Pork butt a little fatty/greasy


 
S

Scott Dallal

TVWBB Member
My pork came out with excellent taste. One of the best I have ever done. However it was still a little fatty and greasy. Looking for a solution as otherwise it was perfect! What I did,

I did a day cook so that carefully watch the temp and adjust as needed. I used an 8.5 lb bonein butt from Walmart (they were on sale). I used the water pan full of water and no basting. I hardly ever lifted the hood. I anticipated a 12+ hr cook.

Using the Minon method I put the pork in as the smoker approached 225. I tried to keep the smoker between 250-275 and am confident it never exceeded 275 (by the built in hood thermometer), mostly hanging around 260 or so. I did heavily season the pork but did not inject or baste. After 5 hours I decided to rotate and flip the pork and put in my probe thermometer. To my total shock the pork was already reading 151!

I shut down vents to get the smoker to run closer to 225 or even below. The temp in the pork continued to cook and in another 4 hours (9 total) I pulled the pork at 191. I let rest about 20 minutes and than used a couple of large forks to pull. The pork had a nice smoke ring.

The taste was excellent. However it was still a little fatty and greasy. After storing left overs in the refrigerator, it was obvious there was still a some fat. I say "some" as I wouldn't say there was a lot. In fact it reheats, even in the microwave nicely because of it. But obviously it didn't turn out the way I intended.

So thoughts? I'm thinking that the thermometer is not calibrated exactly and it was running hotter than it said. That I need to cook it closer to 200-225 by that thermometer. That cooking is more slowly would have allowed more of the fat to render out.

Or could it have been the quality of that pork? I did buy it at Walmart when they had a special. But it's not like a Butt/Shoulder is a lean cut of beef.

Any other suggestions?
 
I think you could be right on all points ...
~ lower temp would have allowed more time for the fat to render but I run 250~275 as well
~ quality of meat varies and that one could have had more fat and the next could have less

I typically don't pull it off until it reaches at least 195º with 200º being the target.
 
Pork fat is good stuff. Sounds like you cooked it right on. If the fat was from the outside you could trim more after cooking, if from the inside then cooking a little longer might render more fat. I like to cook mine until the bone releases regardless of the meat temp.

Yours sounds good to me.
 
Lower temps would allow more fat to render - over a longer period of time - but the original target of 250-275 was fine, as Travis notes. 151 in 5 hours is not a concern. Internal temp doesn't really mean a whole lot when it comes to barbecue.

Commercial pork doesn't vary very much. Fat percentages are pretty consistent because commercial pork has been very standardized.

More time cooking is all that's necessary, also as Travis notes and, as Mark points out, you can trim more exterior fat before cooking, if you'd like.
 
Good points and thanks.

You know, maybe I should have ignored the meat temperature. When I pulled it off at 191, I was surprised that it hadn't shrunk more. Maybe it is as simple as just needing more time.

Next time, I'll try to keep the smoker temp under 250 and watch the size and how it shrinks back from the bone.

BTW, I used a standard rub from Smoke and Spice, but cut the paprika back a third and replaced that portion with Ancho Chili Powder. It gave a little more depth and substance to the rub. Recommended!
 
The temperature jumping up to 160 os so real quick is normal. They will generally stall at 160-165 for quite a long time before continuing. If you have the time I would recommend that you just wait it out. Are you trimming any obvious excess fat?

For a 8.5 pound butt I would estimate just shy of 13 hours cook time (1.5 hours/pound).

Russ
 
The temp on my built in therm runs 40* less than the grate temperature. That could also be the reason, it might have been cooking at around 300* the whole time.
 
Thanks for the additional responses. All good point.

Yea, I know pork is fatty. But this had a little to much still in it. I've cooked many a pork butt. This excellent tasting but to much fat still in it.

Yes, I do trim the exterior of the pork before smoking. I obviously don't try to get it all, but I trim off obvious large areas.

I was also thinking 12-13 hr smoke. But didn't trust leaving it longer than that 8.5-9 hrs once the temp reached 191 (and yes, before pulling I checked more than one area).

I'm going to make a batch of green chili stew with the left overs I have now. And I might try another pulled pork this weekend. I'm thinking, as mentioned that it is either the calibration of the thermometer or the grate is running hotter. So when I try again, I'm just going to focus on the keeping the temp closer to 225-240.

But I am still loving my WSM. Since it was "only" a 8.5 - 9 hr cook, I actually have some coal left over in the smoker. I cleaned out the ash and will just add to it! Amazing!!
 
It's really a time issue, not an internal temp issue. Cooking at low temps rendering occurs more slowly. The butt might be fall-apart tender and nicely rendered at, say for the sake of example, 195.

Cooking at a higher temp means that internal might be achieved more quickly but it does not mean that the butt will be equally tender and rendered as the slower cooker butt. Internal temp does not necessarily indicate 'done'. In this second scenario one would simply leave the butt on longer so that more rendering would occur. The internal temp may climb, but it is really the additional time that seals the deal. At higher cooktemps the butt will likely still take less time to achieve the same level of rendering so the cook will be shorter.

Knowing what the level of 'fall-apartness' and rendering you prefer looks and feels like is key to consistently cooked-to-your-liking barbecue. If you go by look and feel you can cook at a variety of temps, cook on a variety of cookers, cook with varying temps during the cook, yet still come out with the same results every time. Internal temp won't give you this: appearance and feel will.
 
OK, very good....

So if I understand you, leaving the pork on longer even without the meat temperature rising (because I lowered the smoker temp)could be of benefit?

I had not thought about that. In all my cooking I sort of went by internal meat temperature. I had not thought about that even if the meat had reached an appropriate doneness that it could still benefit from rendering out additional fat.

Cool!
 
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