D'oh! Two pork picnics!!


 
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JohnN

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OK, here comes a quick vent followed by a question. Choose your poison....

I'm going to a BBQ someone is hosting tomorrow, and I promised to provide some pulled pork (hey, that could be a tounge twister - say that five times fast). I was *supposed* to do some shopping at the market after I got off work - but I was pre-empted by my well-intentioned (but mistaken) wife, who picked up two 6.5 lb pork picnic shoulders!

I did some searching on the forums, and have deduced this much:

- Picnics are less desirable because they have less fat marbled in than the butt.
- Picnics should cook quicker
- Picnics should have something injected or be brined prior to cooking in order to make up for the lack of fat (in comparison to the butt)
- Picnics should have their skin removed prior to cooking.

Does this sound about right? I could do one of two things now - toss the picnics into the downstairs freezer to be reclaimed at a later date, or try cooking the two picnics overnight (which is what the butts were supposed to be - my inaugural overnight cook). Is picnic that much different from butt that I should bother going out to shop and getting two new pieces of meat, or will my intended audience (who is in NYC, not exactly a bastion of good BBQ in the first place) not even know the difference?

And this was going to be my first shot at the Renowned Mr Brown.

Grrrr...

TIA,
-John
 
Thanks Doug - I had seen that one, along with some others, but I seem to get conflicting advice from the postings I've read so far (or I've read so many the facts are getting mixed up inside my head - wouldn't be the first time).

The BBQ FAQ (from a.f.b) says that the skin should stay on. Jim's post in the above linked thread says that will turn out more like a ham. I'd like to make pulled pork out of this sucker, but I'm not going to try and force it. Other posts I've found have had people remove the skin, and reported pullable pork. Ugh - now I'm confused (now?)
 
What I gather from Jim's second reply is that,like a butt, different muscles within the cut finish at different temps, and that at 188* some part of a picnic would turn out pullable. But then he talked about separating it.

Dunno. You sure you don't got room in the freezer and time to still go to the store? /infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif
 
Hi John, I've done many picnics, both on my old ECB and on the WSM. They can make for great pulled pork, but yes, they can be a somewhat different beast compared to butts.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>- Picnics are less desirable because they have less fat marbled in than the butt.
- Picnics should cook quicker
- Picnics should have something injected or be brined prior to cooking in order to make up for the lack of fat (in comparison to the butt)
- Picnics should have their skin removed prior to cooking. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Point by point-
1 Yes, picnics tend to have less marbling, but the ones I've gotten have had enough to stand up to a low and slow cook. Some folks prefer them to butts.
2 Well, yes and no- I've had picnics cook rather quickly, and some just like a butt. The last one I cooked was a 12.5# that took 20 hours to get to 195. (Absolutely awesome pulled pork from that one).
3 I've never injected or brined a picnic, and I've never dried one out.
4 I've never removed the skin from a picnic. What I do is score it in a crosshatched manner, down to the meat, and rub in my dry rub of the moment.
There is a fair amount of fat under the skin, which will render out and baste the meat.
This is just my $.02 of course, and most likely too late to help you for tomorrow.

Jim
 
Actually, Jim - right on time! Thanks!

I'm just about to head out and give 'em a shot. I would have gone the 'freeze and use later' route, but my downstairs freezer is nearing capacity, and it was either store and buy two new pork butts and toss the fish I caught last month, or use these two and keep the fish. Considering the fact that I like my fish like I like my Q, it was a no-brainer.

The cross-hatch idea sounds like a plan. I was just going to head out, remove the skin 3/4 way, apply some rub, and put the skin back on with toothpicks, but this sounds like a much better idea. Scoring it enough will let the fat render out, and the meat touch some of the rub.

I'm going to try the 'Perfect Picnic' rub from Smoke and Spice. I'll let everyone know how it turns out.
 
Way to step up to the plate and accept the challenge. We'll expect a complete description of the cook and results, so take some good notes-- and pics would be nice, too. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
I'm happy that I could be of some help, John. Good luck , and I look forward to hearing about your results. Good call on the fish, too- from trout to tuna, I hate to waste fish that I've fought and caught.
Jim
 
OK guys, thanks for all the assistance - and here comes a mini-report...

