Basic Pulled Pork Smoke

[betaboy]

Nice instructions, can't mess with that!

I always like to pop pork juices in the fridge as well. I save the layer of lard on top (not the gel) to make homemade tortillas. The smoke just takes them to the next level.

 

[dv242]

 
If you have tightly foiled the entire piece of meat (I use an aluminum tray and then put foil over that), and your smoker is really at 250 degrees (which a good temperature to get through the stall), then you should be able to hit the "magic" 200 degree mark so you can declare victory and put the food in the cooler for a few hours to reabsorb liquid and rest for awhile.

If you have had it in foil since 10:30 a.m., and it is now 3:00 p.m., and if you've had the smoker temp at 250 degrees, and you are sure that this temperature is correct because, as you say, your thermometer has been accurate for you in the past, then I am out of airspeed and ideas. This seems to defy "the laws of the stall."

Of course the "ultimate solution" to any stall is to bring the meat inside and put it into a 325 degree oven, with the meat still foiled.

Question: do you have any liquid in the water pan? Many people advise against using any liquid in that pan. I have tried it both ways and now almost always leave the pan dry. You might try pouring off any liquid in that pan and see if the meat temperature goes up more quickly.

The MES was drifting between 240 and 260. I did have it in a foil pan...love using those even when I don't foil just to keep things clean and I reserve the drippings to add back to the pork once pulled. I cranked the MES all the way up to 275 and hit 203 IT by 4:15 pm. My Ivation read 300 for the barbecue so maybe it is off a bit. I started it on my Weber kettle and ran out of fire after 10 hours, so I put it in a pan with a little apple juice, covered with foil and into the MES at 250. Maybe that is what caused such a bad stall. 

After all that mess, it was one of the best ones I've done. Super moist, great smoke ring and flavor off the charts. Used hickory and apple chunks in the Weber, nothing in the MES, just used it as an oven to finish. Had some sides and barbecue sauces going on the stove in the house.

Question for the guys who cook higher temps, and more quickly: does the internal fat render? I had almost no junk to clean out of this shoulder, all the connective tissue and fat had rendered down to juices. Do you get that with a quicker cook? I thought you couldn't, and that was the reason for "low and slow". 

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
Nice instructions, can't mess with that!

I always like to pop pork juices in the fridge as well. I save the layer of lard on top (not the gel) to make homemade tortillas. The smoke just takes them to the next level.

" Not the gel " Does that mean you Toss the Gel? That is highly concentrated and gelatinized MAGIC! Simply added back to the Pulled Pork or added to BBQ Sauce, Bean, Greens, Soups, Stews, Brown Gravy, I could go on a long time, adds a Richness and flavor that can only be had with long cooking. The Smokey Glacé is pure Gold! Simmer Fresh Fig halves with Red Wine and Pork Glacé and top Medium done sliced Pork Tenderloin. Serve with Roasted Cauliflower and a Moraccan Spiced Rice Pilaf and Peas...Your guests will think you are a Pro Chef...JJ

 

[betaboy]

 
" Not the gel " Does that mean you Toss the Gel? That is highly concentrated and gelatinized MAGIC! Simply added back to the Pulled Pork or added to BBQ Sauce, Bean, Greens, Soups, Stews, Brown Gravy, I could go on a long time, adds a Richness and flavor that can only be had with long cooking. The Smokey Glacé is pure Gold! Simmer Fresh Fig halves with Red Wine and Pork Glacé and top Medium done sliced Pork Tenderloin. Serve with Roasted Cauliflower and a Moraccan Spiced Rice Pilaf and Peas...Your guests will think you are a Pro Chef...JJ

No, I love all of it actually. Concentrated flavor!!. Just chiming in that long smoked lard makes the best tortillas.

To clarify, we usually use the 'gel' for gravy otherwise toss it in some chili. :)

 

[chef jimmyj]

 
No, I love all of it actually. Concentrated flavor!!. Just chiming in that long smoked lard makes the best tortillas.

To clarify, we usually use the 'gel' for gravy otherwise toss it in some chili. :)

Thought so, was just checking...JJ

 

[calgaryhhr]

Hey folks,

I've been reading the forums for quite some time and I thought that I had previously created an account but I couldn't find my login information. I primarily smoke brisket, ribs and salmon (winter) and I'm doing pulled pork for the first time this weekend for a bbq with friends. 

The smallest butt I could find is just under 9 pounds. I don't necessarily want to start smoking in the early morning hours so I'm wondering if I can cut the butt into two pieces to reduce the cooking time. What is the best way to cut the butt? 

Also, for spray I see a lot of people using apple juice and Captain Morgan. How is apple juice and brandy? 

 

[jarjarchef]

Yes you can cut the time down by cutting in half. Try to remove the bone leaving the meat intact. You will or should end up with one wide pice of meat. At this point depending on your smoker size you can cut to what size you need.

I do not spray mine, but really anything will work as long as it does not have a ton of sugar. So yes brandy will work.

Usually when mine reaches 165°F, I will wrap with some liquid mixture, usually apple juice concentrate and beer. Then when it hits 190°F I'll remove from either the smoker or oven (yes I use the oven. It is wrapped and not getting smoke so it should not matter) and allow to rest for 20-30 min before pulling. I save the juices and add back into the meat as needed for moisture or use as a base for a BBQ sauce...

Happy smoking,

Jeramy

 

[cliffcarter]

 
Hey folks,

...The smallest butt I could find is just under 9 pounds. I don't necessarily want to start smoking in the early morning hours so I'm wondering if I can cut the butt into two pieces to reduce the cooking time....

