Talk to me about pulled pork!

[SmokingUPnorth]

I do have a Weber kettle. Would that be better then? Didn't think to use it because of the temps outside.

Look up the snake method for charcoal in a kettle. It’s really easy and pork isn’t too picky about temp. Spread coals out around the outside. Get about 10 coals hot and put them on one end. Put some wood chunks along the way let it get to temp and throw the shoulder on. There are a lot of videos on YouTube showing it. It’s my favorite thing about the kettle. Oh and whatever way you do it. Do a search in here for Jj’s finishing sauce. It will change your life haha. Good luck and post some pics when your done.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

Oops looks like WV already explained it. But definitely check out JJs finishing sauce

 

[Fueling Around]

I've been served slow cooker (crock pot) pulled pork and not impressed by the taste and texture.
I would prefer it in the oven only if not having a smoker option.

I do have a Weber kettle. Would that be better then? Didn't think to use it because of the temps outside.

You have the most versatile & affordable cooking, grilling, and yes, smoking platform in a single unit.

I use my kettle almost year around. Mostly simple grilling in the winter and occasional cold smokes.
No offense noboundaries , but the side baskets are a pain to use for a beginner.
WV_Crusader showed you the snake which is a easy indirect cooking method in a kettle.
My only change would be to reduce the snake length to about the 12 o clock position in the photo.
Once the coals are burning out, I would put the shoulder in a foil wrapped pan and move to the oven.

 

[noboundaries]

No offense noboundaries noboundaries , but the side baskets are a pain to use for a beginner.

No problem. With the dual flip-up grate, I'd put one on each side under the flip-ups. Load each basket with a couple of chunks of wood, overload each basket with cold charcoal briquettes, then put 3-4 hot briquettes on top of each cold pile. Top vent full open, bottom vent cracked 1/8". Give it about 30-45 minutes, then load the meat in the middle in a pan. 3-4 hours easy before time to move to the oven or load with more charcoal. Just one of the many ways I've used the baskets.

But, the poster didn't have the baskets, so moving on.

 

[mike243]

You can do the same thing as above even if you have no baskets, been a lot of butts cooked on the kettles

 

[chopsaw]

. Keeping the temp in the right area is difficult, and the briquettes going.

What type of kettle do you have ? One touch clean out ?
The adjustment on the one touch system is very small . It only takes small adjustments to change the temp . Set up your fire and let it settle in . Mine likes to run around 250 , so that's my temp for smoking .
I add the meat with all the vents full open . See how adding the meat affects the temp . Give it time to recover . If it starts to climb , start closing the bottom vent 1/4 " at a time . Just give it time to react and settle in .
For your first time , bank the coals off to the side with some wood chunks . See how it goes . You can always finish in the oven like said above .

 

[TuckersBarbeque]

Back in my poor days, I found a rub recipe online that had lots of Paprika, and I used smoked paprika instead. Trimmed it, dry brined it for 24 hours with kosher salt, and then rubbed and put in the oven at 250 until the internal temp is 200.
It had some of the smoke flavor from the paprika, and was pretty good.

 

[Wasi]

I did pulled pork for a while in the crock pot when I did not have a smoker. Here is a recipe I used and it turned our so good every time.


INGREDIENTS

• • 1 (4.5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast
  • 1 cup root beer
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups root beer
  • 1 1/2 fluid ounces whiskey
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup prepared barbecue sauce
  • 10 hamburger buns, split

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Place the pork shoulder roast into a large plastic bag, pour 1 cup of root beer over the meat, and squeeze out all the air from the bag. Seal the bag closed, and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight.
  2. The next day, mix together the light brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic salt, celery salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
  3. Remove the meat from the marinade, and shake off the excess. Rub the meat all over with the spice mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
  4. Mix together the balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 cups of root beer, whiskey, and brown sugar in a bowl, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
  5. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the meat on all sides until the meat develops a brown crust, about 3 minutes per side. Place the seared meat into a slow cooker. Pour the balsamic vinegar-root beer mixture over the meat, set the slow cooker to low, and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
  6. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Discard the bones and all but 1 cup of the liquid in the slow cooker. Return the shredded meat to the cooker, mix in the barbecue sauce, and let sit on Low until ready to serve. Serve piled on buns.

