Pulled pork. My first try

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Skin on or off

  • Skin on

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Skin off

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
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hardrockchina

Fire Starter
Original poster
Mar 28, 2013
30
10
Orlando
I'm cooking my first pulled pork on the smoker today. So far so good. I've researched the forums and have gotten some great tips.

Just a few questions. I know it's a personal preference on many of these but I would like to see your opinions.

1. Should I trim the skin and fat off ??

2. Fat side up or down??

3. I have a Maverick ET 732 dual temp gauge and noticed the temp of the smoker gauge reads for example 225 at grate but the temp gauge on the smoker shows 250. Is that normal. I have the Maverick smoker gauge in the middle of the smoker on the grate.


Thanks!!!
 
Skin off, fat on, fat up. Most factory therms that come with the smoker aren't accurate. I would go by your 732. Don't forget to post some pics.
 
I'd trim the skin off and leave the fat.  I smoke a butt with the fat up, but I know there are others who do it fat down.  Even if your factory installed therm is accurate, its not unheard-of for a disparity between grate level temps and temps in the top of the cooking chamber.  If you have checked your ET-732 for accuracy with a boil test, rely on that temp at grate level...after all, that's where you're cooking.  Good luck, and please post qview!
 
Hey hardrockchina,

Check out my smoke from today!  PSSmoker's Jr. Pitmaster Cook.

We trimmed the entire fat cap off and it didn't matter which side was up!  There was no skin.  We rubbed the night before and wrapped in plastic wrap then put another light dusting on before loading in the smoker.  We ran the smoker between 250 & 270 and the smoke took less that 12 hours and the pulled pork turned out perfect!

Good luck,

Bill
 
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Great info guys!! I did do the fat side up. It's been on the smoker for 12 hours so far. Temp is 181 internal. I planned to take off at 198, set for 30 minutes or so and pull. Lol
 
Okay

I'm going to give you what is probably a humble opinion that is too late.  You're probably already in the middle of your project as I am mine.  And I'll preface this by saying I'm in Texas and by law I have to be a brisket guy.

THAT BEING SAID... I leave the skin on but take a knife and cut a diamond shape patten just deep enough to get to the fat.  This will allow your rub and mop to penetrate into the meat. AND... I believe that  during  the cooking the skin acts like a cover over the meat to keep it moist. That being said I also believe that Oswald didn't act alo...  Sorry. Off track.

So who knows? I think most take the skin off so the seasoning and bark forms on the meat.  So I cut the diamond pattern in the skin to allow the goodies to get to the meat.  When the butt is done the skin comes right off with less than zero effort. AND most importantly  everyone eats it.  

But like I said... I'm a beef guy.  

Good luck my friend. I've watched your dedication to doing it right. I'm sure its going to be greatness!

Brian
 
Unless you're buying your meat straight from a local butcher or farm, there shouldn't be any skin on it. Are you cooking a pork butt or some other cut?

For pork butts, I leave most of the fat cap on, but as BD said, diamond cut it for rub penetration, and cook fat side up. Just personal preference. 
 
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Excellent point  MNeeley  Where I live butts have no skin. The picnic hams (just a cut below the beloved Boston Butt) do have skin included with the cut. Great clarification. 

Brian
 
By the way... I love the picnic. Lots of fun. More bone. Lots of flavor.

Shhh  In Texas I have to be on the down low with the pork.

 Brian
 
Ok. As I've said. I'm a newb:-). It was a picnic that I cooked. It came out great but. I think the butt would have been a better cut to have cooked. I'll have to blame on the wife as she kept saying we were cooking the butt... well I'm learning. Hehe

 
That does look good! Nice smoke ring, beautiful bark, wish I could taste it!  Nothing wrong with smoking a picnic at all.
 
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