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False Cap on Pork Shoulder - Trim or Leave?

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    False Cap on Pork Shoulder - Trim or Leave?

    So, I'm trimming up this 8½ lb shoulder to smoke tomorrow for pulled pork. It has a "false cap" on the side opposite they fat cap. There's a picture of it below. I don't know whether to trim it off or leave it. What say you fellows pitmasters?

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    #2
    I quit trimming my fat caps. I just score them into little squares and run fat cap up.

    Comment


      #3
      Me? I prefer to trim as much exterior fat as I can on these. There's plenty of fat throughout that piece of meat to keep it moist, and I tend to get better bark this way.

      Comment


        #4
        I HEAVILY trim my pork butts, I even dig down in, hack & slash style, and remove fat bands. There's so much fat in them that any I can remove now is less wads of fat in the finished product.

        Comment


        • mountainsmoker
          mountainsmoker commented
          Editing a comment
          What do you do then tie it up with string?

        • Huskee
          Huskee commented
          Editing a comment
          mountainsmoker Usually I let gravity hold it, I just sorta flop it however on the grate so that it holds together in a single hunk. If it's real bad then I'll tie, but only had to do that a few times. I find I have to tie more when smoking a boneless butt than bone-in that I've hacked up.

        • klflowers
          klflowers commented
          Editing a comment
          +1 on the heavy trim

        #5
        Lookin’ at the pic and how it was trimmed,,,,,I’d rub it and let the heat do it’s thing with that Bad Larry

        Comment


          #6
          Trim it off it it is only thin. For the thin offcut, roll it or platt it, pin it with a wooden skewer. Pit master snack while you are cooking the butt. (Waste nothing)

          Comment


            #7
            Run with it. I like more fat and less bark.

            Comment


              #8
              If I get one with that on it I trim it off, rub it and put it on with the butt. It will be good in about 2+ hours and ready for the grill boss to snack on. I never waste anything that starts with P. As far as trimming I take all of the outside fat off or as much as possible without cutting into the meat to much.

              Comment


              • Bumby
                Bumby commented
                Editing a comment
                Yes!

              #9
              I ended up leaving it attached. But I really appreciate all of the advice. I cut the butt into 2 hunks a la Huskee but did a crap job (out of practice?) and ended up with the boneless hunk at 2.7 lbs and the one with the bone at 4.3. i have them separately probed so I can pull them off when each hits my target temp. Pix later. They went on the Thermotemp XL at 7 a.m. I'll tell you, that thing, so far is doing an awesome job of holding temp within a degree or 2 of where I set the dial.
              ​​​

              Comment


              • Dewesq55
                Dewesq55 commented
                Editing a comment
                jfmorris - First, congratulations on Yvonne getting discharged and able to be at home with you. Now, to answer your question, I use chunks and there is plenty of smoke/smoke flavor. I have occasionally added a few chips as well to jump start the production of smoke, but the last couple of times I went straight chunks with excellent results.

              • jfmorris
                jfmorris commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks! She is doing so much better even now, not even a day after getting home.

                How many chunks and what size chunks will that round smoke pan hold? I've looked at videos, and saw the pan on a bracket on the inside of the door, but was unsure it could handle chunks since it had a lid. The pan must be bigger than it looks on my computer screen, haha.

              • Dewesq55
                Dewesq55 commented
                Editing a comment
                jfmorris - the pan is small-ish, or, rather, shallow, but the lid is just attached by a tab that fits in a slot in the pan. It is easy to remove, or, you can leave it attached and just drop it onto the chunks and it doesn't matter if it's propped open by them, which is what I usually do. It will hold several decent sized chunks, if you want. Today, I just put in one at a time every 45 to an hour. The bracket is sturdy.
                Last edited by Dewesq55; June 12, 2020, 02:03 PM.

              #10
              I trim, as i usually follow meathead on most things, but i feel weird doing it!

              Comment


                #11
                Trim it and make the meat part as a snack for the cook

                Comment


                  #12
                  I don't trim pork shoulders at all unless there is some kind of hangeyoffeythinggy on it. Then it goes in with the rib trimmings to mix with brisket trim and fat for sausage.

                  Comment


                    #13
                    I personally remove the fat cap and I would remove that one in your pic too (just what I do). To me, it doesn’t render all that well, it doesn’t do very much except prevent rub getting on the meat. Plus, like others have already mentioned, there’s plenty of fat running throughout the meat to keep it moist.

                    Comment


                      #14
                      I trim as much as I can, I’ll even dig behind the money muscle and take a lot of that fat line out. I usually wrap and this helps give me slightly better bark because I don’t end up with as much liquid in wrap. I don’t think there’s a wrong or right way, it’s just how you want to do it.

                      Comment

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