Basic Pulled Pork Smoke

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Crockpot on the keep warm setting with some finishing sauce. It will stay juicy and tender. You may have a hard time keeping out of it until dinner time though. lol
 
The pork butts I smoked yesterday turned out really good today for dinner. I just put them in a slow cooker for about 4 hours with a little apple juice and the meat was really moist. The only down fall was there was not much flavor. I rub them before I smoked them and put them in my mes30 for 4 hours till 160 I T then in the oven till 205 I T then pulled them. I used mix oak and sweet wood pellets. What could I do different to get more flavor?View media item 358963
 
The pork butts I smoked yesterday turned out really good today for dinner. I just put them in a slow cooker for about 4 hours with a little apple juice and the meat was really moist. The only down fall was there was not much flavor. I rub them before I smoked them and put them in my mes30 for 4 hours till 160 I T then in the oven till 205 I T then pulled them. I used mix oak and sweet wood pellets. What could I do different to get more flavor?View media item 358963
The choice of wood you use will determine the amount of smoky flavor you get as well as the type of smoke. I like apple for pork with a little hickory thrown in toward the end. Oak is not a very strong flavored wood and I don't know what you mean about sweet wood pellets but you might look into getting one of those tube smokers from amazen products. Lots of guys swear by them in their electric smokers. You want thin blue smoke. The trouble with the chip tray setup in those things is that the smoke does not last very long so you have to reload pretty often or you are just cooking rather than smoking. Hope this helps. Happy smoking. timber. Try a finishing sauce. You will like it, trust me. Ok now I see you have a smoke generator in there. Get some apple, cherry, and some hickory. Also you could smoke the whole way without foiling for much more flavor.
 
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I started with two 3 pounders boneless I rub them about 4 hours before I put them in my mes30. I held 225 240 for about four hours or so till it hit 160 IT i used oak and sweet wood to smoke with it was all i had from my dad inlaw. I pulled them and wraps them up in tin foil and place into a 300 deg oven till they hit 205 then pulled them. I'm going to try cherrie or apple wood next time and see if that will give it a little better flavor
 
Yes that will do it. You did good. You could also just smoke the whole time too, spritz with apple juice/rum a couple of times. Keep experimenting with rubs too. Jeffs rub is darn good and well worth the money.
 
Thanks for the post.  Just put on my first butt.  Did not know about the foil, sounds logical.  Would like to use some of the butt for a stew,  just cut into cubes before the rest is shredded?

Best regards, Bill in Arlington
 
I would cut some off now before it starts to cook. You don't want to cut into it at the end or all the moisture will be all over the place and not in the Pulled Pork like it should be.
 
Well, it will be already cooked to the max and then you want to cook it some more? Might turn to mush or stringy, I don't know. Main thing is it is your Butt and you can do what you want with it but you asked.
 
 
Thanks for the post.  Just put on my first butt.  Did not know about the foil, sounds logical.  Would like to use some of the butt for a stew,  just cut into cubes before the rest is shredded?

Best regards, Bill in Arlington
Yes you can cut it up or shred it all and add some pulled pork to the stew, either way you will be OK. Just add the pork at the end to just heat through.
 
I agree don't want to cook more.  have all potatoes veggies slow cook with beef stock and then just add to heat up.  Thought I'd try.  Just us two so looking for more than BBQ sandwiches and enchilladas.
 
All very good points. I use to wrap in foil but don't anymore. Takes away the char flavor imo. I'll only foil when I take them off to move from smoker to table then I open the foil up immediately. Bone in is only way to go. Keeps moisture in the meat. Takes longer to smoke. I use beer to spray on Budweiser only as it's the king of beers. If I make pulled pork for another day I'll vac pak the pork then put in refrig or in cooler on ice overnight then in the freezer next day. Farmland bone in butts are very good to use.
 
Meowy, you pretty well hit the nail on the head with your description of the pulled pork process.

I smoke around 1500-1700# of shoulders per year. Your process is the same as mine. I do use the mustard on mine and sometimes use a brown mustard and have been told they could tell when I dont use it. Says it has a deeper taste when I do. Whatever they mean by that, I'm not sure.

Nevertheless, they love it either way, so you are right, its only a preference of taste.
 
WOW!  So, I started reading this thread at about 9pm last night.  Stopped about an hour later and fell asleep.  Started again about 5am this morning and just finished.  What a great read!  I'm very much a "smoking newbie" and just purchased a used Char Griller side firebox smoker.  It needs some cleaning so I just finished putting some hot charcoal briquettes in it (started in a chimney).  I'll let it get hot and then wire brush the insides well.  Then I plan to season it with vegetable oil and heat it back up.  In the meantime, I'll be purchasing a couple pork shoulders today, rubbing them down well for a sit in the fridge overnight.  Early tomorrow morning, I'll attempt my very first Pulled Pork smoking adventure, using everything I've learned in this amazing thread!  Thanks all!
 
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Trying my first one this weekend wish me luck
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Ive got my first butt in my mes and have 2 questions...

Its been in for almost 5 hours and although it is getting brown there doesnt seem to be much bark yet. IT is at 135º I have been spraying with apple juice/apple cider

I just read on this post to not use soaked wood chips? I have always soaked mine but as soon as I read that I stopped and started using dry chips. Is this bad?
 
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