 

[cybrslydr]

What type of kettle do you have ? One touch clean out ?
The adjustment on the one touch system is very small . It only takes small adjustments to change the temp . Set up your fire and let it settle in . Mine likes to run around 250 , so that's my temp for smoking .
I add the meat with all the vents full open . See how adding the meat affects the temp . Give it time to recover . If it starts to climb , start closing the bottom vent 1/4 " at a time . Just give it time to react and settle in .
For your first time , bank the coals off to the side with some wood chunks . See how it goes . You can always finish in the oven like said above .

It's a Weber kettle. 22".

Are there any items WRT the grilling I might want to get? A Slow N Sear would be nice, but I can't get one here in time for this weekend. Home Depot in Casper says they're out of the baskets, but I do have a chimney.

 

[bregent]

Even put those straw fire-starters at equal intervals to try and help with that.

Those starters are great for getting coals started, but you should not have any food in the grill while they are burning - they give off a nasty aroma that can flavor the meat.

 

[bregent]

It's a Weber kettle. 22".

Are there any items WRT the grilling I might want to get? A Slow N Sear would be nice, but I can't get one here in time for this weekend. Home Depot in Casper says they're out of the baskets, but I do have a chimney.

I have a slow n sear. I've done beef ribs, brisket, and pork butt in the Weber and they turned out great. The new ones are even better with the removeable water pan. Another great accessory for high heat cooking on the kettle is the Vortex.

 

[cybrslydr]

Do I need to inject some sort of pectin-heavy liquid into the shoulder or am I good with just the rub and spritzing with apple juice?

 

[noboundaries]

Never heard of injecting with a pectin-heavy liquid. Spritzing is divided into those who do and those who don't. Spritzing is to add a specific flavor profile, and personally I don't spritz. Wastes heat and can wash away rub. It does nothing to keep the meat moist, which is another discussion entirely about collagen.

 

[cybrslydr]

Never heard of injecting with a pectin-heavy liquid. Spritzing is divided into those who do and those who don't. Spritzing is to add a specific flavor profile, and personally I don't spritz. Wastes heat and can wash away rub. It does nothing to keep the meat moist, which is another discussion entirely about collagen.

Well, I've no idea what the injection is for. I just assumed it was something with pectin in it to help break down the proteins and make the meat more tender rather than a flavor enhancer.

As for the spritz, a few vids I've watched use it to also help carmelize and enhance the bark rather than for flavor.

 

[bregent]

Well, I've no idea what the injection is for. I just assumed it was something with pectin in it to help break down the proteins and make the meat more tender rather than a flavor enhancer.

As for the spritz, a few vids I've watched use it to also help carmelize and enhance the bark rather than for flavor.

I don't inject or spritz. Pork butt has plenty enough flavor for me to not need injecting, and the collagen will break down and become tender with time.
A little sugar in the rub ensures you will get a good bark - spritzing just slows down the cook.

 

[cybrslydr]

I don't inject or spritz. Pork butt has plenty enough flavor for me to not need injecting, and the collagen will break down and become tender with time.
A little sugar in the rub ensures you will get a good bark - spritzing just slows down the cook.

Sounds good to me then!

 

[gsugg]

Although not as fun, a 30 to 50 gallon steel drum/barrel will work if you have an old one that hasn't had nasty chemicals in it.(Only takes minimal tools and ability to convert). I'm in eastern NC and cooking whole pigs is almost a rite of passage around here. We use 280 to 320 used kerosene drums from around old tobacco curing barns. They're usually 40 plus years old and we clean with a pressure washer, degreaser, soap, and then burn them out with a long hot fire. After that, fill with water for as long as you can wait (think weeks or greater).

We usually cook a whole pig or hog. (depending on how many you are going to cook for). The hog cooks skin side down over oak coals at 275 for 7 to 9 hours, till internal temps of ham and shoulder reaches 185 to 195. Then you turn it over and brown the skin for about 1 1/2 hours. During this last 1 1/2, soak the meat in combo of vinegar, salt, black pepper, and a small amount of red pepper. The skin makes a natural sort of pot to hold the sauce in. Just before it's ready to eat, you punch holes in the skin and let all the sauce drain out. Simmering for 30 minutes or so after draining the sauce leaves the flavor, but not the harshness of straight vinegar.

Sorry for the long winded post, but I always love getting people to try this style if they haven't had it yet. Hope it all went well for you. I'm sure it was great no matter what way you went with.