Pork shoulder drippings - no wrap

[Dirtylarry]

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 :)

That does help. I've always just taken it to around 203 and pulled it off. The probe test is now going to be a thing for me. Thanks for the insight!

 

[Dirtylarry]

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 .
View attachment 516372
Bone should pull out clean .
View attachment 516373

That's fine . Finish it up in the oven .

It was a store brand, processed and packaged there. Middle of the road quality. No pre injects and it was bone-in. Honestly I've never had shrink back on pork shoulder like what you have pictured but I have turned out some fantastic BBQ in the past(wrapping).