Pulled pork final steps


 
G

Grant Y

New member
I'm only really just now getting the hang of making pulled pork, but I'm curious as to whether my post-cook routine is the same for you guys. Here's my procedure. I really feel like I'm missing something though, so any tips are greatly appreciated.

(Pork butt is cooked in an uncovered foil pan until it hits a temp of 190.

1) Remove pork butt from smoker
2) Remove from pan and wrap in foil and allow pork to rest for 30 min
3) Drain pan (Here is where I start to get uncertain, should I be leaving at least some of the "drippings" in the pan for additional flavor?)
4) Place pork back into pan and shred, removing fat and other undesirables
5) Lightly coat with BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Rays)
6) Throw back on smoker for 15-20 minutes.
7) Remove from smoker.

Serve.
 
I think step #6 is fairly unconventional. I assume that would be to set the sauce in the meat once it's applied. I think it might be safer to do that in the oven. You could risk drying the pulled meat out if it's exposed to smoke again. Not saying this won't work- just that I haven't heard of anyone else doing it, and I would think it could be risky.

As for step #3, you can add your drippings in with the bbq sauce in a stovetop pan, mix & warm, then drizzle that mixture over the pulled pork. Steve Petrone made that very popular in the infamous #5 Sauce thread in the Rubs, Sauce, Marinades section.

If you are cooking your pork in a foil pan, then the amount of drippings could be excessive, relative to the amount you'd want to add in with the sauce. I'd go with a judgement call as to how much drippings to put in the sauce, and how much to drain away.

Otherwise your list seems good to me.
 
1 - Yep
2 - Yep
3 - I don't cook in a foil pan, so there is nothing for me to drain.*
4 - Yep
5 - Yep*
6 & 7 - Never tried this, I'd be concerned that it might dry out the meat. Plus by this point I'm pretty hungry.

*Notes: So like I said I don't use a foil pan when cooking butts, however when I did use a foil pan when making BBQ beef a few weeks ago. After the meat was fork tender, I pulled it from the smoker and shredded it in a separate bowl. I then used some of the juices left over in the foil pan to thin out some store bought BBQ sauce. Since I didn't want to loose that smokey-beefy flavor of the meat, I figured using the juices w/the BBQ sauce would help it not overpower the meat. I think it tasted really good, and so did the wife, but seeing as it was my first go I don't have any other examples against which compare.

All that to say, I think you should try saving the juices the next time you do a butt or two. If you don't know what to do with it, just ask I'm sure somebody will have some ideas for you!
 
Forget steps 6 & 7. After 8-12 hours or more on the WSM, another 15-20 minutes after pulling will add nothing to the flavor or aroma. I just thawed a batch of pulled pork I made and vacuum-sealed two months ago and it still looks, smells and tastes the same as when I took it out of the foil in June. BTW, go light on the Sweet Baby Rays unless you plan on eating it all yourself. Each person has their own suce preferences.

So, you left out the single most important step......

CRACK OPEN A COLD ONE AND EAT THE PULLED PORK!
 
Bryan B said:
I think step #6 is fairly unconventional. I assume that would be to set the sauce in the meat once it's applied. I think it might be safer to do that in the oven. You could risk drying the pulled meat out if it's exposed to smoke again. Not saying this won't work- just that I haven't heard of anyone else doing it, and I would think it could be risky.
Click to expand...

It's actually a method I picked up from a guy I used to cook with....and yes, I guess you could describe it as a way to set the sauce. It also has another benefit I've noticed......it seems to take some of the bite out of Sweet Baby Rays, which I think is just a bit too sweet right out of the bottle.

BTW, when I'm throwing it back in, its generally at a much lower temp than I cook at (usually around 175-200) and the smoke exposure at that point is pretty minimal, given the amount of time, and the amount of wood and charcoal that will have already burned off at that point.....basically, I'm just doing it for heat.
 
Grant, there are many paths to get to the same point. If you, your family and friends like your way then who are we to say it's wrong? I personally don't do it that way but who's to say I'm right?

Having said that, I, like the others, don't cook a butt in a pan. I also don't inject it, wrap it, spritz it, or mop it either. I do like to brine a butt and rub it while the cooker is coming to temp. I don't even open the cooker until the temp tells me to check for tenderness. If done, I let it sit out about half an hour and pull it by hand. I serve sauces on the side for the end user to apply as they see fit.

Good luck!
 
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I pretty much agree with everything Dwain said. Likewise, I also have my own steps I've been following.
I prefer to let the butt rest (wrapped in foil & a beach towel) for 2 hours before tearing in.
I did the -30 minute rest- once and it seemed to dry out a bit more and didn't redistribute the internal juices the same.
 
Thanks so much for the replies. When I posted the question, I had just thrown two butts on the smoker. I decided to try to something a little different than what I'm used to.

I took the pork drippings, added some of my dry rub, then added some BBQ sauce to thicken it up a bit. I'm going to add that instead of the usual BBQ sauce, then serve

We'll see how it works out
 
I couldn't be more happy with the results of today's cook. The pork itself was came out perfectly moist and tender.

