Post butt cook routine


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
What do you do after you pull your butt off the smoker ?

In an ideal situation, I like to double foil and toss in a good cooler for a minimum of 1-2 hours.
What about the liquid you add while in foil?
In the early years, many recommended apple juice. I have used that with success.
Lately, I am using an apple jelly or another fruit jam plus No.5 Sauce.
Today, I used apricot jam, No.5 & fresh squeezed orange juice.

Typically the past I would then debone and pull---adding some rub and or sauce for moisture.
More and more I seem to leave in large chunks (that can be sliced).
Vacuum seal in small bags for a couple of meals.

What do you prefer to do?

Our post cook procedures certainly can make a difference.
 
As I learned the hard way, one of the most important things is to let the butt sit on the counter at room temp until it stops cooking and the internal temp is clearly headed downward (170-180). Then wrap it and put it in a cooler or whatever you do to hold it until time to pull. If you wrap and stash in cooler before the cooking has stopped it can continue rendering collagen and you can end up with complete mush. (Admittedly, mine was a fringe case. I had cooked four butts and put them all in the same really good quality cooler. The collective thermal mass was enough that even five hours later they were still too hot to pull comfortably with bare hands.)

I've never added anything to the foil. Just let it cool a bit, wrap, stash in cooler for several hours.

I normally pull it all once I start. Whatever doesn't get eaten in the next few days gets put in ziplocs and stashed in the freezer. But unless I do four butts at once, there usually isn't much left over.

I never used to use sauce but over the last few years I've started making a thin sauce based on an ATK recipe. It particularly helps with the leftovers that never seem to be quite as moist as the first meal.
 
If I'm doing sliced I pull at 170-175 and if for pulled pork I pull it off when it's probe tender. I don't add any liquid and double foil, pop in a cooler with towels covering it and start pulling it about 30 min. before serving. When I pull it I sprinkle on a little rub and mix it in. I save the liquid that collects in the foil, let it cool and separate out the fat. I then put the juice on leftovers.

I've read the problem JeyHeyl ran into but I've never had that problem. Blind luck I guess. :wsm:
 
I usually do HH butts, so I foil for the last few hours. The defatted liquid love gets put back when pulling.
HH butts get more carryover heat so Like Jay mentioned I let them rest uncovered for awhile till they get wrapped back up and put in the oven, micro, cooler, cambro etc.
I never had them them turn to mush, more like they got tougher and seemed dried out/ overcooked (If I wrapped and stashed immediately)
My last 4 butt cook was an overnighter , and in the mid/morning ( when they were probe tender] they all were put into into individual half pans in a Cambro which has slots for the pans .
Still alot of mass, but not stacked up on top of each other like in a cooler which prolly added to Jay's problem IMO.:)

Tim
 
We put ours, wrapped, in a heated oven until the temp reaches 200° (if the butt(s) are not finished after 10 to 12 hours on the smoker). They stay there until my wife pulls them the next morning. She says they are still good and warm to the touch.

Haven't had any problem with mushy meat to speak of.
 
I am going to do 1 or 2 in the next week, i only shred a small amount for sandwiches, the rest we vac seal in chunks for tacos, or whatever, only the natural juices added after fat skimmed off.
 
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