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Crutch and Cambro (or not) a Pork Butt

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    Crutch and Cambro (or not) a Pork Butt

    To date, the only "traditional" BBQ cook that I have ever done are ribs. What I mean is a long, slow cook.

    For brisket and pork butts, I've always used sous-vide and finished in the smoker. However, I'm moving next week and my new home has an actual backyard. Said backyard is probably going to have a hammock at some point. The point is, the long cook becomes connected with a very lazy weekend and pulled pork sandwiches also happen to go really well with lazy weekends.

    I've been watching some videos and reading up on this. For a pork butt, is there any real reason to crutch? Is the benefit a big deal at all?

    By the same token, what about the cambro? If my meat is already past 200ºF, is there some advantage to another hour or two in the cambro versus holding my cooker around the 200ºF for another hour or two?
    Last edited by binarypaladin; August 13, 2019, 11:46 PM.

    #2
    Time & time. The crutch will get you done faster, but your bark will suffer. I never crutch butts unless i've got time constraints. I also don't think you need the cambro hold, just wrap in foil after it comes off the smoker and let it cool until you can pull it. The cambro helps if you're done early and need to hold for hours.

    Also, just get the hammock.

    Comment


      #3
      Does the cambro do anything else? I mean, if it's insulated enough, it seems like you're just cooking for X amount of time. The meat's holding temperature.

      I guess I should look up an article specifically on crutching, but glad to hear it's optional. I plan to not be in a time crunch when doing these cooks.

      Comment


        #4
        The longer you cambro the softer, more delectable, and more fall apart it becomes. If you don't crutch, then your cook will take hours longer, maybe 16 to 20 hours, but then you don't need to do the Cambro hold either, nor do you really need to take the finish temp quite as high, it'll probably be done In the mid- 190s.

        Personally I like to wrap in foil but only after the stall, say 180 or so, then there's a lot of bark built up but it's not rock hard like jerky, plus that helps retain some juices that I drizzle back into the pulled product for a little extra flavor and delectability.

        I shoot for about 198-208 (I don't really target 203) then I'll simply drop smoker temp down to about 150 as the meat temp approaches 200 and let it go another one to two hours . I don't mess with a cooler and towels when I already have a smoker that's heated up, it just becomes my Cambro.

        There's 20 ways to do a pork butt, and with a few different attempts you'll find your preferred way. Congrats on the new backyard!

        Comment


        • Troutman
          Troutman commented
          Editing a comment
          I may or may not agree with your particular method, but for sure I really like the word "delectability". May we always have a delectable result to out cooks

        #5
        I should add, in Meathead's pulled pork recipe he does not recommend wrapping or crutching, not because it doesn't work or doesn't make a fine product or save you lots of time, but because it can be a hassle for someone who's never done pulled pork before. However, for an opposite perspective, I do recommend folks wrap because it saves a few hours of time, and if you've never done a pork butt before you probably don't know to start at 4 in the morning so saving a few hours time might be helpful! Two different perspectives for the same goal I suppose.

        Comment


          #6
          I'm just an amateur but I say crutch is more about timing while Cambro is a step best not skipped over.
          Last edited by Attjack; August 13, 2019, 11:55 PM.

          Comment


          • Steve R.
            Steve R. commented
            Editing a comment
            Agree. "It's done when it's done" doesn't work for me most of the time. I like to plan my day. And I have found that the quality is indeed better after a long hold, as Huskee said above.

          #7
          Good food for thought. I might try my first one the old-fashioned way. Sounds like I should just start it the night before and let her cook. (Getting up early is decidedly not leisurely.)

          And thanks. I hope to become a food picture in the neighborhood. Haha.

          Comment


          • Attjack
            Attjack commented
            Editing a comment
            You can always go hot and fast starting at a reasonable time in the morning. Then throw it into cambro until it's time to eat.

          #8
          Attjack why? What's different about the cambro at the end versus just cooking longer? Seems like it would soften the bark—which could arguably be a preference.

          Comment


          • Huskee
            Huskee commented
            Editing a comment
            check out Meathead's article on the faux cambro, it serves a useful purpose in that it holds the temp and allows the meat to bask in a warm temp and further soften collagen and fats without continuing to cook it at higher cooking temps, which can lead to drying it out.

