pulled pork good but not magical ...

[stevenschwartz]

Hi Folks,

Made a pork butt yesterday. Results were good, but also a tiny bit disappointing - meat good, but still a tiny but tough and a bit dry in places. Here are the details - any advice appreciated. I have been smoking on and off for over a decade. Usually brisket and st Louis ribs. Going to my son who has a new baby and he wanted me to bring pulled pork. The smoke was about 11 hours on my 22" WSM at about 275 with B&B briquettes. I wrapped it in pink butcher paper at about 6 hours and 170 degrees. At 11 hours it was high 190's (I think 199.) Took off and further wrapped in foil for an hour to rest.

When I pulled there was some real resistance (actually in general what I want) and some of the meat is a bit dry. Not terrible, but not for example, the way my briskets turn out.

What do you think? 1) Brisket's are wagyu from a specialty butcher this was pork butt from the supermarket - is there a "wagyu" of pork I should have used? 2)I'd hate to have to go back to my 225 degree days where such a smoke would be 18 hours and even then never really close to the temp I wanted.

Any ideas or advice for me for the next time I do this?

TIA, Steve

[Sid P]

I’m guessing you pulled it too soon, and the fat wasn’t 100% rendered. Once you’re in the ballpark (190°+), you have to go to probe tender whether that’s 195°, 203°, or 210°.

[PGH_RAM]

That's my thought as well.

[Lynn Dollar]

My thought also, butts can be taken well past 205. They're very forgiving. And I don't watch temps, I go for probe tender.

[stevenschwartz]

Ok, so if it's not "ready" going to 210 won't make shoe leather, it'll make it better? For some reason I've always been scared of going too high.

[Purc]

+1 instead of wrapping, I also put mine in a covered foil pan after adding some butter,brown sugar, apple juice and cook until probe tender. Let rest, then pull and add liquid with fat removed from the pan back into the pulled pork. some butts just take longer than others.

[Sid P]

Just for clarification, I’m not saying smoke it to 210°, I’m saying someday you might have to. Forget about the finishing temperature and let tenderness be your guide.

[Michael_in_TX]

I've had the same fear. I have also learned to go by probe tender. Generally speaking, this will fully happen from 203-207 F. Sometimes lower in the range, sometimes at higher in the range.

Also, try wrapping in foil. You're going to shred it anyway, so bark preservation is not paramount and foil seems to help get it up in range a bit faster.

[stevenschwartz]

Thanks guys.

[Skip]

My guess is either what Sid P said OR you could have gotten a tough Pork Shoulder. I did 3 at the same time a month ago and one of them was tough so it wasn't my smoking method. I've heard of tough Pork Shoulders before.... but not very often. It's frustrating!

[Oak Smoke]

I wrap pork butts at 180 F internal and take them on to 207-210 F. I just smoked 4 yesterday at 275 F and had them at 180 F internal in 7.5 hours. It took another 2 hours to get to melt in your mouth tender at about 210F. I leave my pork butts double wrapped in a cooler for about 3 hours these days before pulling. I hadn’t done that before but last year when some guests were delayed and I ended up resting them for 4 hours. They were great. Pulling when they’ve had a chance to cool just a bit seems to help stop so much moisture loss to steam. I do 3 hours now and really like the results.

[mrichie1229]

I agree with a longer hold in foil. It always turns out great.

[realdocBBQ]

I've taken to doing my pulled pork in smaller chunks - 5-8 chunks out of an average 8-10lb butt. Rubbed, smoked to the stall (usually 165+), then placed in a pan and covered with foil. At this point, they usually take another 1.5-2hrs. Cooking at 275 the whole time. Temped at that point, often in the 205-212 range. Butter.

Remove and let rest (still covered) an hour or two. Then shred, mixing back in all that fat and juice - and I add a tiny bit of white grape juice. It works.

This has become my go-to method 100% of the time.

Smoke uncovered until the bark is where you want it. If you pan them at the beginning of the stall, you'll have a LOT more juice and the pulled pork end product will be quite wet. If you wait until well after the stall, the smaller chunks WILL get dried out.

But in the middle-to-end portion of the stall, they lose enough moisture to not be too wet when shredding and mixing in the juice in the pan and you have great, delicious and amazing bark. The other upside to this method is more surface area for rub and more bark! Win/Win!

