pulled pork question -- ok to cut pork in half?

[jasonwilliams14]

hey everyone! I have hopefully a very easy softball type question regarding pulled pork.
I have been browsing my local costco, eyeballing some pork butt. I am very anxious to do pulled pork on my weber kettle.
one question though. The size of the pork butts at costco around 18-20 pounds. Some big butts.

That said, is it ok, to cut that in half, or even in quarters? Trying to figure out how to plan my pulled pork cook, while storing the rest for future cooks.

I appreciate your help in continuing my BBQ education.

Cheers,

Jason

[Panhead John]

Yes sir, it’s perfectly fine to cut them in half. A lot of people do just that. Benefits are quicker cook times and more bark per lb. than what you’d get doing it whole.

[jfmorris]

Hint: he said 18-20 pound butt from Costco.... . But regardless, PJ's advice is sound - you can cut any of them down, but I would try to go no smaller than 3-4 pounds to avoid it drying out as it cooks.

[jasonwilliams14]

Fantastic. There is a $6 off them right now, so I might grab two, freeze (still viable I think)

[jfmorris]

jasonwilliams14 what you are seeing at Costco is actually *TWO* deboned butts, packed together in the same cryovac. They are in the 8-10 pound range, max, per butt. You will see this once you cut the package open. I've literally smoked hundreds of butts in my smoking career - heck 84 at once once time - and the biggest butt I ever did see was 12 to 13 points, and that was a really big bone in one.

Something to be aware of too with the Costco butts aside from being a 2 pack, is that the deboning they do leaves a bit of "flappy" meat. I've had to tie those up sometimes with butcher's twine before smoking. I am not a huge fan of those anymore, and prefer bone in butts from Sam's to the boneless ones at Costco. The bone also kinda tells you when its ready, as it pulls out cleanly from the meat when its done.

[WayneT]

+3 on the two deboned butts in one Swift package. I actually emailed and heard back from Swift to confirm.

[Waster]

Agreed - I much prefer bone in butts too - it's a shame cos Costco generally has better quality vis. Sams.

[Papa Bob]

Well I was going to comment on that there is more than likely two two two butts in one showing my age

[bmillin]

Simple answer - yes, but don't get carried away.

The packages you see at Costco are probably two or three roasts in one package, you just can't tell the way they are packaged.

Somewhere on this site there is a guide that would show how cutting the meat affects cooking time. The main point seemed to be it was the thickness of the cut that made the difference, as the heat penetrates from the outside in. if you cut up a butt, do it to reduce the thickness if you want to cut cooking time. Otherwise you can cut it to increase surface area to get more bark. Your call.

As far as future cooks, be aware that pulled pork freezes very well!

[jasonwilliams14]

Ok great. I will research how to properly prepare the pork. Last thing I want to do is dry it out.

[Purc]

At Costco, did you check to see if 2 pork butts were packaged together? I have not seen one that large.

[jasonwilliams14]

I probably should have looked closer. When I looked at it, I just assumed it was one butt. I am heading back this weekend, so I will make sure to take a closer look and verify what is in there.

[Smoker_Boy]

jasonwilliams14 It's hard to see your own butt.

[Purc]

jasonwilliams14 I have smoked many butts (bone in and boneless) on my Weber Kettle. Costco butts are boneless. Sometimes I have injected but most of the times I don't. Most butts have a lot of fat.I have a SnS and I fill the water section with boiling water and I sprits with 50/50 ACV and Apple juice. Mine turn out great. Never put apple juice in the water section of the SnS, water boils out and you have a sticky mess. Butts are an easy smoke. Have fun.

[HotSun]

+1 for PJ's suggestion. You benefit in a few ways, from smoke to crust. I've even seen some folks cube them.

[JeffJ]

I just purchased one of these. It was a 2 pack of deboned butts each one weighing about 8 pounds. I trimmed and halved both leaving with 4 butts that were a bit less than 4 pounds. They were dry brined and then vac sealed individually.

[Draznnl]

Remember to relax and enjoy your cook. Their is nothing as forgiving as a pork butt. It is probably the easiest protein to cook. Have fun.

[Santamarina]

One additional point to add to all the great advice above…

Costco butchers are notoriously heavy handed. Those boneless butts have had a LOT of fat removed. Be careful trimming because they’re a lot easier to dry out.

My advice: smoke a whole one the first time…if you have leftovers vac seal and freeze. They reheat beautifully.

[jfmorris]

I second this. I don't see a reason to smoke a half butt, since pulled pork does freeze and reheat so easily.

[mgaretz]

Yes. The Blasphemy Pulled Pork recipe actually uses strips of butt (which Costco sells as country-style ribs) and they take about 7 hours. You can buy them this way or trim the butts into strips yourself. The upside, besides a shorter cook time, is more bark and more smoke flavor. More info here: https://blasphemyribs.com/2020/03/13...y-pulled-pork/