The finishing sauce I mixed up (hat tip to Bryan for giving me the idea) was absolutely perfect........I've had trouble with the interior of the butt being bland (hence the saucing after pulling) but sauce made it wonderful.

Best pork I've ever made, by far. Thanks for all the help today, guys!
 
My first question would be why are you using a sauce that is too sweet for your taste. I don't pan or foil during the cook. When I pull it I add more of my rub to the meat and just use the juices that came out as it rested to mix it back in. Sauces are served on the side for people to add themselves. I usually have home mustard based, tomatoe based and a vinegar sauce.
 
Grant Y said:
I couldn't be more happy with the results of today's cook. The pork itself was came out perfectly moist and tender.

The finishing sauce I mixed up (hat tip to Bryan for giving me the idea) was absolutely perfect........I've had trouble with the interior of the butt being bland (hence the saucing after pulling) but sauce made it wonderful.

Best pork I've ever made, by far. Thanks for all the help today, guys!
Click to expand...

Make a homemade BBQ sauce. It's much more fulfilling than buying something at the store, and if you make enough of it you can keep it in the fridge in a mason jar, or an old ketchup bottle if you have one. It just adds to the whole aura of your growing pulled pork legend!
 
After It comes off the cooker I wrap in foil and wait about 1 hour or until I need to serve. Then I pull or chop and mix in what ever juice that was in the foil. I don't mix in anything else. Bbq is optional if my family or guess want it... This is just my method..:)

Try doing it different ways and see what you like the best.
 
I trim the fat cap to about 1/4 of an inch. Inject with homemade vinegar base sauce. Apply a little rub all over, then wrap in plastic wrap the night before. I cooked until I could shake the bone then wrapped in foil and put in a cooler for an hour. This was my first and only so far and was good, even leftovers. I was able to pull half of it while it was hot then I was able to slice some the next day after it had been refirigerated. I think everyone has a different technique from what I read and they all come out great.
 
Mine is pretty much the same with the elimination of 6&7... Not needed .. I always inject my butts to get a little more flavor through out the pork ... I serve my sauce on the side but I do use a finishing sauce right after pulling which is my reg BBQ sauce heavily diluted with apple cider vinegar and apple juice to help meat from drying out .
 
Grant Y said:
It's actually a method I picked up from a guy I used to cook with....and yes, I guess you could describe it as a way to set the sauce. It also has another benefit I've noticed......it seems to take some of the bite out of Sweet Baby Rays, which I think is just a bit too sweet right out of the bottle.

BTW, when I'm throwing it back in, its generally at a much lower temp than I cook at (usually around 175-200) and the smoke exposure at that point is pretty minimal, given the amount of time, and the amount of wood and charcoal that will have already burned off at that point.....basically, I'm just doing it for heat.
Click to expand...

If your temp is that low and there is little to no smoke present, then I think this is basically the same as using an oven. I don't see any issues with this.
 
Sam Borys said:
Make a homemade BBQ sauce. It's much more fulfilling than buying something at the store, and if you make enough of it you can keep it in the fridge in a mason jar, or an old ketchup bottle if you have one. It just adds to the whole aura of your growing pulled pork legend!
Click to expand...

While I agree, it sounded like Grant was new to BBQ or at least new to pulled pork, so making his own BBQ sauce might be a little too much for right now.

Grant, if you do ever decide to make your own, I suggest visiting the #5 Sauce thread in the rubs/marinades/sauce forum and use that as a baseline. I've come up with a great sauce that was created by using that recipe as a baseline and then tweaking it to my liking.
 
The last pork butt I did on the WSM, I followed Harry Soo's directions and recipe (pdf on this forum as a result of his interview). The only thing I did different (which will not change the results) is I put it in a foil pan with foil over the top instead of using all foil. This just makes it easier to handle for me. It was the best pulled pork I have ever done. THAT will be my method here on out, it was THAT good!

Thank you, Harry!:wsm:

Dale5
 
Tony R said:
After It comes off the cooker I wrap in foil and wait about 1 hour or until I need to serve. Then I pull or chop and mix in what ever juice that was in the foil. I don't mix in anything else. Bbq is optional if my family or guess want it... This is just my method..:)

Try doing it different ways and see what you like the best.
Click to expand...

I'm with Tony R - juices only when you chop or pull. Adding a particular sauce restricts the leftover usage options. No additional sauces allows the pork to be used for a multitude of different meals, from barbecue to Mexican or Chinese dishes and any others recipes you may want to try! That's what I like about smoking a big pork butt - the leftover ideas are limitless!!
 
Mike Willis said:
I'm with Tony R - juices only when you chop or pull. Adding a particular sauce restricts the leftover usage options. No additional sauces allows the pork to be used for a multitude of different meals, from barbecue to Mexican or Chinese dishes and any others recipes you may want to try! That's what I like about smoking a big pork butt - the leftover ideas are limitless!!
Click to expand...

That's a good point. My wife tends to use leftover butt throughout the next week after. I think next time I'll try to save some juices and use that to keep my meat moist as opposed to the sauce I've been using. Thanks for the tip Mike & Tony!
 
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