Cooking this way at 275, I finish a full 10-lb butt in about 6-7 hours, have massive and super tasty bark and juicy, delicious pulled pork. I mean this is heavenly stuff. And saves a lot of time.

Give it a try, I bet you'll love it!

Unless... unless you're one of those who absolutely demands THIS bark!


And there's nothing wrong with that bark! That is tasty, crispy stuff! But you can still pull this method off with similar results doing it without cutting them into chunks!


^^^^^^This method just takes longer to get past the stall. But it's still heavenly!

Mix all that fat and juice back in! Take my word for it!

This is what mine look like before pulling. Plenty of tasty, salty, awesome bark!

[realdocBBQ]

Random chunks. About fist-sized.

[mrichie1229]

Looks delicious! What is your rub?

[Sweaty Paul]

Looks awesome!

[stevenschwartz]

Great advice! Thanks.

[LA Pork Butt]

I routinely cook 10# Boston Butts on my Big Green Egg at 225. They usually take 12-14 hours. Probe tender is a good idea, but I usually cook them to 200. I don’t wrap during the cook unless I am short on time. IMO wrapping them in foil after the cook and holding them for 2-4 hours in an ice chest before serving significantly improves the cook. There are some muscles that make up the butt that are a little tougher and dryer, but it doesn’t seem to be very noticeable after the cook.

[Lynn Dollar]

I would not cut a pork butt into smaller pieces unless I was cooking at higher temps, like 325 to 350, and then I would watch it like a hawk to not over cook. The done window is gonna be smaller.

Pork butt or even a brisket, has a lot of intramuscular fat to render and collagen to break down, and both take time. Cooking too fast would change that process.

I do a Chef Tom trim on pork butt, There's a seam ( Chef Tom calls it a crevice ) on the side opposite the fat cap, its just past the bone, and I clean that seam out of a bunch of junk that's not going to render or cook out.

It comes close to cutting the butt in half, creates more surface area for more bark, but still takes enough time to render fat and collagen.

Chef Tom trims here,

[58limited]

I inject a brine solution into mine the night before and then cook at 275^o and wrap at about 180^o IT in foil. Usually turns out great but I've had a tougher one a time or two - sometimes a hunk of meat is just that way.

My brine:
In a 2 cup measuring cup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
Bring to the two cup level with 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water
This will inject two 10lb butts

Occasionally if I can't take time to build a fire I take the seasoned injected butt and wrap it in foil, cook in the oven at 275^o for about 1 hour per pound, then finish unwrapped (touch up the rub and save the juices) on the smoker - heavy but good smoke - for an hour. This method comes out extremely tender but not mushy, not much bark but I can taste the smoke. Add some of the juices when pulling and save the rest for a pot of beans.

Note: I usually use a savory rub (Salt Lick BBQ seasoning), not a sweet rub.

[realdocBBQ]

I would not cut a pork butt into smaller pieces unless I was cooking at higher temps, like 325 to 350, and then I would watch it like a hawk to not over cook. The done window is gonna be smaller.

Pork butt or even a brisket, has a lot of intramuscular fat to render and collagen to break down, and both take time. Cooking too fast would change that process.

I disagree. I find pork butt to be the most forgiving meat of all in the BBQ world. And I don't think the window with my method is all that short. I cook at 275-300, and they get done in the 6-7 hour range. I've forgotten a couple of times and left them a little longer than I expected, when I went out to check them (inside their foil pans) they were hotter than I expected - as I noted above, up to 212 or so once. No big deal, they still came out fabulous.

I really can't find a down side to this method, but hey, there are a million ways to skin a cat. Plenty of people still swear by cooking at 225ºF for 22 hours because that's how they were taught - that's fine with me. I've never ever had pulled pork any better than this last batch I made - ever, anywhere. And it was easy as pie. If people want to make it more difficult, longer, more time-consuming, hey, that's their right.

