt.

The only way that I've found to be able to get it exactly right is to cook two butts. One gets pulled out at around 185-ish and becomes my sliced pork. The second butt I take on up to 195+ and it becomes my pulled pork.

Obviously I'll check the MM in the 'pull butt' to see if it's viable for slicing but more often than not it isn't. I've had some luck with very carefully removing it and letting it rest and see if it will tighten back up.

Almost forgot. Be sure that your slicing knife is absolutely razor sharp and get in the habit of completing the slice in one very gentle motion. It shouldn't take hardly any pressure at all to get through it cleanly. Sawing back and forth on the hot MM will turn it into shreds.

Russ
 
Last edited:
Russ Sylvester said:
One gets pulled out at around 185-ish and becomes my sliced pork. The second butt I take on up to 195+ and it becomes my pulled pork.


Russ
Click to expand...
Do you check the temp in the MM when you pull the slicing butt at 185-ish or just know by experience that is good enough? Also, have you ever checked the temp around the bone when the butt temps 185-ish? I haven't, but plan to this weekend as that is where I also get the chunks I turn in. We have gotten away from any pulled at all as the KCBS judges seem to have gotten a so so attitude about pulled. My opinion is that pulled is the traditional bbq pork and really my favorite. When I want pork slices at home I don't use a butt for it.
 
I usually will put the temp probe somewhere in-between the top of the butt and the bone. I try not to stick anytihng into the MM as it sometimes leaves what I call 'poke holes'. Once the overall butt temp gets to my target, I will however slide a thermopen into the MM along the grain for two reasons. One, to get a feel of the resistance, and two, to get a temp reading. I try to only do this once.

Most of the time, because the cooking speed is so slow that when the overall butt is at temp, the MM is too. It's not an exact science and one or two degrees one way or the other doesn't make a huge difference IMO.

Russ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top