Pork shoulder drippings - no wrap

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Dirtylarry

Newbie
Original poster
Sep 4, 2021
18
7
Hi all,

Just did a no-wrap butt yesterday in my Hunsaker drum and it turned out really nice(after 16 hours), but a bit on the dryer side. I'm converting from wrapping and I am used to using foil juices to mix back into the meat for added flavor, but no-wrapping created a little problem. I had a catch pan underneath and sure, it caught some drippings, but the amount was so low I didn't even think it was worth messing with. I'm wondering if any of you have tips on doing no-wraps and catching enough juice to use. I'd probably be doing the freezer method to separate fat once the drippings are caught. I know I can probably add some liquid to the catch pan but I'm worried about it evaporating during the cook if I add too little or diluting the Also see below for some eye candy from the cook. You can see my setup and that the catch pan has some drippings but also burned sugar.

PorkShoulder1.jpg PorkShoulder2.jpg
 
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I'm guessing it still had a little bit to go. Was it probe tender at 201? I usually wait until 205-210 but more importantly when the probe goes in easily.

Yeah each time I probed it there was hardly any resistance. I usually take it to 203 but at 201 I was finding my drum temp was finally starting to dip and become a bit less manageable so I called it. Also the natives were restless. I did rest for close to an hour on the counter before pulling.
 
Hi all,

Just did a no-wrap butt yesterday in my Hunsaker drum and it turned out really nice(after 16 hours), but a bit on the dryer side. I'm converting from wrapping and I am used to using foil juices to mix back into the meat for added flavor, but no-wrapping created a little problem. I had a catch pan underneath and sure, it caught some drippings, but the amount was so low I didn't even think it was worth messing with. I'm wondering if any of you have tips on doing no-wraps and catching enough juice to use. I'd probably be doing the freezer method to separate fat once the drippings are caught. I know I can probably add some liquid to the catch pan but I'm worried about it evaporating during the cook if I add too little or diluting the Also see below for some eye candy from the cook. You can see my setup and that the catch pan has some drippings but also burned sugar.

View attachment 516322View attachment 516323
Hi there and welcome!

This won't help with juices but will absolutely kick the flavor up a knotch where you may not need juices, finishing sauce, or any additional flavor to mix in.

Simple flip the meat to where it is fat side down. Take a knife and cut downwards like you are cutting the whole thing in half but let the bone stop you.
You can now kind of "butterfly" the pork but apart and season in there and smoke it spread a little and you will get bark all in there, smoke flavor penetration deep in there, and more seasoning in there. When you shred it, you will find you need nothing more for it :)

I hope this helps and welcome to the world of unwrapped :)
 
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Hi all,

Just did a no-wrap butt yesterday in my Hunsaker drum and it turned out really nice(after 16 hours), but a bit on the dryer side. I'm converting from wrapping and I am used to using foil juices to mix back into the meat for added flavor, but no-wrapping created a little problem. I had a catch pan underneath and sure, it caught some drippings, but the amount was so low I didn't even think it was worth messing with. I'm wondering if any of you have tips on doing no-wraps and catching enough juice to use. I'd probably be doing the freezer method to separate fat once the drippings are caught. I know I can probably add some liquid to the catch pan but I'm worried about it evaporating during the cook if I add too little or diluting the Also see below for some eye candy from the cook. You can see my setup and that the catch pan has some drippings but also burned sugar.

View attachment 516322View attachment 516323
Honestly, the amount of drippings you have in that pan,,,, assuming this is close to final temp IT,,, the meat never rendered. Meaning the collagen didn’t break down and the connective tissue didn’t transform into tender juicy delicious meat. This butt was under cooked. That pan should be 1/4 full of juice if the butt was done. It’s done when it’s done, and not before.
 
Can yo configure that with two racks, one with the mest on top and the other with a pan below. I cook my butts above a pan of pork or chicken broth. All that goodness drips in it and it gets nice and smokey. Defat and mix through the pull. Usually have leftover au jus I freeze for future dishes.
 
Someone help me out here please. Doesn't sent Chef JJ have a good finishing sauce?
 
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Hi there and welcome!

This won't help with juices but will absolutely kick the flavor up a knotch where you may not need juices, finishing sauce, or any additional flavor to mix in.

