Pulled pork is easy?


 
C

Chris Y

New member
I recently did my second pork shoulder. I was running out of time, so I did pull it at around 195 to 200 degrees probe temperature, but the probe went in nice and easy.

I don't think it was quite as tender and soft (for lack of a better term) as BBQ I've had out. Did it just need more time?

Also, I guess in reading here and other places, I've never seen it explicitly described - is it normal to have about half of the shoulder essentially be waste fat? I guess I've read about fat rendering and wonder if again, I just don't cook things long enough? My wife was surprised after I was done pulling it at how much we lost - but I'm not into the slimy fat (no real meat) pieces.

In my opinion, I have at least once met or exceeded my favorite BBQ restaurant chicken or ribs at home with the WSM. Not yet with pulled pork! And I keep reading that it is one of the more forgiving BBQ experiences. Am I doing something wrong?

I guess some more details on how I did it: temperature kept @ 225 for first 2-3 hours, then 275 for rest of cook, never foiled, rub applied with some mustard prior to start of cook.

Thanks for any advice you may have! :wsm:
 
Sounds like you should have cooked it a bit longer. Generally, the only thing I throw away is the bone. I've never seen that kind of waste on a butt, but of course, I'll eat anything. I usually allocate at least 12 hours (usually more like 13) for a nine pound butt (@250 degrees). You just can't rush it, IMHO.
 
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I usually trim the fat off prior to smoking because, like you, I don't eat it in pulled pork. I save it for sausage.

On your tenderness issue: I recommend 190*F and start checking for probe tenderness. I usually cook to 205*F.

Keep at it. Try higher pit temp, using foil, etc. You'll figure out what works for you.

And most of all...have fun!
 
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I recently discussed pulled pork with a local butcher. Try a Boston butt instead of a shoulder aka picnic. Much more usable meat on butt as the muscles on a butt shred better with less waste. Higher temp longer cook will help more fat render as well.
 
I'll definitely keep at it, and enjoy the process - would like to hit greatness soon though. ;)

I think I'll also try going to a different place to purchase the meat next time, and ask for a Boston butt.
 
If you like restaurant pulled pork, you probably like more fat than you think. I can assure you that they don't pull the amount of fat out of a butt as you do. And, having that fat in the mix will make it more moist. Also, the fat is very tender so it will make the meet seem more tender.

However. I'm like you, I clean my butts very clean as I do not like the fat. I'm not sure, because I've never done a shoulder (just butts), but maybe they have more fat than a butt. Either way, I have almost entirely meat (not fat) when I'm done. If I were you, I'd try a butt and go a little easier on removing the fat. Think of bacon, some pork fat is a tasty thing. Again, I'm not sure, but I bet a restaurant just smashes a butt, maybe chops it a little and serves it. They might pull out some of those tough membranes, but I doubt it.
 
+1 for Boston Butt over shoulder. I've never done a shoulder, but just looking at them side by side with a butt, you can tell there's going to be a lot more loss due to rendering or trimming on shoulder. There's also more bone in there. As I understand it, you lose about 40-50% of the weight in fat, skin and bone. So, a 10 lb. shoulder is only giving you about 6 lb. of meat. By comparison, you only lose about 20-30% on a butt. Yes, butt might cost a bit more, but you're getting more of the final product, so it's probably a better value than shoulder.
 
come on with the misinformation you guys

butt is pork shoulder. Picnic is closer to the leg, but still part of the shoulder. Both butt and picnic are part of the whole pork shoulder. They're the upper and lower halves respectively.
 
Well just to confuse things you won't find it as Boston butt but as pork shoulder blade roast. I think the picnic is fine too. I can't convince my wife though. I don't trim them that much. The fat cap can get trimmed off. I just don't advocate going digging. If the fat renders right it's tasty.
 
Dave from Denver said:
come on with the misinformation you guys

butt is pork shoulder. Picnic is closer to the leg, but still part of the shoulder. Both butt and picnic are part of the whole pork shoulder. They're the upper and lower halves respectively.
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Yes, They are both separate parts of the shoulder but they have very different properties, and most importantly they are labeled differently depending on your part of the country.

If Pork Roast dishes like Pernil are generally more popular than pulled pork in your region, then there's a good chance"shoulder" at your grocery store is more likely to be a picnic and not a butt.

Many east coast grocery stores carry picnic and not butts because the demand is higher. Seeking out a Butt at a local butcher or wholesale club will likely yield better results.
 
Chris Y said:
I recently did my second pork shoulder. I was running out of time, so I did pull it at around 195 to 200 degrees probe temperature, but the probe went in nice and easy.

I don't think it was quite as tender and soft (for lack of a better term) as BBQ I've had out. Did it just need more time?
Click to expand...

Chris, try to take the internal temp higher next time and you'll feel the difference in the probe, 205+. If you end up running late on time, or get a late start, try foiling midway through the cook. This helps the butt cook more evenly, and you can rush it along just a little if necessary by raising the temp up a little, say ~300 degrees for example. Then remove the foil for the last couple hours to firm back up the bark, and start probing for tenderness.
 
I am extremely picky about fat in bbq. I trim very closely before and after....I have about zero patience for the bbq joints that don't do this.

Just my preference.
 
I don't see any misinformation in the thread.
There is inconsistent naming of the cuts across the country though and that can lead to confusion at times.
I greatly prefer the 'butt' over the 'picnic', very different textures and membranes between the two cuts.
Not a fan of the fat and membranes in pulled pork, I clean the meat pretty good when I pull it apart.
My experience is the picnic has more useless parts than the butt.
 
Well here in the St Louis area we know our butts from our picnics since pork steaks are sliced from the butt.
In fact, a local chain has whole pork butts this week for $1.69/lb, not a great price, but I'm ready for some pulled butt!
 
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