First Pulled Pork

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hawgman88

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 12, 2013
14
11
Arkansas
I smoked my first pork butt and overall it turned out pretty well. See my cooking log I have attached to get some information. I only have two complaints or concerns. The first is that the bark on the outside never hardened. It would slightly harden in spots but was more flakey than anything. When I rubbed it I didn't use any oil, I just applied the rub directly on the meat and it was not heavily covered (see photo below) Could this be why? How much rub should be applied? Also I didn't seem to have as much taste in the middle of the meat as I did around the outside. How can I get more flavor in the middle without injecting? I applied the rub just before putting it on the smoker. Should I let the rub sit on the meat for a period of time? The meat pulled very easy and tasted pretty good I thought. Critique please!




 
Bark looked good from here.  Some folks put a LOT of rub on the meat...and some let it sit over night in the fridge with rub..and put more on before going into the smoker.  Then there are those folks who "spritz" the meat during the cooking process to build up the bark.  Bark lovers do not foil the meat in the cooling process...and others do.

Try something a little different the next go around....it's all trial and error.  And the errors can be eaten!  Right?

Kat
 
I put a good bit of rub on mine because I like bark a lot. I tried mustard once & can honestly say I will not be using it again. I have NO trouble with the rub sticking.

I'd say your problem may have come from the water in your pan causing steam & preventing the bark from firming up. I don't use any water in my pan. If you need thermal mass, play sand works better than water & will keep your temps more constant than water since it won't evaporate.

I usually put my rub on right before the meat goes in the smoker as do lots of other people but there are plenty who prep it way ahead of time too - it's a personal preference...
 
Made it myself actually!

Very cool. Did you use Word? I would love to have that template. Oh. And the pulled pork looks good. You might want to whip up a finishing sauce made from the meat drippings to add to the meat once it's pulled.use the search bar and pick out a recipe that sounds good to you.... :grilling_smilie:
 
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