I don't want pulled pork. I want a pork roast. Where I would slice it into 1/2 slices.
would a pork Butt be good for this? What temp should I remove it from the smoker? 145°?
Joetee - 145°F is good for pork loin, but there shoulder muscles (butt, picnic) have a lot connective tissue and so are tougher/chewier. O would think 145°would produce a tougher slice. Like Jerod Broussard said, 185° should producer s nice sliced today is more tender. Since the butt has more fat, and the darker meat, than the loin, it can cook to a higher IT and stay juicy which loin cannot.
Yep, pork butt is a good choice. It's a forgiving cut and is usually inexpensive. You'll want to cook it to roughly 185-190 F to get a sliceable, yet tender roast. If you stop at 145 F, the collagen won't be melted down, and the meat won't be tender.
Pork loin or pork tenderloin are other options, but they're not as forgiving as butt. You will want to cook these cuts to no more than 145 F, or they will be dry and flavorless. I shoot for a little cooler than that, but that's purely my preference -- not necessarily everyone's ideal.
The way I learned it -- A picnic cut is the lower part of the shoulder going into the foreleg, just as the shank portion of a ham is the lower part of the hindquarter going into the hind leg. Whether it has skin or not is up to the butcher. Mostly in Iowa you find most pork cuts, including the picnic, without skin. Maybe that's a regional thing?
IowaGirl--Your description of Picnic is what I was talking about. And the skin on thing must be regional, but we have always purchased from super markets. My family has been eating skin-on Picnic Pork Roast out here (greater Los Angeles metro area) for over 40 years When we were kids it was cheaper to cook a giant Picnic than it was to buy chickens enough to feed us all -- five kids in our family! Any way, everyone in my family likes pork roast and we all fight over the crispy skin.
I also have to mention that I have had my husband bone out a Picnic Pork roast (skin on) and have grilled it via indirect heat, with a pan to catch drippings. Meat was fantastic, but the smokey gravy I made with the drippings are what I ALWAYS want on mashed taters.
Hi JoeTee. I posted this last week on the Introduce Yourself site, it’s on page 2 right now. It’s titled Panhead’s Pork Loin, and it’s wrapped in bacon. If you’re interested one day. It turned out to be the best pork loin that I ever did.
Attached Files
Last edited by Panhead John; August 11, 2020, 03:51 PM.
Weber S-335 gas grill
Weber 26†kettle
Weber 22†kettle
Camp Chef XL Smoke Vault
Camp Chef 3 Burner cook top
Camp Chef Woodwind 36 Pellet grill with sidekick burner
PBC
Accessories:
SnS XL
SnS standard
Vortex
Weber Rotisserie for 22†Kettle
1st gen FireBoard
2nd gen FireBoard
Griddle for Camp Chef cooktop
Several Thermoworks items
Set of Grill Grates
We do boneless pork shoulder often. You can cook it whole or slice it into steaks then cook either way works, the latter is faster though. I’ve tried internal temps from 165 up to 185F but it seems for us that the 175-180 area is the sweet spot. If you cook it whole, once it’s finished cut the money muscle out and slice it separate into medallions....yum!
I find Pork Tenderloin Roasts are easy to smoke. Use a mustard slather, your favorite rub, hickory and/or apple wood, and set at 225 degrees. I baste with apple juice every 30 minutes. Flip after 2 hours and again in an hour. I then glaze with whatever flavor of sauce that I want that day (sweet or hot) and take it to165 IT. Takes it 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on the size. Slices like butter and is usually very moist and tasty.
IowaGirl - Of course you can do as you like for you and your family, but 125-130°F doesn't get you to the safe zone for pork. It needs to be 140-145°F, I believe.
If you look at the USDA recommendations, yes, 145 F is the recommended minimum "safe" temp. But the Amazing Ribs temp recommendations chart and other reputable sources suggest lower temps are also safe. From Chicago Tribune, May 24, 2011: "...Good quality pork can and should be handled like beef. I prefer 130 to 140 (degrees) for loin cuts of pork...." Coming from a pork producing family (4+ generations), I know how hogs are raised and have no problem cooking modern pork to lower temps like beef
Ok I'm gonna try smoking at 300° until IT is 180°. I'll see how this does.
A friend told me today he does his pulled pork at 325- 350 and has good results and doesn't wrap it. So thanks again.
Ok just to let you all know.
I was trying to smoke around 300°. It was from 280 to 310°. The two butts totaled about 20 to 21 pounds.
Smoked for 8 1/2 hours. Removed them from smoker in the 197° IT range. I didn't bother taking one off early because everywhere I took a temp reading was different.
Now... They were much better than what I smoked before. They usually come out greasy for my taste. These were not greasy at all. I still pulled the smaller one and served chunks of the other.
I usually smoke at a lower temp. Good crust. Juicy without being greasy. I don't think there was much of a stall. I did foil wrap for the last 1 - 1 1/2 hours and then put in the cooler for about 2 - 3 hours until dinner time.
The graph isn't the whole cook but just to show you.
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt 40.2" 1200W Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:​​​​​​
Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
Fireboard 1st Generation
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
2 Maverick 733
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Back up there! Where are the pictures of the pork? No pics, it didn't happen. Pics of a thermometer graph just don't cut it, Joetee !
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