"Chopped Pork"


 
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David H

New member
Hello all. Newbie here with the first of many stupid questions to come...

I have done 3 pork butts over the last couple of months. Have cooked them to 190, then used forks to "pull" the meat. My wife has asked me to try to do "chopped pork" next time. There was an old BBQ joint near our house that used to serve their pork chopped. The pork chunks looked like little cubes, a little smaller than dice. I think the Mrs. just likes the presentation of "chopped" better than pulled or shredded.

So, my question(s):

- For chopped pork should I still be cooking to internal temp of 190 ?
- When done, any tips on the best way to "chop" the pork ? I know that is probably a basic question, but thought I would ask anyway. Maybe there is a method that yields better results than just getting out the old carving fork and knife and slicing away.

Thanks !
 
I like mine shredded and chopped and cook to 197...my good friend Mr. Meat cleaver does wonders. If your looking for more cubed, id decrease the internal temp, maybe to 180 or so? Im sure someone else would chime in...I usually cook higher cause I like it more shredded.
 
The temps I use when making chopped pork are around 160-170.


Since you're doing this for your wife you may want to ask exactly why she liked the chopped. It may have had a lighter smoke flavor. If that's what she liked then I suggest getting a whole shoulder skin and all. The skin on the shoulder will block some of the smoke and what you'll be left with is chopped NC style BBQ.


BTW, save that skin and make some cracklins.......mmmmmm
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Forgot....one more thing about chopping.


You'll be able to pull the meat into chunks when you get it off the smoker. Remove the bone AND the conective tissue and things you don't want to eat RIGHT THEN. What you'll be left with is about 2-4 large portions of the shoulder minus the bone and junk. When you're looking at the parts this way you'll know exactly what to do to get the cubes to the size you wife desires.
 
A buddy of mine take pork balde steaks. A butt that is cut into steaks. Then he grills them and cuts them into cubes and tosses with sauce. Quick fix when you don't have time to smoke good mid week fix.
 
You may want to try it with a fresh ham. I think that's where a lot of chopped pork BBQ comes from. You could do a high-heat cook, slice and chop, save some time.
 
I've had chopped pork, but not on purpose. A cook ran too late and I had to let it cool on the counter for a little bit (1/2 hour to an hour) then put it into the fridge overnight. I intended to "pull" it in the morning but found I could only chop it. The results were good in terms of a "chopped" pork.
 
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