Recipe Question -- Pulled Pork


 
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Eugene A

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Let's try this again -- I typed an excruciatingly long question, after which I got a message that I wasn't logged in. I logged in, and the question was lost.

I'm researching pulled pork recipes on the smoker. I settled on a variation of a recipe from a noted bbq personality -- with marinade, six hours on the smoker. The variation comes in here -- he says to put the pork butt in an aluminum pan, and to cover the pan for the duration of the cook. Why bother with smoke if the pan is covered? In another variation of his recipe, he has the pan uncovered, then covered, then uncovered.

I settled on this variation -- in the aluminum pan, uncovered, for six hours, letting it rest for a half hour or so in the pan, covered. I already have the marinade recipe, the rub recipe and the bbq sauce recipe. My question has to do with covered v uncovered. Is it simply a variation of the 3-2-1 method? And will that work for pork butt as it does for ribs?

BTW, I posted this question here because I still consider myself a new WSM owner.
 
Here's what I do....

Get the smoker ready doing the minion method. As the smoker is getting to my desired temp which is usually 225-250.
I'm applying my rub on the pork no trimming for me.

Put the pork on the smoker and leave it alone for 7 hours or so. Check temp and if it's 160 you can wrap with foil and apple juice or leave it alone until it hits 195-200. My pork butts are done in about 10 hours.

I have never used pans. Try the method you like best. Then next time try another method and then you can decide what's best for you. Keep smoking and you will find your favorite way to smoke pork butt.

I have done a butt in 5 hours running the smoker at 300.
 
Leave the pan out of the equation until you reach the stall 160 or so. Then place in the pan and cover in foil or just wrap in foil.
 
Eugene A said:
Let's try this again -- I typed an excruciatingly long question, after which I got a message that I wasn't logged in. I logged in, and the question was lost.
Click to expand...

Don'tcha just hate it when that happens!!?? ;)

I do what Tony does, but wrap for the last 2 hours. It won't absorb a whole lot more smoke after 6 or 7 hours.
The roasting pan comes in when it's done. :)
 
Tony/Matt/Karl: The pork butt is app. 5 pounds. Does that change anything? Do I still let it go for 10 hours?

BTW, the bbq personality is Myron Mixon. His recipe calls for 6 hours on the smoker -- "Take the shoulder out of the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the rub all over it, making sure to cover as much of the surface as possible. Place the shoulder in an aluminum pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker or on the grill. Cook for 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the pan from the smoker or grill. Allow the meat to rest, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes before serving..."

Here's his other recipe -- "...sprinkle run all over it, making sure to get the area by the shank. Place the shoulder, in its aluminum pan, in the smoker and cook for 3 hours. Remove the shoulder from the smoker. Pour apple juice into a clean aluminum pan, and transfer the shoulder to the pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the smoker. Cook for 6 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees Fahrenheit...." He goes on to say to remove the pan from the smoker, get rid of the foil, and to spread glaze over the meat and put it back on the smoker for one more hour.

Maybe I'm missing something. And this is where I get twisted. I'm trying to follow "the" recipe, from the bbq guru, and I'm seeing stuff that doesn't make sense. That's why I figured, as I did with my shotshell reloading, that I have to settle on a recipe, try it to see if it works, and if it does work, then go with that. But I don't want to diss my bbq brethren in this forum. And I don't want to run into the typical "why did you do that? Why didn't you do...?" The reason I did that, and not...is that I wanted to try...to see if it works. Does that make sense to you guys/gals?

And thank you, again, for your patience.
 
Eugene A said:
Let's try this again -- I typed an excruciatingly long question, after which I got a message that I wasn't logged in. I logged in, and the question was lost.
Click to expand...
When I get wordy or distracted on a posting, I usually highlight the entire response and do a Ctrl C to copy it to my clipboard. If you're not multi-tasking, you can Ctrl V to paste once you're logged in again. Otherwise, I keep a Word or Text document open and paste in there.

No advice on the butt as I'm still learning myself.
 
Jem Scott said:
When I get wordy or distracted on a posting, I usually highlight the entire response and do a Ctrl C to copy it to my clipboard. If you're not multi-tasking, you can Ctrl V to paste once you're logged in again. Otherwise, I keep a Word or Text document open and paste in there.

No advice on the butt as I'm still learning myself.
Click to expand...

In my working life this is exactly what we did. Thank you for reminding me. The thing is that I was logged in. I guess that my post took too long to draft and the inactivity caused me to be kicked out. I have to remember the basics.

Thanks again.
 
Eugene, I put the uncovered pork butt on a rack that sits on top of an aluminum pan on the top grate (to catch the drippings). The pan has whatever liquid you decide on - beer, apple juice, ACV, water, wine, whatever, in the bottom so the drippings don't burn away. When the butt hits the plateau (around 160-170 degrees F), I wrap foil over the butt while it's still over the pan (adding liquid to the pan during the entire cook if necessary), sealing it around the aluminum pan. When it's probe tender it comes off. At this point you can put the butt on the grill to firm up the bark if that's what you like (I don't). I do the HH method, but it works with low and slow too. Having the drippings to add to the pork after pulling is what it's all about as far as flavor is concerned! Just one more option for you to consider...:D
 
I've never used a pan with pork, like most it's on the grate, sometimes for the entire cook unless I want to push it along then I wrap with foil when it hits the stall with a little ACV and apple juice.
 
Eugene A said:
I guess that my post took too long to draft and the inactivity caused me to be kicked out. I have to remember the basics.
Click to expand...


