Pulled Pork Test #87 AKA Foil Vs. Butcher Paper This Weekend

[boftx]

There are a number of things to address here.

First, I'm gonna call BS on Huskee liking small butts. If his picture is any indication his butt is anything but small.

Now, joking aside, I always put my butts in a pan covered with foil so I can trap the drippings to use later for a sauce or to mix back into the meat while pulling. Lately I have been adding some rub to the drippings plus some extra when doing that to get more flavor into the meat despite having less surface area for bark. (I prefer cooking bigger cuts, it is my opinion that they turn out more tender.)

I don't wrap or crutch so much as I braise for the run from 170 to 205 or so.

Based on what you said further down I might try using butcher paper in a pan and see what happens. I can see how paper might "breathe" more than foil.

As for powering through the stall, I have no problem with that at all. In my opinion, the real magic happens when you are running up from 170 to the final temp, that's when the fat starts rendering and the meat is getting tender. I like to keep the temp low for that stage, but I don't mind running hotter before it gets to that point.

I don't wrap to shorten the stall, I cover to trap moisture and drippings. This means that I am usually already through the stall at that point.

PS - I never inject a pork butt, if one were that dry at the end then I did something terribly wrong to start out with. A pork butt has got to be the most forgiving cut of meat there is. Hell, even I can cook one.

[Jerod Broussard]

definitely better mooching.....my roll will be here in 10 years

[Huskee]

This website appears to confirm my wonderments. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-butcher-paper.htm

I think I shall be mooching off my pals for some kraft paper.

[Huskee]

Jerod Broussard Thanks. I wonder if it's actually the same as kraft paper, which it is described as in the description. My old work contacts use rolls upon rolls of kraft paper for covering floors when texturing drywall & painting. I could probably get all I want for free or cheap, they order pallets of the rolls. Hmmm...

[Jerod Broussard]

@Huskee

this is it

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/8217433969703152676?q=pink+butcher+paper&oq=pink+butcher+paper&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.3911j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ei=8waTVZX1FMPToAS8yqGQCQ&ved=0CKABELkk

[Huskee]

Jerod Broussard did you order it online, if so what exactly did you order for butcher paper?

[Huskee]

Breadhead I'm the advocate of small butts. I like to encourage folks to cut them into 3lb hunks instead of doing the mammoth whole shoulders at 7-10lbs. I like small butts and I cannot lie. Pit Boss' temp spike, even once wrapped (if you wrap) is definitely a good plan of action too which I use every time.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for doing this test, _John_ . I look forward to next weekend's rematch for foil vs. paper.

Kathryn

[_John_]

Yeah it seems to be a good middle ground, lot's of tasty bark, still plenty of moisture.

[CandySueQ]

Good Test and great report! I did a butcher paper test on brisket at a competition 3 weeks ago. Brisket needed about 2 more hours, which jives with your report. Debating whether to start brisket early at the Blues Hog BBQ contest in Jackson, TN this coming weekend. I sure did like the taste of the bark. I know now to start it earlier!

[_John_]

I think I'm doing another pair this weekend, so I will allow myself the appropriate amount of time.

[smarkley]

Whew... thanks John. That is an awesome test!!! And after watching that Frankin Vid, I thought it was gonna be worth it to try.

It will help us all I am sure... I think I will try it soon.

Thanks!!! 👍

[_John_]

TL;DR at the bottom.
So, as has been the case this year, things went a little wonky. Wife and kids wanted breakfast somewhere Sunday and by the time I got back there was 7.5 hours until people arrived, which was ok but a little tight, lighting a fire and hanging the meat gave me 7 hours of cook and rest time.
Everything as usual to the wrap, then as is always the case when wrapping, the wind blows my paper and foil everywhere, but I get it wrapped and back on. I neglected to pick up tape, so I rolled the butt over again on some more paper which gave it 3 layers total. I pulled 1, then the other rebar to get more airflow and keep the temps up.
Meat is on the grate but the temp doesn't seem to be moving quite as fast, I think this may have been due to the paper that ended up blocking airflow on half the grill since I couldn't tape down the ends. I knew the foil would be first, so that is the one I left the probe in, and it hit 200 right at 6.5 hours of cook time allowing me a 30 minute rest. 200 was the lowest temp, the money muscle area was 206.
When I pulled the foil butt the butcher butt was 181, and the temps were dropping in the pit. A windy day combined with having to pull both rebar for a couple of hours meant I burnt through my coals too fast. I fired up another chimney of coals, dumped them in the Weber kettle and finished it there. Cook time for the butcher wrap was 9 hours, 2+ hours longer than the foil, just 1 hour shy of unwrapped.
Since I pulled the foil butt and rested 30 minutes, I decided to do the same for the butcher paper butt even though most of my testers were gone. The foil butt had a good 8 oz of goodness in the foil (I did not inject, nor did I add liquid when wrapping), the butcher paper had about an ounce. We all agreed on the results which was that the butcher butt was more tender and juicy especially around the money muscle, but a little dry on the top. I think some more rest time would even it all out. One thing that stood out in particular was the flavor, the rub was much more present on the butcher butt, it almost tasted like I sprinkled another layer on just before eating, the foil butt after that tasted like the rub had been washed off, which it like had, steaming into that 8 oz.

TL;DR and results
The foil butt tasted like they normally do, this one was one of the better ones, but the butcher wrapped tasted quite a bit better.
Butcher butt took longer than I thought, 9 hours vs 6.5 for the foiled butt.
Butcher more tender near money muscle, a little drier on top.
Butcher had much more pronounced rub flavor, this seemed to help every piece since it was pulled together.
With an imperfect test, and 996 feet of butcher paper, I need to do another one given my time learnings and give it a proper chance to cook and rest before everyone goes home. So it's butcher paper with a win but an asterisk.

[Jerod Broussard]

Hilarious, I got the brown stuff they call pink.

[_John_]

Jerod Broussard Mine is white and we often have 5-10 kids over when we BBQ, I said just roll it out and cover a table and BAM! coloring surface for 10 kids plus it is a built in tablecloth.