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Pulled Pork is the Most Boring BBQ.

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    Pulled Pork is the Most Boring BBQ.

    So, I've had good pulled pork. Hell, I've made good pulled pork. But my recent experiment with char siu pork butt crystalized something for me. Pulled pork is... boring.

    Let me explain. What to we all do when we finish smoking a nice hunk of pork butt? We shred it. We don't slice it, we shred it and mix it together. We ohh and ahh over great bark and snack on it. Why? Because that's where the flavor is. But the vast majority of the butt is the interior... which doesn't get any of the flavor of the rub or smoke. It's basically just slow roasted pork.

    Further evidence? Blasphemy Ribs. What's their advantage? More of the meat is exposed to rub, smoke and sauce. Beef ribs... same. Burnt ends... oh hell yes. Even regular brisket - it's thin enough that a higher percentage of the meat is exposed to smoke and rub. or just cook ribs. Mmm... ribs...

    So, my thinking going forward is to skip the Big Hunk O'Pork and slice that puppy into chunks no thicker than about 2 inches. Maximize the flavor. And get a pigsket, once Porter Road restocks....
    Last edited by rickgregory; July 11, 2020, 02:39 PM.

    #2
    For a single pork butt, nice, for 8-10 pork butts, not so much. I score the fat caps and remove that huge intermuscular membrane that doesn't render down.

    I don't like the faux bark with pre-sliced ribs, I can get much better really deep dark bark with a full rack of ribs.

    Char Sui is awesome for sure, haven't made it in years. Not sure if it's the prep, yeah, probably the prep.

    I LOVE those pig sticks you speak of at the Chinese buffet.

    Comment


    #3
    Try grilling a pork steak. Have the butcher cut a pork butt into 2" think slices, grill indirectly until done, sear if you wish. First had this at Snow's BBQ. Made it using TexJoy steak seasoning and it tasted pretty much the same as Snow's. I grilled mine on the kamado with a low steady fire (fire was 12" below the steaks) for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

    Comment


    • rickgregory
      rickgregory commented
      Editing a comment
      that's kind of where I'm headed. Thinner cuts (not THIN, thinner). But the big assed (intended!) pork butts are mostly just roasted pork

    #4
    I don’t do whole butts anymore. Takes too long, boring as you say, and too many leftovers.

    Now I do pork steaks as noted above. I use my pellet grill first on max smoke (180*) for about an hour for flavor and then crank it up to around 325 to finish until tender and done. Sauced right at the end. Yummy. I also like a small Bacon wrapped loin roast done in a similar fashion. And of course ribs. Lots of ribs. 😋

    Comment


      #5
      You have described Blasphemy Pulled Pork. Posted here a while ago and the recipe is on the Https://www.blasphemyribs.com website.

      Comment


      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeah, I absolutely should have credited you. I just posted this because I realized that of all the ways to cook a big pork butt, the traditional method is the least interesting. Your technique is tastier.

      • mgaretz
        mgaretz commented
        Editing a comment
        I do normal char siu this way too.

      #6
      Something I might not have stated clearly... pulled pork is good *because* we mix in the outer, barked meat with the slow roasted inner meat. It can be good... but it's... boring.

      Comment


      • LA Pork Butt
        LA Pork Butt commented
        Editing a comment
        I think you mean to say it is boring to you. Surely, you don’t mean to say it is boring to everyone else in the pit, too.

      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        Are you saying we can have different opinions? Well I never...

        OF COURSE this is my opinion.

        FWIW, I deliberately posted the title as I did just to start some discussion.
        Last edited by rickgregory; July 12, 2020, 11:39 AM.

      #7
      I happen to like the taste of well cook, quality boring pork. I’m not a huge bark fan as I’ve said before. Some bark is good. A heavy bark I don’t make.

      I certainty can eat it for sure. I just don’t intentionally "make" a heavy bark.

      this is why country ribs exist, right? Haven’t read the link above for Blasphemy.

      I feel you though. Char su.... any day man, any day.

      sweet and sour... meh.. unless it’s real good.

      Honestly though a light to mid bark with a light to mid smoke on a butt...... all day. Of course I bleed ranch and Cholula.

      Comment


      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        but then why bother with smoke? I'm actually with you on the 'good pork roasted can be tasty' but then I can just roast it in an oven, season it etc.

        I think I should have titled this "pulled pork is the most boring BBQ" to narrow the comparisons.

      • HouseHomey
        HouseHomey commented
        Editing a comment
        Because we mix the pork as you said. I like that. Also most ovens I know of here won’t hold 225 or 250 without wild cycling.

        Smoke is delicious I just don’t prefer a lot on my pork. Not a big fan of garlic in my pork either. That depends though. Also there is an inherent smoke flavor when cooking with wood.

