All,
Tomorrow I'm going to smoke an 11lb picnic shoulder on my WSM. It will be my first pulled pork. I've researched it quite a bit. I plan to follow the awesome instructions provided in a recent post below. I believe it was by bearcarver.
My concerns are:
1. I just have regular kingsford not the long lasting stuff. I assume I'll have to add charcoal at some point. Should I go by the longer burning variety...I think it is called kingsford blue?
2. Since mine is a WSM using charcoal, I know I can't control the temperature as exact as noted above. I'm not particularly worried about it, but will see how it goes.
3. I plan to put water in the water pan. It is still wrapped in foil from my last smoke. Do people still wrap it in foil when using water?
4. My hope is to serve the pulled pork on the 4Th. I assume it will store fine in some aluminum pans for a day and then reheat in a crockpot or oven? Which is better?
I plan to use apple and hickory chips. By the way, I sent my wife to the store and said get a Boston Butt and specifically said I don't want a picnic or shoulder...God I love the women, but sometimes....
I will adjust for time for mine being 11lbs. I'm assuming somewhere between 1-1.5 hours per pound. So 11 - 16.5 hours. I'll start early.
Boston Butt (Pulled Pork Step by Step)
There are many ways to Smoke Pulled Pork, But.............
Here is how I Smoked this Boston Butt for Pulled Pork, on my MES 40, with AMNPS filled with Hickory Pellets.
So, If you never smoked a Butt before, this might help you with your first one.
Day #1 (Prepping)
Take one 7 pound Boston Butt, and rinse, pat dry, score the fat cap, apply yellow mustard, and cover with a good rub.
Then cover with plastic wrap, and put in fridge. I like to put it in overnight so the meat can absorb the flavor of the rub.
Day #2 (Smoking Day)
6:30AM------------Preheat Smoker to 220˚.
6:45AM------------Put more rub on Butt (optional), and place it on 2nd shelf grill, and foil pan on 3rd shelf grill.
7:00AM------------Fill my AMNPS with Hickory pellets, and light one end.
11:00AM-----------Insert Sterile Meat probe in center of Butt---Internal Temp measures---124˚.
Note: This is why I never probe uncured whole meat until it's been in the smoker for a few hours, unless I'm positive it will get to 135˚ in time. This one's been in over 4 hours at 220˚ smoker temp, and still in the Danger Zone (under 135˚).
Resume------
12:00Noon--------137˚ Internal Temp. Meat has been in smoker for 5 hours and 15 minutes, and just got out of Danger zone (41˚ to 135˚ in 4 hours).
Since I did not break the seal by probing the Butt, or injecting the Butt, it was OK to go longer than 4 hours in the Danger Zone.
If I know for sure how long it will take to get my meat from 41˚ to 135˚, by using the temperature I'm setting it for, it would be safe to probe or inject the meat.
However, I usually play around with trying different temps. This time I started it at only 220˚, to try to get more smoke time, but since I didn't probe or inject, it didn't hurt anything to be in the Danger Zone for more than 4 hours.
12:00Noon--------Bump heat up to 240˚.
3:00PM------------165˚ Internal Temp. Put Butt in foil pan, add 6 ounces of Apple Juice, and cover & seal with Double Foil.
3:00PM------------Also bump heat up to 260˚, and remove AMNPS (1/2 row was left unburned---Separate & save unburned pellets).
5:30PM------------Internal Temp is 203˚------Cut heat back to 100˚, instead of putting in cooler.
6:00PM------------Pull at 208˚ Internal Temp. (Coasted 5˚)
6:00PM------------Uncover just long enough to bust off a big enough hunk to pull for our Supper, and cover back up again.
Eat Supper while the rest of the Butt sits covered in foil.
Pull the rest of the Butt after Supper.
Rubbed and in the fidge. I didn't plastic wrap it, just used the container we have for marinating.
Tomorrow I'm going to smoke an 11lb picnic shoulder on my WSM. It will be my first pulled pork. I've researched it quite a bit. I plan to follow the awesome instructions provided in a recent post below. I believe it was by bearcarver.
My concerns are:
1. I just have regular kingsford not the long lasting stuff. I assume I'll have to add charcoal at some point. Should I go by the longer burning variety...I think it is called kingsford blue?
2. Since mine is a WSM using charcoal, I know I can't control the temperature as exact as noted above. I'm not particularly worried about it, but will see how it goes.
3. I plan to put water in the water pan. It is still wrapped in foil from my last smoke. Do people still wrap it in foil when using water?
4. My hope is to serve the pulled pork on the 4Th. I assume it will store fine in some aluminum pans for a day and then reheat in a crockpot or oven? Which is better?
I plan to use apple and hickory chips. By the way, I sent my wife to the store and said get a Boston Butt and specifically said I don't want a picnic or shoulder...God I love the women, but sometimes....
I will adjust for time for mine being 11lbs. I'm assuming somewhere between 1-1.5 hours per pound. So 11 - 16.5 hours. I'll start early.
Boston Butt (Pulled Pork Step by Step)
There are many ways to Smoke Pulled Pork, But.............
Here is how I Smoked this Boston Butt for Pulled Pork, on my MES 40, with AMNPS filled with Hickory Pellets.
So, If you never smoked a Butt before, this might help you with your first one.
Day #1 (Prepping)
Take one 7 pound Boston Butt, and rinse, pat dry, score the fat cap, apply yellow mustard, and cover with a good rub.
Then cover with plastic wrap, and put in fridge. I like to put it in overnight so the meat can absorb the flavor of the rub.
Day #2 (Smoking Day)
6:30AM------------Preheat Smoker to 220˚.
6:45AM------------Put more rub on Butt (optional), and place it on 2nd shelf grill, and foil pan on 3rd shelf grill.
7:00AM------------Fill my AMNPS with Hickory pellets, and light one end.
11:00AM-----------Insert Sterile Meat probe in center of Butt---Internal Temp measures---124˚.
Note: This is why I never probe uncured whole meat until it's been in the smoker for a few hours, unless I'm positive it will get to 135˚ in time. This one's been in over 4 hours at 220˚ smoker temp, and still in the Danger Zone (under 135˚).
Resume------
12:00Noon--------137˚ Internal Temp. Meat has been in smoker for 5 hours and 15 minutes, and just got out of Danger zone (41˚ to 135˚ in 4 hours).
Since I did not break the seal by probing the Butt, or injecting the Butt, it was OK to go longer than 4 hours in the Danger Zone.
If I know for sure how long it will take to get my meat from 41˚ to 135˚, by using the temperature I'm setting it for, it would be safe to probe or inject the meat.
However, I usually play around with trying different temps. This time I started it at only 220˚, to try to get more smoke time, but since I didn't probe or inject, it didn't hurt anything to be in the Danger Zone for more than 4 hours.
12:00Noon--------Bump heat up to 240˚.
3:00PM------------165˚ Internal Temp. Put Butt in foil pan, add 6 ounces of Apple Juice, and cover & seal with Double Foil.
3:00PM------------Also bump heat up to 260˚, and remove AMNPS (1/2 row was left unburned---Separate & save unburned pellets).
5:30PM------------Internal Temp is 203˚------Cut heat back to 100˚, instead of putting in cooler.
6:00PM------------Pull at 208˚ Internal Temp. (Coasted 5˚)
6:00PM------------Uncover just long enough to bust off a big enough hunk to pull for our Supper, and cover back up again.
Eat Supper while the rest of the Butt sits covered in foil.
Pull the rest of the Butt after Supper.
Rubbed and in the fidge. I didn't plastic wrap it, just used the container we have for marinating.
