I highly doubt I will do a boneless ever again in a smoker. I don't like having to play the 40-140 in 4 game. I would rather be able to keep it low and slow and let it finish out how it wants. Too stressful. It has me nervous as it is with as close as it was.
That's
exactly why those of use who have been there don't like to smoke boneless shoulder cuts. Cooking should be an enjoyable and relaxing experience...fun, if nothing else...but definitely not a nightmare.
Quote:
Looks like it going to be good .
do you think a bone-out would be better if you were going to slice it ( IT 190-195 ) instead of pulling it ? easy to slice or would you still buy a bone-in ?
If not than what would you do with a bone-out ?
I have sliced several bone-in butts with finished temps between 180* and 190* and rested for just a couple hours or less. Bone removal is about the same as if you were pulling the pork instead of slicing...not bad at all. Click on "Brined Butts" in my signature line to see how easy it is. The thread is more about recipes and methods, but gives a good look at sliced and pulled butts as well.
Just for clarification, there is a huge difference between boneless pork loins, briskets, rib eyes and the like vs a boneless pork butt or boneless picnic shoulder. The pork butt and picnic has the bone
inside of the cluster of muscles which comprises the roast, and these muscles, connective tissues and fat layers have to be cut into and separated to some extent for bone removal, usually leaving a rather deep cavity in the muscles, then folded closed again (that's why Testar77 tied the butt...to hold it together from the bone cavity being cut apart inside). Once the meat is punctured or cut, you have a risk of bacterial contamination
inside the cavity where the cuts or punctures were made, and that is why we want to follow the 40-140*/4hr rule with these types of boneless meats...
that goes for injected meats and poultry as well, BTW...another reason not to inject marinades. Any meats that fit the above criteria are
non-intact whole muscle.
Boneless loins, rib eye and brisket (just to name the some of most common boneless cuts), have the bone removed from the
outside of the muscle groups, leaving a relatively smooth (and cavity-free) bone removal. These simply have the muscle groups cut and pulled away from the bone completely, so
there is no cavity produced in the muscles of these boneless meats by cutting, which would then be folded closed after removal of the bone, like would be true of the boneless pork butt or picnic. These are
intact whole muscle...ideally, these are what you want for cooking low & slow.
So, that said,
not all boneless meats are non-intact whole muscle meats, and those that are intact whole muscle can be cooked low & slow with less restrictive cooking guidelines. In either case, do follow safe food handling practices.
If I wanted to cut my own pork country style ribs, I'd probably look for a boneless pork butt, or if I wanted to grind pork for sausage. Otherwise, considering the price difference vs the extra few minutes for someone not skilled/experienced with boning one out, or just not wanting to mess with it, boneless picnics or butts can occasionally be purchased on sale for much less than the regular price on bone-in butts. If you're a thrifty shopper and look for things to make with sale meats, then grab some boneless if they're a deal, and you can create some dandy eating by portioning them smaller before cooking. Finds such as these can give you a welcome change in dinner options for the smoker or grill. So, there can be uses for boneless butts and picnics in which the 40-140*/4hr rule can easily be overcome or avoided altogether, especially with making your own custom-cut CSRs or boneless pork shoulder steaks...they cruise through the 40-140* temp when cooking low & slow in far less than 4 hours, and who doesn't like a nice juicy, thick CSR, huh?
Eric