It will time out fairly quickly if you are typing a long post which basically is no activity. I have done the same as you and typed a whole post and lost it
 
Eugene A said:
Tony/Matt/Karl: The pork butt is app. 5 pounds. Does that change anything? Do I still let it go for 10 hours?
And thank you, again, for your patience.
Click to expand...

Eugene, I figure 1.5 hours per pound.
I just did a 7.85# butt last weekend & calculated to 11.77 hours. The butt took 12.25 hours to hit 200*. I tried to maintain 225 to 250 degrees. Calculation was close enough for gov't work. :)
Wrapped in foil w/ spritzed apple juice the last 2 hrs. Pulled at 200* rested for 15 or 20 min then placed in a cooler wrapped in old towels (still foiled) for another hour or so.
Pulled and devoured. It was awesome as always!

Hope this response is not too late!
 
Mike/Don: You guys have given me an idea. Mike, I like your idea. I'm thinking about using that when I do the pork butt. Don, until I lose the newbie jitters I'm thinking that I'll follow Mike's idea, and then migrate over to what you suggested. BTW, what's "ACV"?

There's so much art, and no science, to this barbecue thing. I like having an idea of where I'm going. Having to be creative...I can talk a good talk, but walking the walk is completely different. Thanks, guys, for your input.
 
Eugene, I would venture a guess that 90%+ don't use a pan they just put the meat on the grate and some do and some don't wrap, your choice. I for the most part follow Tony Rs method and have had great success not to say it's the only or best way, just the way I like it. Experiment and have fun especially with pork butt you really have to work at it to screw it up. ACV = apple cider vinegar.
 
I never wrap, marinade, inject, or use water in the pan for that matter, and the butts always come out very juicey. Not wrapping does take more time - 2 to 4 Sam's ~7.5lbs bone-in butts at 225 might take me more like 16 hours, but I think the meat comes out firm but very tender. I trim the exterior fat the best I can, apply a good coating of rub, and let them set out while I start the chimney. Then just prior to going on the grates, I'll apply a more rub and pat it in good. Then on the grates, I set the ATC for 225, and forget about them for 8-10 hours. At that point, the bark has set, and I'll start spritzing every hour or so until done. I'll let them set for a good 30 minutes prior to pulling. Comes out great. Very straight-forward.

If eating later, you can wrap in foil and towels and put into a cooler for a few hours with no issues. For big parties, I've even pulled them, one butt to a 1/2 size aluminum pan, and wrapped in aluminum and put into the oven at 170 to hold and this works good too. The trick is, once you pull the butt, keep the trays tightly wrapped or they will dry out. If they do, just spritz a bit and toss. Pulled pork is pretty forgiving.
 
Eugene --- one thing I haven't read in this thread yet is to not go by IT (internal temperature) alone. Each hunk of meat is different and it's done when it's done - not when the thermometer hits some magical number. On pork butts (my favorite) I start checking for doneness around 190 IT degrees. As in, take a skewer, thermometer, any type of probe really, and insert into various spots of the meat. If it slides in like butter (next to no resistance) - it's done. If you have to push it, it ain't done. Half the time they're done at 190, others have needed 200.

Pork butt is very forgiving and a great way to learn the really long cooks. As long as you're pit temps are between 225 and 300 degrees, you're good to go. Personally, I prefer the 275ish range for pork. Remember, you're trying to hit an IT of 190-200 on a hunk of meat. Running at 225 the entire time will take a long time to hit those IT's.
 
If I remember correctly, someone once asked Myron about using the pans and his sole reason was it makes clean up easier.
Like most, I go straight on the rack for about 9 hours, then wrap with foil.
 
Thank you, one and all. I am reaching the stage of information overload. Barbecue is an art, and not a science, as I am quickly learning. I'm taking bits and pieces of each suggestion, piecing them together, to come up with my own variation. I'm not telling anyone, as you will all find out when I do this, and when I post the pics. I guess this will really be a "baptism by fire."
 
Eugene A said:
Maybe I'm missing something. And this is where I get twisted. I'm trying to follow "the" recipe, from the bbq guru, and I'm seeing stuff that doesn't make sense. That's why I figured, as I did with my shotshell reloading, that I have to settle on a recipe, try it to see if it works, and if it does work, then go with that. But I don't want to diss my bbq brethren in this forum. And I don't want to run into the typical "why did you do that? Why didn't you do...?" The reason I did that, and not...is that I wanted to try...to see if it works. Does that make sense to you guys/gals?

And thank you, again, for your patience.
Click to expand...

Don't know if I missed your butt cook or not, but I wanted to chime in with a few quick notes.

First off I've noticed that just about every recipe I find in a bbq cookbook is way off on times. I've found going with the "it's done when it's done" to be a little too vague, but very accurate. As such I've started using the recipes in books more for the rub/marinade/sauce ingredients than for the actual cook times (especially when adapting to either charcoal or to a smoker). My next step when doing a new meat is to come right here and ask the men and women on the front lines. I usually get good "X.y hours per pound" guidelines that I can then use to estimate the length of my cook.

The next thing I wanted to share was a website I found helpful in researching techniques and in some cases answering the "why do you do this vs that" questions. The website is amazingribs.com and there is a LOT of information there. Before I got my WSM I did a lot of reading of equipment reviews and research into why my first pork shoulder that I ever smoked (which was done on my OTG following a recipe from a Weber cookbook) over there didn't turn out as tender as expected or as quickly stated in the book. One of the most interesting articles I read on that site had to do with the stall.

Finally, "to see if it works" is totally a legitimate answer!

Let us know how the butt smoke went!
 
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