1st Try @ Pulled Pork ... Eager to Taste

[SmokinGame]

Okay, just took smoking up in February and I am hooked. Nearly every weekend we have been home has been a new adventure.

Family in town so thought I would try my first butt roast for pulled pork. After some research was not still unclear how long it might take for the smoke. So last night @ 11PM the 9+ lb butt went on the Camp Chef pellet to start the journey. But before I trimmed off a little extra fat, leaving ~1/4 inch cap, smeared on a light layer of mustard and then coated it with sweet (brown sugar) style dry rub. (These things get really slick when lathered with that mustard. Almost lost it to the floor and possibly the dogs before I could get the rub on.)

It is now 10AM and it has already reached 180F. It looks like it may top out at 205F a little earlier than planned but I will adapt.

I will let you know how it goes, but here is a photo of progress so far.

 

[phatbac]

Looking good so far!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[dcecil]

That looks great so far

 

[wanna-be-smoker]

looks great my fellow smoke pro owner.

Check us out at camp chef misfits if you are on face book

 

[oddegan]

If it gets done early just wrap in foil and an old blanket or towels and set it in a cooler. Stays hot that way for hours. Better to be done early than leave people waiting hungry.

 

[bdskelly]

Nice! B

 

[Bearcarver]

If it gets done early just wrap in foil and an old blanket or towels and set it in a cooler. Stays hot that way for hours. Better to be done early than leave people waiting hungry.

^^^ What Jared Said.^^^

You're doing an Outstanding Job---Keep it up!!

Bear

 

[jbellard]

You can also keep it in your oven at about 170degrees. It’ll stay warm for hours like that

 

[73saint]

Looks good so far! As mentioned, foil, a towel and a cooler is as good a cambro as you can get! It’ll hold for hours like that.

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks great so far!
Al

 

[SmokinGame]

Got so busy with family that forgot to take pic as I pulled our butt roast off the smoker. It finished right at 14 hours. Everyone was ready to eat, so that is what we did. Tasted very good although I think I should work on the rub some more. Pulled easy and was very moist.

Anyone inject the roast before smoking? If so, what is your go-to choice?

 

[BKING!]

You can also keep it in your oven at about 170degrees. It’ll stay warm for hours like that

This is what I do if at home. Looking good so far!

 

[BKING!]

Got so busy with family that forgot to take pic as I pulled our butt roast off the smoker. It finished right at 14 hours. Everyone was ready to eat, so that is what we did. Tasted very good although I think I should work on the rub some more. Pulled easy and was very moist.

Anyone inject the roast before smoking? If so, what is your go-to choice?

If I inject I use meathead’s injection recipe on his website. It’s very basic and the pork still tastes like pork.

 

[gmc2003]

Congratulations on your first butt. Looks and sounds like it was a success. Lot's of people inject theirs. Some use Cherry Dr. Pepper while others use some type of broth. If you ever need to keep it warm for a few hours follow the above mentioned tip of cooler storing. My only suggestion would be to let it cool down a few degrees before you pop it into the cooler to stop the cooking process.

Point for sure.

Chris.

 

[Bearcarver]

Got so busy with family that forgot to take pic as I pulled our butt roast off the smoker. It finished right at 14 hours. Everyone was ready to eat, so that is what we did. Tasted very good although I think I should work on the rub some more. Pulled easy and was very moist.

Anyone inject the roast before smoking? If so, what is your go-to choice?

If you do inject a roast before smoking, I would recommend you get the internal temp from 40° to 140° (Danger Zone) in no longer than 4 hours.

Bear

 

[SmokinGame]

Thanks for all the advice. I am always open to hearing how I might improve. Can't wait until retirement (a few more years) so that I can spend more time working on this smoking thing.

Hey Bear, how do insure you get from 40-140F in <4 hours? Bump the heat up? I started and stayed at 250F throughout the smoke.

 

[Bearcarver]

Thanks for all the advice. I am always open to hearing how I might improve. Can't wait until retirement (a few more years) so that I can spend more time working on this smoking thing.

Hey Bear, how do insure you get from 40-140F in <4 hours? Bump the heat up? I started and stayed at 250F throughout the smoke.

It's all pretty much getting to know your smoker. It also helps to take notes on how big a roast was, what temp you used & how long it took to get to various temps, and to get finished.
Naturally the bigger the roast, the higher the temp it takes to get to your target temp.
250° or higher will usually get a decent size roast through the danger zone in 4 hours, but 220° and even 230° might not.
If I'm not sure, I will either jack up the Temp, or avoid injecting. I also wait a couple hours into the smoke before I insert a Temp probe for the same reason.

Bear

 

[CajunChris]

Looks good so far! Keep it up brother!

 

[zwiller]

Congrats! I finally "pulled" off a good PP and was thinking the same thing about injecting (mainly lacking salt) but I am now thinking to leave it alone but offer some finishing sauces. I prefer a vinegar type, wife and daughter a traditional ketchup base. Chef JJs is pretty popular but I find it lacking a little in salt. Cool part is you can make various ones and try without committing the whole dish to an injection.

 

[tallbm]

I've never injected but if you want to inject due to lack of flavor with the INSIDE meat you can always take your rub/seasoning and shake on the meat when once pulled and mix it in. This does the trick nicely. I also make sure I have a pan to catch all the juices to mix in once pulled that way it's own juices keep it nice and juicy, that helps.

Finally as zwiller suggests you can always add a finishing sauce. I do a little of this if it is still to dry for my liking.

In all I find the adding rub/seasoning after pulled to be the biggest help in adding flavor and adding juices and some finishing sauce to keep it juicy. Just my 2 cents :)