Cooking at a higher temp will reduce the total cook time. Cooking at 300° will cut the cook time in half, more or less, versus cooking at 225°.

I routinely cook between 300°-325°, a nine pound butt takes about 8 hours. If you have an electric pit use the highest temp setting.

 

[lemans]

I would not go much higher than 300. You my get done faster, but the meat will be slightly dryer. IMHO

 

[cliffcarter]

I would not go much higher than 300. You my get done faster, but the meat will be slightly dryer. IMHO

This is not the case, I have cooked as high as 350° and excellent results, not dried out at all. In fact when I cooked butts low and slow in the CharGriller dry meat was the usual result. After researching "hot and fast" I turned up the heat and never looked back. Besides the excellence of the finished product, higher temps also make the cook more predictable and negates the need for the overnight cook, when too many things can go wrong.

 

[calgaryhhr]

Thanks for the replies folks. After reading another thread, the guy who was making pulled pork for tailgating, I have decided to do the smoking on Saturday when I have lots of time, pull the meat and reheat it with finishing sauce the next day before my bbq starts. That way on Sunday all I have to do is smoke some ribs and grill some burgers. Life will be much easier that way.

 

[martcrna10]

Hey guys,

I've been wanting to some pulled pork for some time now, but just never had the time I guess.  I've smoked lots of ribs and chicken, jalapenos, etc, but never a big butt (HA HA HA).  Anyway found this forum and I'm following all the advice here.  I have a rub for my ribs, but decided to try Meowys (figured why not!!).  

Here's a pic of them after rubbing and right before going into the fridge waiting for tonight.  They'll being going into the smoker at 11pm, counting on 2 hours per pound but figured 11pm would give me 16 hours in the smoker and 2 hours wrapped in the cooler finishing at 5pm, but still enough room for a longer smoke if needed.  I'll be spraying every hour after IT hits 100 with a 2 part vinegar/rum mix (1:1 serrano honey and gravenstein apple balsamic) then adding some Capt Morgan into a 3:1 ratio.  I'll be smoking with at 1:1 mix of hickory and applewood.

Thanks for all the good info on here.  I'll post some more pics and how everything turned out tomorrow.

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[eberleb]

Using this sticky for the third time today and this time using pecan wood chunks. Heard a lot of folks talk about how good pecan wood works for pulled pork, so I'm giving it a shot!

For my rub I like to keep it simple. 4 parts kosher salt, 2 parts granulated garlic, and 1 part pepper. That mixture has served me well so maybe I'll post a pic later of the final result!

 

[beavernation63]

I smoked my 1st pork butt. I made it an great event with my 4 yr old daughter from making the rub to rubbing the mustard and rub on the pork and having her go out with me to check on the meat.

I did not wrap my pork in foil, I let it Cook straight thru. This is what we ended up with View media item 493978
Turn out yummy. I did put a foil pan to catch the drippings and mixed those back in with the meat when I pulled it. This seemed to boost the flavor imo.

I used this forum as a guideline. Thank you for the knowledge and looking forward to more memories with my daughter and full bellys

 

[trcheese]

I used your instructions today, smoked an 8 lbs butt for a party this weekend. The weather has changed, winter is finally here in upstate NY so I thought it was best to do it today when I had all day to watch it. It worked great! Nice flavor and color, the bone just fell out. Most importantly the boss gave it accolades. She was doubting me earlier this week, now I'm finding her sneaking into the fridge of a little bite. Thanks for the direction. I'm sure it will be a hit at the party.
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[wbf610]

Just put mine in the oven at 275 after about 5-6 hours on the smoke.  Question:  My thermo was reading 171 when I pulled it off the smoke.  Pulled the thermo to handle it easier, when I reinserted the thermo, it's only reading 150.  Any ideas why that may happen. I opened the wrap to check to make sure it wasn't because of contact with the foil, it read the same.  Checked with the pen, read the same.  The thermo was calibrated with hot and cold water and it is generally within a degree or two.  Any thoughts?

 

[katfacer]

So I was at the store and found a Jack Daniels Apple Cider and because of how my mind works, I immediately thought about pulled pork. It's a mixture of Jack and apple cider... already mixed? I don't normally use Jack as a spray but I have used it as a sauce before. Any ideas? 

 

[bobcape]

Houston - we have a problem! I last put chips in at 1:50am then went to bed. I went to check progress at 7:40am and the MES was off! No display. Outside temp overnight was 6 degrees with VERY high winds. My outside outlet that it's plugged into is very loose. I wiggled the plug and it powered back up. I reset the cook temp and time. The temp was down to 52 degrees. I guess all I can do is keep watching to make sure it doesn't happen again and factor in up to 5 more hours of cook time. Should I increase the temp to 250? Any other suggestions? Thanks



Package of two butts from Sam's. About 13 lbs total. Brined them for 24 hours. Then put on the rub and wrapped them up for about 14 hours. Loaded them into my 30" MES at 10:30pm last night. I want to serve the pulled pork at 6:00ish tonight.

Bob

 

[johnmeyer]

I'd crank it up to max (275), and then be prepared to foil and finish in the inside oven at 325 several hours before meal time.

 

[bobcape]

No worries. I was worried they wouldn't finish in time after losing power to the smoker. No problem. They hit 203 degrees about 4:00. I'll let them rest for an hour and then it's pork pulling time! I increased the temp to 275 at noon and foil wrapped them at 2:00.

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