Simple flip the meat to where it is fat side down. Take a knife and cut downwards like you are cutting the whole thing in half but let the bone stop you.
You can now kind of "butterfly" the pork but apart and season in there and smoke it spread a little and you will get bark all in there, smoke flavor penetration deep in there, and more seasoning in there. When you shred it, you will find you need nothing more for it :)

I hope this helps and welcome to the world of unwrapped :)

THAT...sounds awesome. Also had the idea of maybe cooking it in a shallow pan instead of directly on the grate, and add like 1/4 cup apple juice 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar in there during the cook, thinking it'd pick up some smoke flavor to mix in with the meat(after separating the fat of course)
 
THAT...sounds awesome. Also had the idea of maybe cooking it in a shallow pan instead of directly on the grate, and add like 1/4 cup apple juice 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar in there during the cook, thinking it'd pick up some smoke flavor to mix in with the meat(after separating the fat of course)

Oh yeah man, do that and just see how awesome it is. No need to ever mix anything into the pulled pork again. I used to add additional seasoning into my pulled pork... not after doing this trick. Perfectly flavored every time with no additions!

So I smoke whole packer briskets and pork butts quite a bit and I do them naked on a rack on a foil pain to catch drippings to keep my smoker from getting messy.
I've seen plenty of times when doing just 1 that there are really no drippings but there is like evidence of drippings in the pan. I believe that the drippings evaporate with me running 275F. My heating element is flipped and exposed in my MES so I think my situation most of the dripings evaporate just to leave burnt spots.

With briskets I just put trimmed fat in there along with the good meat I trim off that I fold up and always have plenty of fat/liquid in there but I don't trim my pork butts so if only doing 1 but I often get no drippings. With 2 butts I always get drippings/fat.

Keep on trying and just see what happens. To me, naked is the only way to go. It has the BEST flavor :D
 
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Oh yeah man, do that and just see how awesome it is. No need to ever mix anything into the pulled pork again. I used to add additional seasoning into my pulled pork... not after doing this trick. Perfectly flavored every time with no additions!

So I smoke whole packer briskets and pork butts quite a bit and I do them naked on a rack on a foil pain to catch drippings to keep my smoker from getting messy.
I've seen plenty of times when doing just 1 that there are really no drippings but there is like evidence of drippings in the pan. I believe that the drippings evaporate with me running 275F. My heating element is flipped and exposed in my MES so I think my situation most of the dripings evaporate just to leave burnt spots.

With briskets I just put trimmed fat in there along with the good meat I trim off that I fold up and always have plenty of fat/liquid in there but I don't trim my pork butts so if only doing 1 but I often get no drippings. With 2 butts I always get drippings/fat.

Keep on trying and just see what happens. To me, naked is the only way to go. It has the BEST flavor :D

Yeah I'm for sure a convert on flavor and love that bark, just gotta figure out the moisture content as the only complaint I really got was about it being a bit dryer than what I previously made. Gonna give this a go next time.
 
just gotta figure out the moisture content
What did you start with ?
Was it a brand that pre injects ?
Was it store trimmed ?
Bone in or boneless ?
Looks like bone in , but I don't see any shrink back .
If you do bone in , pulling away from the bone is a good sign you're close to ready .
1636983933253.jpeg
Bone should pull out clean .
1636983955279.jpeg
drum temp was finally starting to dip and become a bit less manageable so I called it.
That's fine . Finish it up in the oven .
 
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Like others said it may have needed to go longer.
Last no wrap I did I put it in the pan about the time I would wrap and added a little apple cider to the pan. I also had a water pan in the cook chamber for the entire cook.
When it was finished I left it in the pan and put foil over the pan while it rested.
 
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Yeah I'm for sure a convert on flavor and love that bark, just gotta figure out the moisture content as the only complaint I really got was about it being a bit dryer than what I previously made. Gonna give this a go next time.

Pork butts, chucks, briskets, are all cuts that are done when they are tender. You check for tenderness by stabbing all over with something like a kabob skewer and if it goes in without resistance then it is tender and therefore ready.
These cuts are never done by time or temp, only when they are tender.

Now with that said, the meat's Internal Temp (IT) will tell you when to start checking for tenderness. For pork butts I don't start checking for tenderness until the IT is 202F. If it stabs all over with no resistance then it is tender and done. If it doesnt, I let it raise another couple degrees and test again. Repeat until tender.

If you do this practice you will be able to pull a pork butt that is juicy and tender and never dry.
No other fancy tricks, just proper practices for this cut of meat. Every cut has it's quirks and practices to nail it, this is the major one for pork butts.

I hope this info helps :)
 
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