I did a pulled pork using a picnic roast--poor results

[Chuppy]

I did a pulled pork using a picnic roast--poor results.
Notes:
It dried out yet it never got to 203*F IT. It hit and stalled out at 193*F.
8 pound roast
Dry brined 12 hours
mustard binder
Memphis dust rub
12 hours on my pellet stove at 225*F

The picnic has the leg bone vs the shoulder bone.
Are the leaner? needed to be Texas Crutched all the time?

[jfmorris]

I am really curious about this too, as the picnic ham is the upper leg, and contains part of the shoulder meat. You would think it would be similar in fat content to the shoulder, and could be treated the same. If its a lot leaner though, it might need to be treated like any other pork, which means it is done at 145F and not 195 to 205. It is also possible that it was stalled and just didn't quite finish. I've had pulled pork (shoulder) do that, where it wasn't tender because it didn't quite finish. The trick would have been to wrap in foil to get it the rest of the way. Honestly, 12 hours at 225F is not long for a Boston butt, and if this was similar in thickness, I would think it might have needed to go longer.

[Chuppy]

It stalled at 150*F and took off again at about 170*F.

[jpietrantone]

I'm not sure I've ever done a picnic roast. I do know that sometimes the quality of the meat is to blame. I have done everything the same way on butts multiple times, yet occasionally the meat just doesn't meet the expectations.

I wouldn't think that crutching it the whole cook would have helped much,, but others may disagree. To me, that would have not created any bark. I hope this helped.

[pkadare]

I do pork shoulders all the time as it is hard to find butts here and have always cooked them the same as butts, don't crutch and have never had a problem.

[ofelles]

I'm with pkadare no problem with shoulders.

[pkadare]

holehogg - https://www.seriouseats.com/what-is-...icnic-shoulder

[holehogg]

Thanks for the link. I have always bought the shoulder thinking that's the butt. Sure I read somewhere here or on free side that the shoulder is the butt. Like you I've never had a problem turning shouldrr into pulled pork.

[TimmyR]

I just cooked two whole shoulders yesterday. They were about 8 pounds each. It took me 20 hours to hit 203 and I bumped the cooker up from 220 in the last 3 hours. It was a little dry. I assumed what I had was the whole butt plus some of the picnic.

[Skip]

I've done what my Butcher called an uncured ham a few times and sometimes they just didn't quite get to a doneness so they would shred or pull easily even when crutched. IMO there just isn't enough fat for pulling. The cut is more of a slicing piece of pork.

[holehogg]

I've tried with the leg section more than once. Never worked for pulled pork in my attempts.

[holehogg]

jfmorris I cook them often in the oven for Sunday roast. Leave the skin on and score then add a fair amount of salt on the skin. During cook I ladle some of the rendered fat over the skin a couple times helps create a nice crackling. Cook to an IT between 150 - 160F for slicing. When I'm not lazy I debone the meat.
It's a much cheaper cut than the shoulder and the reason I tried it as a shoulder substitute for pulled pork. Doesn't work.

[jfmorris]

You've confirmed what I was thinking - this is good for sliced pork, at much lower done temperatures.

[Mr. Bones]

Meanwhile, ain't thing on in my world wrong with some good ol sliced pork!

[Jerod Broussard]

I've never had a TRUE PICNIC roast come out worth a crap. It's typically much much leaner than the butt. I avoid them.

[jfmorris]

This is kind of what I was thinking, having looked at them in the store. It is probably better cooked to lower temperatures for slicing. Maybe 170? Less?

[bbqLuv]

good to know.
Try pairing them with PBR

[Jerod Broussard]

jfmorris I tried sous vide and sear and it was crap. Smoked like a butt it wasn't inedible, but compared to the butt obviously not in the same league.

[LA Pork Butt]

I have done picnics using an American Test Kitchen Cuban-Style Grill-Roasted Picnic with good results. It makes great Cubano sandwiches.

[Chuppy]

When do you pull them off the grill?

[LA Pork Butt]

Chuppy it is brined in an orange juice brine for 18-24 hours and cooked indirect at 325 to an internal temp of 190. It takes 3-4 hours. It isn’t pulled, but sliced.

[Dewesq55]

LA Pork Butt - I cook these periodically. It's called pernÃl al horno, or just plain pernÃl. It is very popular in Puerto Rican and Dominican cooking as well.

[Dewesq55]

As I recently posted in another thread, 20 years ago picnics and ribs were all I smoked. I couldn't get a butt anywhere. The picnics always came out great. I'm not sure what happened to the original poster's cook, but I suspect his probe was touching bone and throwing the readings off. Also, I rarely, if ever, take any shoulder to 203°F. I think it starts to get dry by that temp. I generally pull them at 198°and they are juicy, tender; and pull great.

[Chuppy]

No the probe was good. There are 2 comments for a lower temperature. I should probably start checking with a fork at 180*F.

[Santamarina]

Butt is my longest cook, by far. Typically 14-16 hours at ~250°F. Less time than that and all the connective tissue doesn’t break down and you end up with hard-to-pull pork. I don’t wrap until the bark is the color I want (meteorite), and often times that color doesn’t come until it’s done, so the wrap is only for holding. Also, bone-in is the only way to go.

[Dewesq55]

I cut my butts in half (approximately) and they cook quite a bit faster. Huskee taught me that. Yesterday I cooked a 10.65 lb butt (9.25 trimmed) cut in half in a little over 9 hours. Pulled great. An added benefit is you get more bark due to 2 additional exposed sides.

[saneric38]

I did not realize the picnic was leaner than the butt. I have done a few shoulder picnics, but I always Texas crutch them in foil about midways through. I have not really had a problem with moisture. The last picnic I did a couple of weeks ago started on the pellet smoker. When the bark set good, I wrapped it in foil and finished it in the oven.

[Huskee]

I too prefer to foil wrap butts & chucks. I am not in the hard bark camp, but the moist goodness camp!

[Chuppy]

Everyone thanks for all the input! I have 2 more in the freezer to practice with.