      • rickgregory
        rickgregory commented
        Editing a comment
        "Not a big fan of garlic in my pork either"

        /gasp.

      #8
      I get what your saying, we do a lot of pulled pork up here because pork is the most affordable meat, but like you say I can get boring.
      I usually smoke a pork shoulder or butt with a round roast for variety.
      @mgartz recipe looks interesting, something I will look into next cook.

      Comment


        #9
        This is exactly what I have been doing lately ( kind of). Since pork butts are hard to come by right now and more expensive than usual I buy the whole pig take the front shoulder and ham and cut into two inch roasts then grill that way.. I keep the pork chops and bacon for me of course. Once it is done I chop it all together and season for pulled pork. I am doing this for grad parties so I need about a 150 pounds

        Comment


        • HouseHomey
          HouseHomey commented
          Editing a comment
          That sounds great!!!

        #10
        I've grown a little bored with the typical 8+ hour smoked butt thing, but still had a couple of butts in the freezer from the last big $.99/lb sale. Sure enough an old friend of mine from high school happened to send me a video of a buddy of his (Boonjug's Hillbilly BBQ) carving up a butt for different things - perfect! After

        Comment


          #11
          Pork steaks cut from pork shoulders, picnics and hams have been around a long time gentlemen. Nothing new about it. I've done a couple of posts on it (too lazy to go look), but I like to cut them about 1-1/2 inches thick and treat them like rib meat, low and slow until they get up to stall temp. Wrap them in foil with whatever you want until tender. Then give them a good glaze, let them tack up and you have good eats. Call them what you will, but they'll always just be pork steaks to me.

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          • Mr. Bones
            Mr. Bones commented
            Editing a comment
            If I were to utilize th words that first come to mine, reckon I'd likely be banned.
            Suffice it to say, them looks Gooder than Shite, Steve!!!
            Whew. dodged that bullet, albeit narrowly...

          • Dadof3Illinois
            Dadof3Illinois commented
            Editing a comment
            Yep, here in southern Illinois we were raised on pork steaks. Cooked about any way you can think of. Cut thin and shallow pan fried or cut thick and smoked or even braised with veggies. It’s been a staple around these parts for generations.

          • HouseHomey
            HouseHomey commented
            Editing a comment
            Mr. Bones Lmao!! More gooder.

          #12
          To add some fun to your pork butt cooks - do the steaks or cut it up into steaks and make some Tacos al Pastor! This will amp up that cooking process for you and give you another way of cooking and a great flavor profile!

          sourcing the adobo sauce ingredients is a fun time and then making the adobo sauce! You will be in for a treat.
          Last edited by barelfly; July 11, 2020, 04:33 PM.

          Comment


            #13
            If'n yer bored, branch out, do summat different/new/novel/untried...
            I seriously am doubtin if it's Pork's fault

            Comment


            • rickgregory
              rickgregory commented
              Editing a comment
              No, it's all the Pork's fault.That and a lack of beer, which I'm about to rectify.

            • Mr. Bones
              Mr. Bones commented
              Editing a comment
              Sláinte, Brother!

            #14
            Pulled pork is only boring to those of us who know how simple it really is to make. To me, there's not a lot of difference between average and great pulled pork. But guests think it's awesome, so I make it.

            Comment


              #15
              I guess I kinda agree, which may explain why I'm currently smoking my first pork butt in two years. A fact which surprised the hell out of me, yet here we are. And honestly, except for ribs and chuck roast and bacon I don't really even smoke that much stuff anymore. Don't get me wrong; I love pulled pork, there's just other stuff I'd rather do with a pork butt these days. On the other hand, pulled pork is still about the easiest way to feed a crowd for a party.

              As far as Char Siu, I don't think shoulder is the right cut. I've tried with country-style shoulder ribs a couple of times and there's just too much fat and "stuff". They're good, but they just ain't right. I've had better luck with country-style loin ribs, and I bet some nice, meaty baby backs would work a treat. There's a Chinese place across the street from work that makes what they call "House Special Spicy Porkchop". They're the country-style loin ribs (I think) marinated in what tastes like a spicy Char Siu marinade, deep fried, glazed in, I think the same marinade, and served with a sweet/spicy chili sauce. Fantastic. In fact, if I go into work next week I think I know what I'm doing for lunch.

              Comment


              • EdF
                EdF commented
                Editing a comment
                I go the other way. For char siu it's gotta be pork belly!

              • mnavarre
                mnavarre commented
                Editing a comment
                Oh, yeah. Belly is great. It just doesn't have all the junk that shoulder does, think that's what makes Char Siu shoulder not work for me.

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