Pulled Pork for 200

[mneeley490]

I've played with so many rubs I've forgotten a lot of them!

Some of the biggest flavor changes have been injecting Buffalo Sauce or Hot Sauce, but I've grown fond of just enhancing the flavor of the meat and not changing it.

Kosher Salt and Coarse Ground Black Pepper are my go to for a lot of things. With that being said, my Vampire Pork is out of this world to me, but most people are afraid of it! Haha.

Ironically, I'm currently working on a couple experiments this weekend to amp up the flavors.

I've done quite a few injections in a pork butt as well. Each is a little different, and usually has some rub mixed in.
Apple juice
Apple cider vinegar (or a mix of both)
Apple sauce (doesn't leak out)
Chicken broth
Grape jelly (liquified in microwave)
Tequila & margarita mix (really liked that one for tacos)

 

[jcam222]

I was thinking of using the beef broth, and I should get a fat separator I haven't seen pork broth on the shelf before.

I'd recommend chicken over beef for the pork. Minors sells a pork base but hard to find.

 

[crazymoon]

HLS, I would be looking for pork butt and not pork shoulder/picnic shoulder. Pork butt is higher on the shoulder will have back fat covering. Pork shoulder is more likely to have pig skin for a covering and is a lower cut on the shoulder.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Are you planning on wrapping the pork butts or not? If you do wrapping, do you have access to church ovens? Don't have to do 100 % in smoker if you're wrapping. Also, is it gonna be self serve or have someone making the sandwiches? Typically self serve will use more meat.

Ryan

 

[G8trwood]

Number of sides and appetizers will factor in on quantity. Lots of small kids or football team ;)

 

[JckDanls 07]

but i am sure they will all be ( the pork) temp games.. so 135-140 ish?

NOOOOO... For PP you will need to be around 200` +/- IT... And then that's just a reference point as to when to start probe testing for doneness... Meaning use a temp probe or a shish kabob skewrer to poke in the meat all over... You want the probe to sllde in and out llike peanut butter.. That's when they are done and ready for resting...

And here is another members finishing sauce that has also gotten rave reviews...

SoFlaQuer's Finishing Sauce (For Pulled Pork)

I copied this to a separate post due to the requests for it! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Finishing Sauce I use is as follows: 1 Cup Cider Vinegar 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar 1 Teaspoon Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning 1 Teaspoon Course...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[Highline Smoking]

HLS, I would be looking for pork butt and not pork shoulder/picnic shoulder. Pork butt is higher on the shoulder will have back fat covering. Pork shoulder is more likely to have pig skin for a covering and is a lower cut on the shoulder.

Great Information ! Thanks

 

[Highline Smoking]

Are you planning on wrapping the pork butts or not? If you do wrapping, do you have access to church ovens? Don't have to do 100 % in smoker if you're wrapping. Also, is it gonna be self serve or have someone making the sandwiches? Typically self serve will use more meat.

Ryan

Haven't got that far on serving- I was just put in charge of the cooking.
I do plan on wrapping after the cook and put in foil pans in a cooler and after the render 2 hours? I was going to just pull into chunks and vacuum seal them and freeze em' Once thawed they will go in the roasting pans the ones with water in the bottom and put a tray on the top - it's like a steramer the once's you see at church dinners. I have 12 of them lined up

Wedding is on the 15th and I am going to start cooking the Friday the 7th

 

[Highline Smoking]

Number of sides and appetizers will factor in on quantity. Lots of small kids or football team ;)

The brides family is doing all the sides- we are just bringing the meat

 

[Highline Smoking]

NOOOOO... For PP you will need to be around 200` +/- IT... And then that's just a reference point as to when to start probe testing for doneness... Meaning use a temp probe or a shish kabob skewrer to poke in the meat all over... You want the probe to sllde in and out llike peanut butter.. That's when they are done and ready for resting...

Sorry I fat fingered the temps 185-195.

Yes just like my brisket I do probe tender but watch my IT's when its getting close to temp.
The Trager meater probs are not very accurate- I have had 3 of them and they are all over the place- My Traeger plug in probe is pretty spot on.

That finishing sauce you sent is the one I downloaded and printed off last week when I joined the group It sound pretty good and the wifey said it sounded a bit spicy ??

 

[Highline Smoking]

https://waltons.com/cold-phosphate-...CTgwNOldR6m_RD0wskWqLO-Ivp0Du4ZEAkqqgatY9cm2C


Not exactly sure how I stumbled across the idea but tried injecting apple juice and was totally hooked on it after that. Nowadays there's a bunch of premade injections with STPP in them. My "secret" is making the injection mild. You'd never know it's in there... I'd suggest using half the rate recommended.

Very solid plan.

OK I give STPP ? and I may try your apple juice trick On 1/3 of them if you let me know how much to inject and area's to inject.... I like the idea of mild because not everyone is the same with taste but mild always gets smiles. :)

 

[zwiller]

OK I give STPP ? and I may try your apple juice trick On 1/3 of them if you let me know how much to inject and area's to inject.... I like the idea of mild because not everyone is the same with taste but mild always gets smiles. :)

You cannot over inject. Max is about 10% and after that it just leaks back out. That's like 2C per butt. Fill it with needle off. Hit each side about every 2 inches and a few diagonals and around the bone then hold overnight. Use broadcast tip (holes all over) and wait a few seconds after you pump or it will squirt all over ya LOL. There's a few things I like about apple juice but the main thing is takes the "oink" out, the off smelling barnyard of it.

