Need Clarification on Pulled Pork Sticky

[Nitty]

I read through the first dozen pages of the pulled pork sticky and have some questions........lots of questions. I've printed some things and I'm keeping good notes so I don't have to ask again. This site and it's members are great so thanks for your help.

soflaquer finishing sauce - it calls for Tony Cachere's Cajun but all I can find is Creole. From what I read Cajun and Creole seasonings are different so what am I missing here? Should I be using the Creole or is the Cajun not available anymore and I need to find another brand?

If using the apple juice and rum spray, it says to apply some more before foiling at 165. Am I just putting a thin spray coat or am I dumping more in, like half a cup for example?

Do any of you sprinkle a small amount of seasoning over meat once shredded? I don't see that mentioned anywhere so I'm assuming that's not a common practice.

It looks like my first go with this will be a large gathering where my company will come and go so it's unlikely that all will hit the buffet at the same time. After shredding and people aren't hitting the food table as much, can I pan/cover the meat and sit back in the smoker at 180 to keep it warm through the evening so we can pick at it more or are there negatives to that? I would likely only do this with a portion of what's left, not all of it.

I know there is a lot of experimentation with this hobby but I want to get this right on first go since it's for a group. Can I do both a finishing sauce and add drippings back into the shredded meat or is it generally one or the other?

I see the times are roughly 1-1.5 hr per pound. So if I do three 6lb shoulders (18 lbs meat) it should take ROUGHLY 6-9 hrs compared to two 9lb shoulders (18 lbs meat) taking ROUGHLY 9-13.5 hrs? Same TOTAL pounds. I'm assuming multiple chunks of meat will put me closer to the 1.5 hr though.

 

[801driver]

I am sure there will be many more experienced people in here soon, but I will throw out my 2 cents worth of what works for me. Every ones taste buds are different especialy if you are fine tuning for you. Typically many guests will not be that critical.

For me, the difference in seasoning for the finishing sauce is slight, I have varied it back and forth several times and can not say any of it has been "bad" just slightly different.

I personally do not foil because I like crusty bark to chop into mine after pulling. I use a rub similar to Jeff's and do not mess with sprays or anything to wash it off during smoking. I foil after it is all poke tender in the 200-205 or so area, each chunk of meat is different. A big item is foil them and wrap in towels to put in ice chests to "rest" for a minimum of an hour. Two or three hours will be better, they will come out almost too hot to pull after 3 hours if wrapped well.

I only use the finishing sauce after pulling. I usually use my electric smoker which I prefer more of a smoky taste than some people, so after pulling and adding the finishing sauce I stick a pan back in the cold smoker and it adds a little more smoke as it is coming up to temp before it starts to cook or dry my meat.

I have usually used crock pots or one of the big white electric roasters to keep things warm, but an oven or a pan in your smoker will work also. You might have a crock pot to refill as needed from you large pan if the line is slow. I would try to keep it covered as much as you can and add a little chicken broth of needed as the time progresses. I would think 180 would be a little high on the holding temp.

In my opinion, we never get it "right" the first time, we keep striving to perfect it, but it never gets there, thinking about what minor thing we can do different next time. haha

Smoking times can vary a lot, and the big thing is be sure you are done early enough to feed your guests. I usually do mine the day before and refrigerate over night and reheat. I have always been pleased with the results.

Good luck to you, let us know how it worked out.

 

[normanaj]

Tony's original is labeled Creole. There's none labeled as Cajun.

 

[Winterrider]

Personally don't spritz or wrap( like the bark).
Did a 7.75# yesterday at 250° for 10 hrs then raised to 300°, total time was 13.25 hr.
Let rest at 160° for 1 HR. Added back the liquid gold and soflaquer finishing sauce after pulling.

sorry no pics of pulled

 

[Nitty]

Personally don't spritz or wrap( like the bark).
Did a 7.75# yesterday at 250° for 10 hrs then raised to 300°, total time was 13.25 hr.
Let rest at 160° for 1 HR. Added back the liquid gold and soflaquer finishing sauce after pulling.View attachment 510681sorry no pics of pulledView attachment 510682

I would agree I also like a stiffer bark but since I need to come into a couple hour window and need to get done late afternoon and the average crowd generally likes a more tender outside I will likely foil.

Tony's original is labeled Creole. There's none labeled as Cajun.

Kinda what I figured.

 

[801driver]

One item I left off of my posts is that I smoke at 225' all the way through and just as Winterrider's example even at 250' and 300', the 1-1.5 hr per lb estimate for cooking, not including resting and pulling time can go out the window pretty quickly with some chunks of meat. Then if you are doing three, you need to plan on what you are going to do to keep the two warm after resting and pulling while the possible renegade that takes much longer, a couple hours or more could happen, is still getting up to tender all the way through to pull off and start its resting.

Not trying to be a pessimist, but smoking a chunk of meat until it is tender is not like throwing a steak on the grill and dinner will be ready in 20-25 min. If I were cooking for a group who may have sharp forks in hand at a specific time looking at me, I would start way early so I would be sure to be done with way extra time left over. JMO Others may comment later with their experiences.

 

[daspyknows]

I put on my rub, then smoke to temp and then probe to see if done. No wrap, no spritz. I pull and add sauce at that point. As stated before, each has their own tastes and this works for me.