Letting pork butt rest after removing from smoker?

[husker3in4]

So sometimes I can time it right and I remove the butt from the smoker an hour or so before we plan on eating it. I set it on the counter with a foil tent and let it rest.

First question: foil tent or no?

Main question: Most of the time I have to work Saturday mornings, so I end up putting the butt on the smoker at midnight or so and let it smoke thru the night. Once I take it out, it has a few more hours to go before eating. So I wrap it in several layers of foil, then towels and put it in a cooler. It can hold temp for 7 or 8 hours (or more probably) and only drop 2 or 3 degrees internally. This is all working as intended. The question is, do I need to remove the foil and let it cool for an hour before shredding it for best results? Or when the time is right, remove it from the cooler, pull off the foil and shred right then?

 

[SmokinAl]

Shred it right when you remove it from the foil.

Get some good gloves, cause it will still be hot!

I don't use forks or bear claws, I pull it by hand.

We like big chunks & I can pull out any chunks of fat that haven't rendered out.

IMHO, there is nothing worse than biting into a big hunk of fat in my PP sammie!

Al

 

[seenred]

I usually leave off with the foil wrap and the long rest for pork butts.  It's my experience that a pork butt doesn't need a long rest, especially if your gonna pull it.  When it comes off the smoker, I generally set it someplace where it can cool as it rests (like a cool oven or an out of the way counter top)...maybe with some loose foil tented, until it has cooled enough so I can pull it without burning my fingers...this usually takes 30 minutes to an hour.

Red

 

[youngbuck]

I jut did a pork butt and it was my best to date. I did 13 hours @ 225 until 180ish IT (I liked where the bark was.) I wrapped it in foil and kept smoking for 2 more hrs until 203ish IT I then took the butt still in foil and wrapped in a towel and cardboard box to rest for another hour. I shredded it right out of that, it took about 30 seconds to shred a 9lb butt w/ my claws, no joke. It was the easiest shredding I have ever dealt with.

 

[husker3in4]

Thanks guys, I will just shred it right out of the foil. I have been having very good success smoking it @ 250 for 5-6 hours until it hits 165 or so, then wrapping it in foil and putting it in the oven at 350 until done. I have been letting it sit in the towels and cooler for a few hours then shredding right out of the foil, but just wanted to see if I needed to let it rest.

So during the occasional time that I want to  serve it right away once it hits temp, would I still let it rest for 45 mins or an hour?

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Yes it's best to let it rest for at least 30-45 minutes prior to pulling. It helps redistribute the juices.

 

[husker3in4]

Yes it's best to let it rest for at least 30-45 minutes prior to pulling. It helps redistribute the juices.

but a resting period is not needed if its wrapped in towels and kept in a cooler for a few hours? The temp only drops like 3 degrees.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

but a resting period is not needed if its wrapped in towels and kept in a cooler for a few hours? The temp only drops like 3 degrees.

You are raesting it if it's wrapped in foil and towels in a cooler for three hours. That's a theee hour rest.

You asked about resting it right after cooking and wanting to serve right away. In that case you still should eat the meat 30-45 minutes.

 

[husker3in4]

Ok, thats what I needed to know!

So not to be a pain, but in the event that I am smoking and eating it soon after, is that 30-45 min rest with the foil on or off?

I smoke til it its 165 or so

then i wrap it in foil and put it into the oven until it hits 199 (as far as my thermometer goes)

so for that 30-45 min rest, would I take the foil off or just let it sit on the counter still tightly wrapped in foil?

 

[mdboatbum]

Ok, thats what I needed to know!

So not to be a pain, but in the event that I am smoking and eating it soon after, is that 30-45 min rest with the foil on or off?
I smoke til it its 165 or so
then i wrap it in foil and put it into the oven until it hits 199 (as far as my thermometer goes)

so for that 30-45 min rest, would I take the foil off or just let it sit on the counter still tightly wrapped in foil?

It's not terribly important whether you rest it with the foil on or off, especially since you're finishing the cook in the oven wrapped in foil. If you were really going after crunchy bark and were smoking it uncovered the whole time, you'd probably want to rest it unwrapped or loosely tented to preserve the bark.
The important thing is the rest period itself. The temperature differences inside the meat immediately after removing from the smoker/oven are fairly extreme, and the fibers in the meat are kind of bunched up like flexing a muscle. What happens when you shred meat right out of the smoker or oven? All that lovely juice flows right out of the meat. In a short while you'll have dry pulled pork. By resting the meat, you're allowing the temperature to equalize throughout the meat as well as letting the fibers relax. When you pull or shred rested pork butt, all those lovely juices stay put, resulting in moister pulled pork. Even the leftovers will be moist and tasty.