(I'd love to say full report, but my digital camera's battery ran... well, actually - the battery was just fine - I'm just woefully disorganized and was fighting time constraints and missing ingredients the whole time - I suck)

Was going to go with the overnight cook until I caught a late weather report that indicated a good chance of some rain throughout the night. Since my WSM resides out in the open, I couldn't chance the rain putting an end to my cook. So, I had to go with the quick cook/foil method for the picnics. Disappointing, but better than no Q at all.

Took the picnics out of the fridge, washed, and scored the skin. This was easier said than done (or my knives need a real good sharpening), but I got a semi-cross hatch on the skin down to the meat. Covered them both with 3/4 of a batch of the Perfect Picnic rub from Smoke and Spice, saran wrapped and left them in the fridge overnight. At about 6 AM, pulled them out (one 6.5#, on 7.2#) and let them rest while I got the fire going. Went with hickory and the Minion method although I knew I wouldn't be cooking as long so that I could operate without needing to add charcoal again (had some other cooking going on inside). In about 20 minutes, like clockwork - the WSM was ready for action. Boiled the water for the water pan, added it and the cold meat to the cooker, and assembled.

The temp went to 260 in under 10 minutes, and stailized at 250 with the vents 75% open (very calm, cool day in NYC until 12 yesterday).

Plucked the pig at around 6 with an internal temp of 155F. Wrapped in foil and put into the oven at 275F, which got me to 190F internal in about 2.5 hours. Left the picnics in foil, tossed into a small cooler, and made a run for the party.

Here's where those Wells-Lamont gloves really came in handy. Pulled the pork (which was still damn hot 50 minutes later) using two carving forks and the gloves, and the heat resistance of the gloves (and the ability to rip 'em off and have clean hands for a few seconds here and there) made it sooooo easy. The pork pulled easily, although I can see why picnic is less desirable - various types of meat on one cut means that some are easier to pull/softer than others, and there was a LOT of grisle to deal with. After I pulled apart, used some vinegar sauce from the a.f.b FAQ, and supplied some soft white buns and cole slaw for the final eating arrangement. It wasn't what I'm used to (fully cooked in WSM butt based pulled pork), but the audience there seemed to enjoy. Some had to toss KC Masterpiece on there because the vinegar sauce was too strong/not sweet enough for 'em.

The worst part about the foil was the lack of bark ('sniff'). The ability to get 'em done in time though was a necessity, and the existence of a strong smoke ring and the presence of the rub made up for it. I wouldn't recommend this rub unless you're a real lover of pepper, as it's seriously imbalanced (in pulled pork not as big a deal, I guess - but if I had to slice that bad boy it'd be a disaster). I didn't mop with the specified mop sauce either, partly because I was occupied, and partly because I think that mopping picnics/butts hurts more than it helps (in my limited experience) because of the temp spikes. Although leaner than a butt, they were fat enough to not have to worry about drying out, even up at that temp.

Thanks again for all the help everyone - now if I could only get a weekend alone with my WSM to make something for *me*, I'd be a happy camper /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
It sounds like you had good results, John. Congrats.
I've never found a need to mop butts or picnics, there's enough fat in them to make them self basting.
And yes, having the time to cook a butt without time constraints is a great thing. A good pork shoulder roast cooked long, low, and slow until it's starting to fall apart is wonderful. Fantastic bark, tender meat, incredible stuff.
Word of warning though, you will probably find that your neighbors may dropping by more often. That aroma just tends to draw 'em in. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
Jim
 
John,

For future reference, I have done cooks in the rain several times and have not had a problem, the temp tends to run cooler but that was it. I haven't cooked in any outright downpours but everything else in between.
Not to be snide or anything but...I'm out here on the east end in the boonies and people here don't know BBQ, does the brooklyn crowd even know what bark is? I'm sure they loved it and none the wiser...
 
Cooking in the rain is no problem, you just don't get that extra heat gain the sunshine can provide. You don't want the cooker uncovered, though. Solution.
 
John,
In your post you stated

Took the picnics out of the fridge, washed, and scored the skin. This was easier said than done (or my knives need a real good sharpening), but I got a semi-cross hatch on the skin down to the meat

I have found if you buy a plastic utility knife with the break off razor blades (usually found in the paint dept. of Lowe's or Home Depot" ) you can expose about 1/4 inch of the blade and make a quick job of cross hatching. Just toss in the dishwasher and when a blade dulls just break off a section to expose a new blade.

hope this helps
john
 
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