Basic Pulled Pork Smoke

[bobcape]

These butts turned out great! Interesting part to me was this - I pulled them out of the smoker at 4:00. I double foil wrapped them then wrapped them in a towel and put them in my cooler. I took one out an hour later and pulled it apart. I took it to a Christmas Eve dinner. Left the other one wrapped in the cooler. When I got back home at 10:45, the other one in the cooler was still very hot! No problem staying hot after nearly 7 hours.

Bob

 

[jokensmoken]

Great tutorial.
I do mine exactly that way however, I don't always mop nor wrap in foil...I've found, for me anyway, mopping does little to the over all flavor...Mopping and wrapping does effect the taste and appearance of the "bark" and foil wrapping does help you retain some of those prescious juices that can later be used in cooking...IE beans, sauces, gravies etc... Wrapping mopping or spritzing is purely a personal preference...In any regards you'll be hard pressed to NOT have wonderful pulled pork following this tutorial.

 

[tenncubfan]

I smoked my first butt over this past weekend with these instructions. A 9.5 lb beauty. It's the first time I've smoked anything. It was amazing. Truly, it was the best pulled pork I've ever had.

I had it on my big green egg at 240 degrees for 15 hours. Then, foiled it and finished it in the oven over 2 hours at 275 (it was 3 in the morning and I had to sleep).

The bark turned out great and the meat was tender and juicy.

Thanks for the advice. I'm really excited to do it again. Cheers!

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[99jaapie]

Gonna try this....

 

[joshua04]

I'm going to try the mustard and fat cap down for the 1st time. Never used mustard and have always put fat up. My question is do you apply extra rub after the Butt comes out of the Saran Wrap? Thanks.

 

[jokensmoken]

I've done it both ways and personally never noticed much difference, however I am very generous with my rub and think that may be a contributing factor...What I do like is to add a little more rub during the pulling for a little extra flavor and/or add a little to the drippings before I mix them back in while pulling.
This probably doesn't really answer your question so I'll add this, as long as you're not heavy with the salt content or hot pepper, it's hard to use too much rub, within reason of course.

Walt.

 

[joshua04]

Hey thanks Walt, you did infact answer it. I really love smoking so if it doesn't turn out to well that gives me a reason to do it again right? Lol..

 

[thrutubingcuein]

First pork butt in my new smoker

 

[metsfan2152]

Has anyone added honey or butter when they go to wrap the pork butt?

 

[g cross]

Hello. Im new here and have a litle emergency on my hands. I went to bed while my 9lb butt was in the smoker and was woken up by my alarm showing a lost signal on my wireless thrmo... Went downstairs and found that because of the cold it actually lost its temp and the smoker shut off (traeger) got it back up but now im late on my lunch and have 12 people showing up in 2.5 hours and im at 160 IT.... Is t okay to crank it to 300-350 degrees to speed it up? 

 

[jarjarchef]

 
Hello. Im new here and have a litle emergency on my hands. I went to bed while my 9lb butt was in the smoker and was woken up by my alarm showing a lost signal on my wireless thrmo... Went downstairs and found that because of the cold it actually lost its temp and the smoker shut off (traeger) got it back up but now im late on my lunch and have 12 people showing up in 2.5 hours and im at 160 IT.... Is t okay to crank it to 300-350 degrees to speed it up? 

I am guessing you figured it out since it was a few days ago. But if it happens again or to someone else.... I would wrap with some juices and then crank the smoker or oven up to finish it. If it is a real close time line, you could even break the meat down to smaller pieces , wrap and then place into a hot smoker or oven. By wrapping you do 2 things. 1st you keep the meat from getting to dark and 2nd you are now cooking with moist heat/braising and it will keep the meat moist and helps speed the cooking up.

 

[bahfotl]

 
Hello. Im new here and have a litle emergency on my hands. I went to bed while my 9lb butt was in the smoker and was woken up by my alarm showing a lost signal on my wireless thrmo... Went downstairs and found that because of the cold it actually lost its temp and the smoker shut off (traeger) got it back up but now im late on my lunch and have 12 people showing up in 2.5 hours and im at 160 IT.... Is t okay to crank it to 300-350 degrees to speed it up? 

To add to what JarJar said. Remember everybody,the meat gets all of the smoke it needs in the first couple of hours of cooking! By the time it gets to 165, depending on the IT you started with, it should already have all of the flavor you need! It's then just a matter of getting it up to temp to finish the cook. Also an IT of 165 is PERFECT to begin the process of converting the collagen and connective tissue to that succulent gelatin we are all shooting for and THAT gives the meat the luscious texture and additional flavor we also crave. If you lose you smoke, your fire goes out, or some other calamity occurs, just pop it in the oven, get it up to 205-215 then pull it out and let it rest for as long as you like, using any of the methods described here. Towel and cooler, foil wrap and counter, wave it over your head in a speedo, whatever. This is meat we're talking about not rocket science. Every single smoke is a work of art and Quality is a journey. Use each session to learn what works, what doesn't and how to improve. Even a failure is a learning process IF you take notes and discover whatnot to do or how to improve on your skills. Happy eating my friends!