[Lynn Dollar]

Well, lets ask Elon Musk's Grok .................



when smoking a pork butt, why not cut into smaller pieces , like 4" x 4" cubes


Cutting a pork butt into smaller pieces, like 4" x 4" cubes, before smoking is possible but not always ideal due to several factors related to flavor, texture, and cooking dynamics. Here’s why:

1. Bark Formation: A whole pork butt develops a flavorful, crispy bark (the crusty exterior) over a larger surface area. Cutting it into smaller cubes increases the surface area, but each piece forms its own bark, which can lead to overly thick or uneven bark relative to the meat inside, potentially overpowering the flavor.
2. Moisture Retention: A whole pork butt retains moisture better during the long, slow smoking process. Smaller pieces dry out faster because they have more exposed surface area relative to their volume, which can result in a less juicy final product.
3. Cooking Time: Smaller pieces cook faster, which can be an advantage if time is a concern. However, pork butt benefits from extended low-and-slow cooking (typically 8–12 hours at 225–250°F) to break down collagen and fat for that tender, pull-apart texture. Cubes might reach the target internal temperature (195–205°F) too quickly, potentially before the connective tissue fully breaks down.
4. Fat Rendering: Pork butt has a lot of intramuscular fat and connective tissue that needs time to render and melt into the meat for flavor and tenderness. Smaller pieces may not allow enough time for this process, leading to a less rich texture.
5. Smoke Penetration: Smoke only penetrates about ¼ inch into the meat, regardless of size. A whole pork butt gets a balanced smoke flavor across its larger mass, while smaller cubes might end up with a higher smoke-to-meat ratio, which can make them taste overly smoky or bitter.
6. Presentation and Tradition: Pulled pork is traditionally served as a whole roast, shredded after cooking, which gives a mix of textures (bark, interior meat, and fat). Smaller pieces might not yield the same satisfying mix when pulled or may be harder to shred uniformly.

When Cutting Might Make Sense

• Time Constraints: If you’re short on time, smaller pieces can cook in 4–6 hours, making the process faster.
• Different Preparations: If you’re aiming for something like burnt ends (similar to brisket burnt ends), cutting into cubes can work, as you’d smoke, then sauce and caramelize them separately.
• Equipment Limitations: Smaller pieces might fit better in a smaller smoker or allow for more even heat distribution.

Tips if You Cut into Cubes

• Monitor Temperature: Use a meat thermometer to ensure each piece hits 195–205°F for optimal tenderness.
• Wrap for Moisture: Consider wrapping the cubes in foil or butcher paper during the stall (around 160°F) to retain moisture, mimicking the “Texas crutch.”
• Season Generously: More surface area means more seasoning opportunity, but balance it to avoid overpowering the meat.
• Space Evenly: Arrange cubes with space between them on the smoker for even smoke and heat exposure.

In short, smoking a whole pork butt is preferred for the best balance of flavor, texture, and moisture, but cutting into smaller pieces can work if you’re prioritizing speed or a different style, as long as you manage the trade-offs.

[Oakgrovebacon]

I cooked 11 butts for an open house type lunch at the lumberyard I work at. Started about 7:00 pm with a good coating of rub on each. Used crab apple wood in my reverse flow smoker. Tried to run about 260 for 4 hours. Had to deal with thunderstorms and rain for a couple hours. Rolled the smoker under a 4’ wide overhang on the building to escape the rain. About 11:30 moved into foil pans and covered with foil. Plan was to move to a pellet grill for the rest of the night to get some sleep, could only get 9 of them in the pellet grill. Ran it at 220 overnight. The other 2 stayed in the wood fired smoker in pans with foil cover. Banked the fire with some bigger logs and caught a few hours of sleep. 6 am the fire was low but not out. Butts were at 160, built up the fire to get them finished. The ones in the pellet smoker were around 200. Starting lunch at 11:00 am. Used 2 pair of tongs to pull out the bone and pull/shred and piled onto buns. By 2:30 had served 9 of the butts and had many compliments, one guy wanted to hire me to open a restaurant. Very tender and juicy. The scraps from 9 butts left about 1-1/4” in one of the pans. Biggest cook that I have done and turned out great. 4-5 hours of good smoke and foil pans work for my tastes. I served out of the pans they cooked in using the wood fire cooker as a warmer.

[stevenschwartz]

Impressive achievement!

[CRO]

I do 8 - 9 pounders often. I never wrap while cooking.
I pull them when probe tender which is usually 210ish. Then wrap and rest in a warm oven for 1+ hours.