Pulled Pork


 
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Regina S

TVWBB Pro
What do you guys like better, Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder for pulled pork, and why? Which one will be more forgiving on my first smoke?
Which one tastes better?
Many thanks to all of you in advance for your answers. I am going to do what Michael did on his performer.
 
Boston Butt, bone in around 8 lbs. Smaller if you need to cook faster or for less people.

Whole pork shoulder, which includes the picnic, is large so takes longer. Also, the picnic is where it starts to get smaller towards the bottom of the leg. The butt is pretty much a cube, so it cooks evenly.
 
Thanks Josh! Do you just use a rub or do you use an injection also. I ahve read the boards, there are alot of different opinions. JUst wondering what you like to do?
How many people will and 8 pounder feed?
 
I use a rub and serve BBQ sauce on the side after it is pulled. I don't like forcing sauce on anyone.

I do not inject, pork butt has a lot of fat in there to keep it nice and moist.

Here is the formula I use... other's vary theirs slightly. Some people say 60% yeild on the cooked weight, I say 50% to make the numbers easier and leftover pork is a good thing. You lose weight due to cooking, moisture lost, and the bone in the middle.

(Pre cooked Wgt) x (yield) / (portion)

8 lbs x 50% yeild = 4 lbs cooked meat

So 4 lbs cooked meat x 16 oz in a lb = 64 oz

So now for portions. I use 4 oz for sandwiches or 6 oz for plates. If you are feeding a bunch of football players, you of course want to increase your portions. If you are serving a bunch of sides with it, you can have smaller portions.


64 / 4 oz sandwiches = 16

64 / 6 oz plates = 10.6

Also, the reason I say 50% is easy math is because if you are using 50% and 4 oz sandwiches, you just double your precooked weight
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We cook PP for sandwiches a lot for charity and such.

All leftover pork should be cooled and frozen and heated up anytime for BBQ without the hassle.
 
Oh, and the funny thing after everything I said in the above 2 post, this weekend I am cooking an injected picnic shoulder
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Long story short, it was a request from a friend. And it's going to be jerk pork.
 
I'm considering that myself. I just did a couple butts yesterday. They were pretty rectangular and have what looks like a shoulder blade in them - the only bone. Usually I get rib tip trimmings from a near by grocery. The rib tip trimmings come in chunks typically a pound or two in size and are well marbled with fat. Because of their size they cook faster and have more surface area for smoke flavor. But the butts were a lot easier to pull. I suppose that's because I took them to a higher temperature which I might not be able to do with the smaller trimmings. I haven't decided which I like better, but your question is similar to mine.
 
I have done both with great results using a dry pork rub. In a blindfold taste test, you could not tell the difference. Both are great for long, slow cooks.
 
Butts are usually easier to find than the picnic (or maybe I just don't look for them) and the picnic to some is a little sweeter, and has the large leg bone. The butt is the most common used for pulled pork though.

Some will get the whole shoulder, then you have even more variety of meat in the pull, not quite like east NC where they do whole half hogs split from the rooter to the tooter, but a little more.
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I think the butt is easier to handle too. Even whole butts. Some grocery stores split them into smaller family sized 4-5# roasts. I prefer the meat market where they get them whole and squealing.
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