Should pulled pork be wet, stringy meat?


 
M

Michael Freeman

TVWBB Fan
I went to my first bbq competition this past weekend to check it out. I had thought about entering the competition, but decided it was best just to go see one first.

Anyway, part of the competition was the People's Choice award which means the teams were handing out samples of their meat and you get to vote on which teams you like. Most teams were handing out little samples of their pulled pork.

One thing I noticed is their pulled pork tended to be shredded pretty fine to where it was stringy. Also, it was very moist and wet, probably due to a finishing sauce being added. Now these aren't complaints, because they were all very good, just observations.

When I do pulled pork and shred it, mine tends to be a bit chunkier. Probably because I'm just doing it by hand as opposed to using some kind of claws or forks. Also, I think I'm always afraid of over saucing it, so I just add a little. So, compared to the stuff I had at the competition, mine tends to be chunkier and not as wet.

I was just wondering how other people tend to like theirs. I thought about trying another butt this weekend and shredding it up nicely and adding more finishing sauce just to see if I like it. I know personal tastes are not all the same, but I'm not opposed to trying new ways and see if I like them better.
 
Michael, what you are doing is part of the process of developing your signature pulled pork. Taste, test and eventually you will come with a recipe that will satisfy you. Whether it satisfies the critics is of little consequence to you as you will have done your best.
 
My wife loves it really saucy... i prefer to taste the meat. Everyone is different.

I'm sure that part of it is that shredding makes each bite come clean.

Also don't forget, that be shredding finely they can get more "volume" with less weight on something like a sample. Making your Q go further is likely not as much a concern for home use.
 
I can tell you that my pork hasn't scored well, and I typically submit lightly sauced chunks. maybe I should shoot for "wet, stringy meat" (love the subject, btw).

that's why most of my friend dis contests. you are chasing some ideal, that might be totally contrary to what you like and believe to be good bbq.
 
Well, not sure if I'll end up liking it or not. It was hard to tell from the competition meats because you get such a small sample. But, it got me curious to try out different methods. I do think mine could stand to have a bit more finishing sauce mixed into it. Also, I'm going to try and shred it a bit more and see if that helps with the moisture.
 
Moisture is dependent on how the pork wa cooked (as in how long) and whether finishing sauce is added. I use a little of this. (To me, finishing sauce should equalize flavors and moisture; that's it. Q sauce, if any, is added later by the diners or, for comps, for serving, if desired, but shouldn't be over-the-top quantity-wise.)

I am not much of a fan of entirely shredded butt as, imo, it diminishes texture potential. I chop some of the bark kind of finely; other bark (with attached meat) I make into 'nuggets'. The rest of the meat I shred but I chop some of this as well so, when mixed with the shredded, there is no sense of stringiness. The chopped bark gets folded into this mix; the nuggets get folded in last. (Were I to compete, the pork pile would be lightly dabbed with Q sauce then the nuggets would get placed on the pile, lightly dabbed, the box then closed and taken to the judge's table.)
 
When I do my pork, I also leave it chunkier. I do it by hand, no claws or anything, so I think that is part of the reason, but I also like it a little more substantial. Sauce is added by the eater, I don't use much, as I like the taste of the meat. I also do like Kevin does with the bark.
 
Just thinking about it, I would think if the meat were shredded more then the finishing sauce would cling to more of the meat, mainly because of more surface area. If the meat is chunkier, then obviously the finishing sauce is only on the outside of the meat meaning that the sauce is on less of the meat.

But, I guess it's just personal preference. I've only done the chunkier option. The only other pulled pork I've had is in restaurants and it's hard to tell from that because most of that is probably not as fresh as what we're making. Anyway, after I cook mine on Saturday and try it this other way, I'll post my opinions on the matter.
 
Another thought. Around what temp do y'all think is good for moisture? I've been pulling them off when the internal temp is around 190-195. Should I aim for around 200? When I pull them off, I usually let them rest anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours in tin foil inside of a cooler with towels.
 
I remove when the lowest section I measure is about 190 (i..e some parts 195 or even higher).

I have followed this thread with interest since I too pull a bit "chunkier" and I do not use any finishing sauce. I use BBQ sauce as an optional side in a squeeze bottle and typically add a little before vacuum sealing for the freezer.

I have never been to a competition but am really interested to see one. The original post answered my main question -- as a spectator, can you get any "tasters"!!
 
I pull with forks and it gets pretty stringy sometimes I chop with a knife. I like it pulled stringy and a little wet some times with some beans on top. Pulled wet and stringy my lend a little more to flavor and tenderness. But if it cooked right it all taste good more of a preference. Pulled will tend to go a little further when serving.
 
I've never spent much time in the southeast and I've never been to a competition so I don't know how pulled pork is "supposed" to be done, but I know how I like it and I think I'd like yours, Michael.

"Wet and Stringy" makes me think of mushy BBQ pork my mom would fix in the crockpot, drowning in heavy sauce. Just kinda scoop it out and put a glomp on your sandwich. I've had PP at several casual restaurants, cookouts/picnics, etc. and it's normally not markedly better than that. It usually looks something like this or this or this. (Just internet images... that last one makes me want to barf.) They're like pork sloppy joes.

I do mine like this. I pull by hand, trying to make small chunks (I like the term "nuggets" used up above). I'll chop the longer pieces to sandwich-able size, but not completely chop them up. I mix in a SMALL amount of Kevin's finishing sauce, which is how I believe a finishing sauce is intended to be used. The pork in my pic has already been sauced, but I sure wouldn't call it wet. My guests can drown the sucker in BBQ sauce or mustard even ketchup for all I care, but if I'm going to take 16 hours to smoke a shoulder then I figure I might as well give them the chance to see what it tastes like first!
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Those first images you posted are what most of the PP at the Comp looked like, especially that third pic. Mine looks much closer to your pic. I've never used a fork when pulling and have only done it by hand. And when I'm talking about the differences, I'm mainly referring to look and texture rather than taste. Neither mine or the ones at the Comp tasted bad at all.

Also, I went to a local bbq shack that just opened near my house and decided to try their pork sandwich. It tasted good, but was heavily sauced. Heck, could hardly pick up the thing. Maybe some people like theirs heavily sauced, but I still like to be able to pick mine up.
 
this is what we submitted at our last comp. the weird thing is we though it was one of strongest entries, but it ended up something like 30 out of 50, while we took 9 in chicken, 5 in brisket, and 3 in ribs.

pork turn in box
 
That turn in box looks very similar to the way mine looks when I make pulled pork. Maybe judges don't like thicker pulls. Not really sure. I'd love to sit in when the judges are doing their thing just to see what they like and what they don't like.
 
Not really. About the best you'll get here is Smokeys. They're on Hwy 29 near where all the car dealerships are. It's similar to Sonnys although, I think better.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:
this is what we submitted at our last comp. the weird thing is we though it was one of strongest entries, but it ended up something like 30 out of 50, while we took 9 in chicken, 5 in brisket, and 3 in ribs. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>From what I've seen I'm thinking along the same lines as Michael: Judges don't like thicker pulls. The bark nuggets are nice (maker sure they're attached to nuggets of meat); shred and chop the rest. See how that works for you.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">but I still like to be able to pick mine up. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ditto.
 
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