Pulled Pork Shoulder: To Brine or Not To Brine


 
D

Dano C.

New member
Hi all,

So I have a 9lb bone-in pork shoulder and I am doing some BoB this weekend.

I was toying around with the idea of brining this pork in a simple brine for this cook, since my pulled pork sometimes comes out not quite as juicy as I would like.

Thoughts on this? Would this turn the pork into ham? Or has anyone else done this?
 
Brining pork shoulder for a brief period of time like overnight wont ham-ify it, but it might help increase moisture. You're not going to brine it long enough or in a concentrated solution or with nitrates, so it won't start to cure overnight really.

Personally I don't bother, if I want to add flavor I inject otherwise just rub and smoke. If you cook it right pork shoulder doesn't need additional moisture.
 
Dano,

If you use a highly salted brine and leave the meat in for several days; then yes it may have a somewhat hammy flavor.

I've never brined a butt that was going to be pulled. Brining increases the moisture content and adds salt/flavor to the meat. Generally a meat comes out dry if it is over-cooked. Personally I wouldn't bother with brining; just watch your meat and test for tenderness. Tenderness is your key, not time or temp. If you smoke a bone-in; check that bone to see if it starts to pull away easily; that's a good indication you butt is ready. You can also probe it with a thermo or fork; little to no resistance means it's ready.

Paul
 
I only will brine meat that doesn't have any fat in it, like turkey, chicken or lean cuts of pork. When I've done pork shoulder that was dryer than I thought it should be was because I think I took it off too soon. I was worrying about temperature over how it felt when I probed it. Since then it hasn't been a problem.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
Tenderness is your key, not time or temp. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's true, I guess pork is safe to eat at around 160, which is early on into the cook, so it really is just a matter of tenderness, huh?
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dano C.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Paul K:
Tenderness is your key, not time or temp. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's true, I guess pork is safe to eat at around 160, which is early on into the cook, so it really is just a matter of tenderness, huh? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Pork is safe to eat at about 135-137 actually.
 
it may be to safe to eat at that temp, but you'll want to take it up to at least 190 for it to be tender. I find that anywhere from 190 to 205 is the best internal temp for pulled pork.
 
Right, of course. And 160-170 for sliced pork. I am just trying to staunch the misinformation from the USDA about cooking pork to 160 (although they've since lowered it)!
 
I've never seen a butt that needed to be brined, but that's your call. Instead of brining - I'd pull it and add a mixture of 50% sauce and 50% water.
 
Some of my best pulled pork came off the smoker around 180 degrees. And yes, it pulled quite easily and was very tender and juicy. That's because it cooked low and slow, upwards of 2+ hours per pound, with a short foil. It pulled better and was more tender than butts that went to 195 that cooked hotter and shorter time

Remember, tender is a function of time AND temp.

And yeah, I only brine lean cuts like chicken, turkey, pork loin.
 
I always brine. I did a test one day with two butts, one I had brined and the other I did not. They were pretty much identical in size and shape and I cooked them together in my WSM. Of the 12 -15 people I had tasting the meat, only one preferred the un-brined one.
 
No need to brine a butt. There is more than adequate intramuscular fat to keep it moist if it is not overcooked. I've never temped a butt, or any meat for that matter, so I just go by feel. If you can twirl a fork in it like spaghetti, you're done. Butts are as fool-proof a piece of as there is, and their doneness window is also pretty big at low temps, so you don't have to babysit them to get them right.
 
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