Flavorless Pulled Pork

Did you taste the smoke? If not, that is caused by being around a smoker, inhaling the smoke. Also try and add a finishing sauce after the pork is pulled.
It looks good and if the folks eating it say it was good, then it was good. But try to stay away from the smoke and try a finishing sauce.
Also....maybe due the butt a day earlier, then reheat with a finishing sauce.

I go Nose Blind after a long smoke or even making Thanksgiving Turkey in the oven. I started doing long cooks the day ahead so l can taste it and enjoy the flavor more, the following day. Try one of these Finishing Sauces...JJ

Foiling Juice / Sweet Pulled Pork Finishing Sauce

Foiling Juice

For each Rack of Ribs Combine:

1T Pork Rub, yours
1/2 Stick Butter
1/2C Cane Syrup... Dark Corn Syrup...or Honey
1/4C Apple Cider...or Juice
1T Molasses

Optional: 2T Apple Cider Vinegar (recommended) Add:yahoo: 2T Mustard and 1/4C Ketchup to make it more of a KC Glaze.

Simmer until a syrupy consistency.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, pour over foiled Ribs andp
run your 2 hour phase of 3-2-1. For the last phase return
the ribs to the smoker BUT reserve any Juice remaining
in the Foil. Simmer the Juice over med/low heat to reduce to a saucy thickness. Glaze the Ribs for presentation or service.

For a Sweet Finishing Sauce for Pulled Pork: Make a Double batch, skip the Butter.

If you plan to Foil the meat, add 1/2 the batch to the Foil Pack or place it in a Pan with your Butt, when the IT hits 165*F.
Cover the pan with foil and continue to heat to 205*F for pulling.
At 205* rest or hold the Butt in a cooler wrapped in towels until ready to serve.
Pull the Pork and place it back in the pan with the pan Juices and any additional reserved Foiling Juice to moisten, the meat should be shiny and juicy but not swimming in sauce. Serve while hot...OR... Bag and refrigerate until needed.
If you choose to Not Foil or Pan the Butt. Add the Finishing Sauce to the pulled meat before serving. Add the hot Finishing Sauce a little at a time until the Pork is moistened, again the meat should be shiny but not swimming in sauce.
When re-heating place the Pulled Pork in a Pan or Crock pot and add reserved Foiling Juice or Apple Cider, as needed to make up the Juice that was absorbed while the pork was refrigerated. Cover and re-heat in a pre-heated 325-350*F oven or on High in the crock pot to 165*F and Serve.
Makes 1Cup.

I was AMAZED...No additional sauce needed. ENJOY...JJ

Tangy Pulled Pork Finishing Sauce

This is more of an Eastern North Carolina style Finishing Sauce...

2 C Apple Cider Vinegar
2T Worcestershire Sauce or more to taste
1/4C Brown Sugar
1T Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Granulated Garlic
2 tsp Granulated Onion
2 tsp Fine Grind Black Pepper
1 tsp Celery Salt
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper or Red Pepper Flake. Add more if you like Heat.
1/2 tsp Grnd Allspice

Combine all and whisk well. This is a thin sauce, bring just to a simmer and remove from heat. Adjust sweetness by adding Brn Sugar or additional Vinegar as desired...Makes about 2 Cups.

For a Lexington Style Dip add, 1/2C Ketchup and 1-3tsp Red Pepper Flakes...JJ

Nose blindness is definitely a factor, but I can remember tasting pulled pork I made that seemed to have zero flavor.  Injecting a brine helped a lot.  Now I've got lazy and buy "enhanced" pork butts that are pre-brined.  Hormel sells them with up to a 12% solution of injection. 

Definitely a finishing sauce too.  Chef JJ's Eastern NC Style above is ALWAYS in my fridge.  My kids also demanded his recipe.  

Use a finishing sauce......I use SoFlaQuers sauce (you can find it on here) and it is a welcome and tasty addition,  but I'd also suggest skipping those pre-brined cuts of meat......that may have something to do with it.  I always pay more for better cuts and the results are night and day.

Yep what they said. I find pulled pork ALWAYS tastes better the 2nd day--after I've been away from the smoke.

I use SoFlaQuers finishing sauce without the pepper flakes but just add it at the table since Miss Linda prefers it unsauced.

Gary

I inject mine with rub ground real fine, cherry Doctor Pepper and Southern Comfort or Creol butter and fine ground rub. I smoke with a compition blend of pellets for 6 to 8 hours to the internal temp of 160 to 180 with a drip pan beneath the meat to catch the drippings. Then I put The drippings from the drip pan, apple juice brown sugar and rub in an aluminum disposable pan, probe the meat, cover it with foil and cook to 205 degrees. I then wrap the meat in stretch wrap and heavy foil and put it in the bottom of a cooler and pack it with towels then let it set for a few hours sometimes over night and it's still hot the next day.
I dump the pan juices in a jar and put it in the refrigerator until the fat solidifys, then I scope the fat off, heat up the juices and dump them in the pulled pork after I remove it from the cooler and pull it. I guarantee smokieness, great flavor and juiciness.

Randy,