Pulled Pork Question/Advice

nojas76 · May 1, 2017

Hello All - wondering if I should be adding back in and of the rendered fat I collect when smoking a pork shoulder. Right now I collect the fat and dripping, separate the fat from the dripping, discard the fat add back the drippings.

Does anyone on here add back a little fat, and if so at what ratio?

Thank you.

kbuckeye · May 1, 2017

Typically it's separated and the juice added back to the meat. I haven't nor have I seen anyone mention adding back any fat.

chef jimmyj · May 1, 2017

Really your choice. I don't trim butts. They go in the pan, get smoked, pulled and mixed with some finishing sauce, all in the same pan. Rendered fat, meat juice and anything l add, all gets mixed together. Now NO, l don't invite my Cardiologist to dinner but then we only have pulled pork every other month or so. l don't sweat the fat. Enjoy the fat flavor just not too often and eat a salad tomorrow...JJ

shyzabrau · May 1, 2017

I add back any fat that I collect. So much flavor...

myownidaho · May 1, 2017

I wrap my butts in foil when they're done for the rest. All juices go into the pan for pulling.

nojas76 · May 2, 2017

Good advice everyone - thank you.

sxfxz · May 2, 2017

I wrap in foil after about 4 hours and then cook until super tender and then let it rest for at least an hour in the foil. Once rested I take it out of the juice (in pieces because it no longer stays together.) and pull it in a separate vessel. I once pulled it in the juice and people complained it was way too fatty. Now they just say it's super juicy. lol

http://s10.photobucket.com/user/SxFxZ/media/2E32F988-80AE-4463-9A77-9F2C7230B12A.jpg.html

sauced · May 3, 2017

Chef JimmyJ said:
Really your choice. I don't trim butts. They go in the pan, get smoked, pulled and mixed with some finishing sauce, all in the same pan. Rendered fat, meat juice and anything l add, all gets mixed together. Now NO, l don't invite my Cardiologist to dinner but then we only have pulled pork every other month or so. l don't sweat the fat. Enjoy the fat flavor just not too often and eat a salad tomorrow...JJ

Same here....lol

noboundaries · May 3, 2017

I score the fat cap, then smoke it fat cap down, no wrapping. I like the bark better that way.

I always smoke over a pan to catch all the rendered fat. I don't add the fat back to the meat though, but it makes the most incredible biscuit gravy.

hawkce541 · May 3, 2017

OH HELL! I never even thought of that. Oh son, pulled pork for dinner, biscuits and gravy for breakfast!

smokesontuesday · May 3, 2017

I pull mine and add the rendered juice back in. Any fat that is still unrendered I keep for flavoring beans or whatever else.

I don't like fatty bites in a pulled pork sandwich though. There is plenty of rendered fat in the meat itself when I'm done so I don't need the fatty bits for flavor.

shyzabrau · May 3, 2017

SmokesOnTuesday said:
I pull mine and add the rendered juice back in. Any fat that is still unrendered I keep for flavoring beans or whatever else.

I don't like fatty bites in a pulled pork sandwich though. There is plenty of rendered fat in the meat itself when I'm done so I don't need the fatty bits for flavor.

I usually pull out any larger chunks of unrendered fat (although, I confess to eating more than a few of them!). I always score the fat deeply, in a diamond pattern, so any pieces of unrendered fat are pretty small anyway...

ab canuck · May 3, 2017

Glad i read this. I am doing a couple pork shoulders friday for the weekend. The wife hates the fat mixed when we pull it. So i figured to catch the drippings and separate the juice off. Maybe I'll do 1 each way. And score.

smokesontuesday · May 3, 2017

Shyzabrau said:
I usually pull out any larger chunks of unrendered fat (although, I confess to eating more than a few of them!). I always score the fat deeply, in a diamond pattern, so any pieces of unrendered fat are pretty small anyway...

Don't think I've ever removed more than 5 or 6 ounces of fat from a pork butt. It's not like there's a ton of it left after cooking 8+ hours.

shyzabrau · May 3, 2017

SmokesOnTuesday said:
Don't think I've ever removed more than 5 or 6 ounces of fat from a pork butt. It's not like there's a ton of it left after cooking 8+ hours.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

chef jimmyj · May 3, 2017

The butts l get, the interior fat renders, none visible. The cap fat is brown, crisp and covered in a tasty rub. Folks FIGHT to get a piece! Some time ago l drained the pan juices. There was only a couple Tablespoons of liquid fat. It was more trouble to skim it off than the impact it had on the overall fattiness of the pulled pork. I stopped removing it and nobody notices. I will guarantee BBQ restaurants are not removing fat from pulled pork , as they make no money on anything that goes in the garbage...JJ

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