So, smokeusome...you dont rest in towels and cooler? Just pull?
How about you steve? Did you rest or foil you picnic or butt?
Here we go...as promised:
Just off the grill (IT read 190, but 193 with my handheld):
(can't help but think that this looks too black...but I'm no expert...)
Here's a cross-section of the end myself and the wife "tested" (cut off upper left corner of picture above)
I peeled the bark off the piece above to show thickness...
(not joking it was like "1/4 thick)
and here's the "mini-pull" of the sample chunk:
So overall the taste was fairly good...heavy smoky flavor and the bark was pretty good also. Meat was much more dry than I expected, but I think it was because it was the edge piece. I anticipate more juicy and tender meat from the center portion. In all honesty though, can't say that the sample piece was worth the wait...
Will be back with one final post after the rest of it "rests" and is pulled...
Feel free to comment honestly! I'm a bog boy, I can take it!
This was labelled "boneless pork shoulder" and was about 11.5 lbs (all one chunk, not two separate cryo-vac-ed chunks). I just cut it into one slightly larger piece and one slightly smaller piece with the intention of having the one I did first be the test, since I had never done one before.I wonder - did you cut the one of two boneless butts in typically in a Costco "butt bag" in half? It almost looks like its the lighter meat off the butt which does seem to get drier than the darker meat. When we pull we immediately start putting it in big zip lock baggies, but we have found it best to blend the meat so we don't end up with a bag full of lighter, drier meat. A good vinegar-based finishing type sauce tossed in with your cooled PP should combat any dryness you are battling without making it mushy ;)
Don't think I lost all the juice when cut the sample piece since I had it in a foil pan to catch them if the drained out. Literally all the juice I got was some globs/dabs of oily/greasy looking drops on the bottom of the foil pan. Not sure where all the juice went, but it wasn't in the meat apparently.When you cut the "sample" piece .. did all your juices drain out. It really needs to rest to redistribute the juices after any cook.. Could you have cut in, then all the juices from the pulled area flow out. at 190.... is should still be juicy. and really have some "pull" to the pull itself (If that makes since) but it looks as though it pulled apart with ease. I finishing sauce is always a good idea, right before you serve it after its pulled.
A very popular finishing sauce.. search ---- SoFlaQuer's Finishing Sauce (For Pulled Pork) ---
GIve that a try.. it will bring it back to life ...