 

[Hijack73]

From experience, I've done big cooks like this a lot.....

14 will be more than enough.

Last cook I did on that scale I started a few on the smoker and hit them with smoke for a few hours then transferred them to my home oven to finish. The rest of them I rolled on the smoker. My pit would hold 12 crammed in but I hated cramming them in. Having the ability to put 4 in the oven helped a ton.

Get a 48 qt igloo cooler and clean it out well. Bleach it and rubbing alcohol clean.

Put the finished butts in that cooler. The next day, they'll still be so damn hot you can't pull them comfortably. Pull them a hair early to account for that additional rest time. No towels or any of that mess.


You can shove whatever you want into the meat itself via injection but I find no need to go though that trouble.

I set up a workstation by my pit, bust open the cryovacs on that table, apply my mustartd binder all at once, then pour a liberal amount of rub on them and straight into the smoker. You jack around with injecting all that meat and it becomes a HUGE mess and clean up problem. My clean up consists of a water hose and a little bleach..... My opinion only. It's pork butt. It doesn't need much more than heat and a salty rub.

Rub

a pound of chili powder
a pound of salt
half lb ground black pepper
half lb gran garlic
half lb gran onion
couple oz cayenne pepper.

mix it all up in tub and slather each butt. I've been known to mix my rub with a half gallon of mustard and apply it like spackle. Works just fine.

It's pork butt.

 

[Fueling Around]

Lots of great advice already posted.
My pantry has foil pans of all sizes
I'm going to complicate your cook a bit. Some people do not like heavily smoked meat.
I think Ryan @Brokenhandle mentioned this.
You smoke a few hours and foil wrap a pan and finish in an oven.
Keep it separate and mark the roasters you fortunately have from the church. Those roasters are your life line for this feed.

NOOOOO... For PP you will need to be around 200` +/- IT... And then that's just a reference point as to when to start probe testing for doneness... Meaning use a temp probe or a shish kabob skewrer to poke in the meat all over... You want the probe to sllde in and out llike peanut butter.. That's when they are done and ready for resting...

Keith caught that too.
I found pork butt is done when the bone twists out clean. Any resistance and back in either the smoker or oven for another couple hours. Very hard to overcook a butt.

Haven't got that far on serving- I was just put in charge of the cooking.
I do plan on wrapping after the cook and put in foil pans in a cooler and after the render 2 hours? I was going to just pull into chunks and vacuum seal them and freeze em' Once thawed they will go in the roasting pans the ones with water in the bottom and put a tray on the top - it's like a steramer the once's you see at church dinners. I have 12 of them lined up

Wedding is on the 15th and I am going to start cooking the Friday the 7th

I would fully pull the pork and clean out the inedible strings of fats and connective tissue before the vac pack. Reserve the collected rendered fats and meats juices to add in to the roasters for the reheat.

Are these pork butts coming in fresh or frozen?

 

[Highline Smoking]

Are these pork butts coming in fresh or frozen?

As if right now I don't know, Butcher conveyed that he will keep them refrigerated for me, and I can come get a few at a time and should help while others are cooking

I like the idea of transferring them to an over to finish cooking at what temp should I do the oven I was going to set the Traeger @ 300* with a smoke tube and let them ride for a couple of house . So 300* oven temp? If I decide to go that route. Like I said have have day's to cook if the need be.

One thing I struggle with after I either cook the on the smoker or oven till done, I was planning on transferring them one by one in foil pans covered with foil ( I have 5 - 130 quart coolers)
Didn't know how long I can allow the to rest prior to pulling since I will have ( or planning on) a few day's till the wedding

I was going to pull chunks and vacuum seal and depending on my timing fridge or freeze.
I am open to all options.....

He is my situation. I have a lot of time right now to cook as the wedding isn't till the 15th- butts will be in on the 7th. I do not have any time the day of the wedding ( 2:00 pm) with a 45 minute drive to the wedding from home, as it is located rural in the mountains. Wedding is outdoors and a hall has been rented back home where and I have to drive back ( after pictures) and reception is at 4:00.

That's where the warming pans come in, as I plan on having meat ready to go in the warmers the morning of the wedding ( open for suggestions) but don't want them to dry out ( I will do the finishing sauce probably that morning but unsure if the pork will be good sitting say from 12:00 noon when I plan on putting the meat in the warmers in the hall the day of the wedding and not serving till 4:00.

 

[Highline Smoking]

From experience, I've done big cooks like this a lot.....

14 will be more than enough.

14? with the loss from cooking? ...My initial was 11 as you can see from my pervious post, that's why I bumped it up to 18-20-from what others have posted, last thing is to run out of meat but I also thought it was a lot of butts. How many did you feed on a 14 butts? did you wrap the butts in something prior to butting them in a cooler? I have big coolers 130 Qt each.

I do have time to cook in the smoker to not heat up the house with the oven going - but it's a great option if life get in the way of plans did you cook fat side up or down?

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Just a reminder, without pics...well you know the rest...