Pulled Pork

[Hunter2]

I cant seem to get the pork to fall off bone. I just made a give or take 8 pound pork shoulder and smoked to 197-200 degrees. I let it rest for 20-30 minutes, it was so tasty and all done but it cuts like a pork chop more than being able to pull. Any advise on what I am doing wrong or forgetting. Thanks

 

[Hamdrew]

Cook to 205*F+.

If pulling immediately I personally like finishing pulled pork in a 325*F oven. This helps to, quite literally, get the juices flowing. Pull quick with carving forks, serving forks, cleavers etc.

 

[chef jimmyj]

You didn't smoke it long enough. The Internal Temp, is just a guide post for you to start Testing for Doneness. For an 8 pound Butt, an IT of 205 is typically a good time to start checking. Good tests...The Bone Wiggles Out Clean. The Probe Test. Stick the meat all over with your therm probe. If it slides in with no resistance your meat should pull easily. Take 2 forks and gently separate a muscle. If it takes next to no effort, your pork will pull.
You can Rest tented on the counter 30 minutes, or if done early, foil wrap and cooler rest up to 5 hours...JJ

 

[JLeonard]

Dont cook by time or temp. Start probing the meat around 195 degrees. If the probe slides in and out like your sticking it into warm butter its good to pull. If not, go another 5 degrees or so and recheck. Keep doing so until its probes easy. And let it rest for a while to redistribute the juices. I've cooked three butts (all approx same size) at once and all three of them were ready to pull at different times.
Jim

 

[Hamdrew]

My "test", if I have one, would be simply trying to grab it with my tongs-

 

[normanaj]

I've almost completely stopped cooking by time and started cooking by internal temp(IT).For meats like pork butt/shoulder and brisket IT is a great guideline but the true test is when that probe slides in with ease like a knife thru soft butter.

 

[zwiller]

205F here too and those last few degrees are gonna take a LOOOOOONG time! Whole 8lb butt at 275F is about 15hours on average. Bone wiggle out clean is standard test here. My butts usually come off the smoker in chunks.

 

[Hunter2]

Wow, the way all the recipes read it seems like 195-205 is a magic number, but obviously not. Is that the same rule for ribs also? How about brisket? Looks like I have a lot more to learn and appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks

 

[GrumpyGriller]

Many dittos here as well. I go to 205 and let it rest for at least a 1/2 hour or more - often times in a cooler. That 200 - 205 range is (for me at least) a mini-stall, but it's worth the wait.

 

[SmokyMose]

Like others said, it just wasn't cooked long enough. I go to 204 or so, wrap in foil and a towel and into a cooler for a couple of hours. It actually will continue to cook.
The bone usually just falls out when you unwrap it.
Yes that last 4 or 5 degrees seems to take forEVER LOL!
Welcome to the forum, by the way :-)

 

[Hamdrew]

Like others said, it just wasn't cooked long enough. I go to 204 or so, wrap in foil and a towel and into a cooler for a couple of hours. It actually will continue to cook.
The bone usually just falls out when you unwrap it.
Yes that last 4 or 5 degrees seems to take forEVER LOL!

Not when wrapped and thrown into a 325* oven! If pulling/serving right away, I think it is even better than gently going to 205* and resting. The extra juice helps bind with the finishing sauce

 

[pineywoods]

The others are correct estimate about 205 but then check for either probe sliding in easy or the bone pulling out with no effort.
Brisket is about the same cook till the probe slides in different areas easily. I usually start checking a brisket at about 195 degrees internal
You will find no two pieces of meat will cook the same even if the same weight and cooked at the same temp.
Ribs many people do by time using the 3-2-1 method for spare ribs and 2-2-1 for baby backs. That being said some will cook and judge when they are done by the bend test or pullback of the meat on the bone.

 

[kruizer]

^^^^These guys have you covered.^^^^^

 

[DanFromCT1983]

I did a 6.7 pound butt this weekend. 4 hours unwrapped at 275. Wrapped it in foil kept it at 275 and went 4 more hours and the temp was 205. I probed it a few times and there was no resistance to the probe going in. I took it out, left it wrapped and rested it in the oven in my house for 1 hour. When I picked up the butt it was falling apart and the bone fell out of it when I tipped it up. I used a Dyna Glo wide body offset charocal/wood smoker.

 

[WaterRat]

Wow, the way all the recipes read it seems like 195-205 is a magic number, but obviously not. Is that the same rule for ribs also? How about brisket? Looks like I have a lot more to learn and appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks

As stated above, probing is your best test (or bending for ribs). It may help you to think about the why of it: The various tissues you need to break down need TIME above certain temps for that to occur. Say you toss some cubed beef into a simmering pot of stew, the meat will probably be 195-200°F+ in less than 20minutes but will chew like leather. 4hrs later it has turned into delicious fall-apart goodness.

And that 195-205 is right... but it may take hours to go from 195to 205...