          • Attjack
            Attjack commented
            Editing a comment
            My guess is that it's never going to dry out in Cambro and maybe the dissipating heat which must be different than a sustained heat creates a favorable environment.

          • Troutman
            Troutman commented
            Editing a comment
            I agree with the MH assessment, it allows the meat to properly "chill out". If you were in a sauna for 12 hours then got dunked into a cold swimming pool, it might be a tad shocking. I think the meat proteins need to ramp down and stay loose, while the cooking process slowly continues the rendering process. Try it both ways and I think you'll find it beneficial.

          #9
          My pork butts never get crutched, and only get wrapped if the bark is fully developed before it’s done cooking - which rarely happens, for me. Total cook time is about 15 hours at 225-250°F. I keep a water pan in the pit. My butts come out looking like a meteorite yet they’re still juicy. A hold is beneficial. You could do it in a low temp pit or oven - if you can get it low enough.

          Pork butt doesn’t need the rest a brisket does, though my experience suggests a 30-60 min rest does help. When cooking for lunch I’ve done several overnight holds in a 170°F oven (as low as my kitchen oven will go) with great results. Pull from pit around 200°F internal, wrap, and put in the oven overnight - ready for lunch and I got a full nights sleep!

          Comment


            #10
            I only crutch when I am pressed for time. I cook to an internal temp of 200, wrap and put in a faux cambro for for at least. Anything less is a disappointment. The cambro allows me to separate the fat from between the various muscles that make up the Butt.

            Comment


              #11
              I have avoided super long cooks since I started cutting large butts in half. At the local Publix, butts are normally around 4 - 5 lbs and I leave them whole. If I wind up with something around 10 lbs or more, I cut it in half. Not only does it cook faster, it also gives you much more bark.
              Another thing I do is use a foil lined DnG to capture all the juices so I can add them back to the meat once pulled. I do normally skim some of the fat off before adding to the pulled meat.
              Almost forgot - I don't wrap.

              Comment


                #12
                I follow no rhyme nor reason on wrapping 30% of time no 70% yes.
                My eldest son insists on wrapping says its not as dry.
                Getting a diffuser with a water bowl has helped with moisture content in butts I've smoked too.
                This is one of those questions where there is no right answer so let the continue.

                Comment


                  #13
                  I smoke the butt until I get a satisfactory bark and then drop it into a pan and let it ride uncovered from there. This way I collect some of the juices and it is already in a pan making it easier to move to the counter when done. If I need to wait awhile before serving I cover the pan and throw a few towels around it, still on the counter. If service is going to be soon I just let it cool for awhile and then pull right in the cooking pan.

                  Comment


                    #14
                    Ahh the debate rages on.

                    "To crutch or not to crutch, that is the question.
                    Whether it is nobler to suffer the pulling and wrapping avoiding outrageous time constraints,
                    Or to cambro in the end against a sea of troubles, by forcing a tender result.
                    To die, to sleep (instead of waiting on that pesky butt) and by sleep we wait for the end.
                    Tis the consummation of that delectable butt that's devoutly to be wished,
                    To die, to sleep, perchance to dream of that fatty goodness on our
                    palettes,
                    As for the rub, be sure to make it savory, for in the end your guests are left with only their dreams,
                    Of your next triumphant cook, as we soon will shuffle off this mortal coil,
                    So to crutch or not to crutch, that...is the question."


                    Comment


                    • pkadare
                      pkadare commented
                      Editing a comment
                      Awesome! Our very own bard, though I think the above was actually written by Bacon. :-)

                    #15
                    personally, I crutch once bark is set usually 180°-190°. I Cambria for 4 hours. Crutch not only saves juices to mix back into the pulled pork, speeds up the cook; but I also GE a much more tender product. I have compared crutched side by side wit in crutches and everything else the same. Crutched pulls better, is much more moist, and taste better in me and my families opinion. The hold helps even more in the same areas. I never skip a hold unless disaster strikes. I either Cambria, or hold in the warming drawer of my oven set to 140°. Just how I do it, regardless of the size of the cook.

                    Comment

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