Pulled Pork Mushy.


 
J

JARROD FOUTCH

New member
So I did my first pork butt cook. It tasted very good but the texture was mushy. I used the championship injection recipe. Cooked for 13hrs 30min. I was shooting for a temp. of 195. It hung at 189 for a couple of hours and felt very tender so I pulled it. The temp. on the top grate was about 245 for the whole cook. Anyone have any thoughts. Thanks
 
You probably just rendered all the collagen, and were left with a very soft textured result. Which is usually a good thing. It could be your pulling/shredding technique. Time at temp affects tenderness the most though.

I would think that over tender is better than a bit too tough.

How did it taste? If it still bothers you, take two beers, and write us in the morning.
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I suspect the injection. How big was your butt and how much injection did you use? First instinct is to modify injection or eliminate it and try one without it.
 
Tom, it tasted great. I would like it to have just a little more chew to it.

Lyle the butt was about seven pounds after trimmed. I did not use very much of the injection, but I did inject it the night before so I could just throw it on in the morning. Maybe injecting it the night before had something to do with it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JARROD FOUTCH:
I did inject it the night before so I could just throw it on in the morning. Maybe injecting it the night before had something to do with it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Jarrod, It depends on what was in the injection. Fresh citrus juice or vinegar can break down the fibers and may/can cause mushy meat.
 
Moisture retention, caused by the salt and the lead time, can cause similar results. Though is doesn't break down fibers the way acids do, water retention, coupled with the already copious rendering within the shoulder, can combine to create a sense of mushiness. It's one of the two reasons I dislike the injecting or brining of butts. The other: because butt in most cases is destined to be pulled, it is easy to add flavor(s) and additional moisture after pulling, based on the needs of that particular butt, rather than to do so ahead of time when the need(s) aren't yet established.
 
Try it without and see what you think. You can judge from there. Not a few people like injections for butts. Some do inject in advance, others wait till not long before cooking. You can try different methods, if you wish, and see what works best for you.
 
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