Oh and G, how'd the meal go? how did you finish the cook? and what were the reviews?

 

[bahfotl]

I've done perhaps a hundred "butts" over the years and have used many techniques. I've smoked 50 at a time over a brick pit with 14in. sheet steel covers  and used green pecan. I've used many different HOG (horizontal offset grills) and used dry Oak. I've used UDS (Ugly Drum Smokers) and charcoal. and I've used WKG (weber Kettle Grills). I've used every coating imaginable, from dry rub alone, to oiled dry rubs, to mustard based dry rubs, to vinegar and beer mops, to BBQ sauce. Everyone of them has been edible and enjoyable. 

Today I am trying the Meowy method on my new VOS (Vertical Offset Smoker) a GHP Group Dyna-Glo DGO 1890 BDC-D. This is only my second run on this smoker and I am awaiting a couple of items to tune it up, ( Lavalock gasket to seal the connection between the firebox and CC) and High temp food Grade silicone for a couple of smaller areas so that I can get a better control of air flow and temperature.

I have a 9.05 lb, bone in "Butt" that I've oiled up with  Chosen Foods avocado oil, and rubbed with Trade East Classic BBQ rub.

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rubbed and ready for the smoke!

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It Starts!

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Beginning outside temp is 26 degrees, sunny and no wind to speak of. I'm using the last of a bag of Kingsford Apple wood briquettes (a full charcoal basket)Some "Western" brand Oak chunks for smoke, and "All Natural Full Circle) Lump charcoal to finish the cook with. I pray I'll have enough fuel to smoke this puppy! If not, I also have some assorted plum and apple pieces downstairs I was saving for a future smoke to use as flavoring. But we'll see.

So I started tej coals at 11:45 and added them to the basket for a Minion style fire. Got the CC up to 225 by 12:30 and put the butt on at 12:45 with the CC at 235f and the meat at 35f IT. 

It's now 1445 and I've been chasing the CC temp all afternoon! It's been anywhere between 270f to 200f with an average between 225 and 245 for most of the time. I'm sure that once I get her properly sealed and figure out which fuel to use, I'll be able to nail the CC temps and keep them within 15-20 degrees of 225f which is my goal. The meat is humming along at 91f IT right now and am gonna start spraying it at 100f as peer Meowy's instructions with a concoction of 3 parts Mrs' Braggs ACV, one part George Dickle's No. 12 sour Mash, (my go to whiskey), and 1 part Grand Marnier, (I love the citrus jolt of this stuff in fine dining recipes so I figured WTH). 

the pit seems to have settled into a rhythm now with the CC at 232-235f with the side grate open at 2/3rds and the outlet wide open. I added a couple handfuls of the lump coals and am getting ready to head over to my M-I-L's for a cup of Joe with them and the wife. They just got back from Fla so I Gotta stop in and say Hi, but the smoke gives me the excuse to bail after a cup or two. (Just another reason to love this hobby! Don't have too much time to schmooze when the smoke's on!) More to come!

 

[bahfotl]

The cuppa idea, even though it was great to see the In Law's after them being away for the winter, was not a good idea! When I got home (an hour and a half later) the CC temp was way down, 165 and falling and they only had a little bit of lump charcoal left. so, I dumped the remainder of the charcoal in the firebox and made a mad dash to the box store for another bag of carbon. I bought three instead! Got back home within 45 minutes and after about an hour I got the rig back up to 245f and have been holding between 225 and 240 most of the night. 

So, here it is 10:30 pm been at 165 for over 2 hrs and I'm done with waiting out the stall! and I just put the butt in a cast iron roasting pan , covered it with double wrap of HD foil and added a couple handfuls of briquettes to the fire. Should overcome the stall soon and then I'll take her up to the final 205 before wrapping the whole thing in the cast iron in blankets and let her sit in the igloo overnight before I open her up and pull it before church! Part of my problem is, I believe the airflow issue due to leaks from sloppy tolerances, the 26 degree outside temps all day, and a small firebox. I'm fairly excited to give this a taste due to the Dickle and GM in the spray. Will post back in an hour or so to see if it overcomes the stall.

Also, I also just finished reading the entire 34 pages of this post and remember reading somewhere the question was asked "why score the fatcap, or the top of the butt?" The answer is pure mathematics. If you score the surface area of the butt you increase the total surface area that you can then add more delicious rub into and therefore create more bark! The nooks and crannies also contribute to a texture differential that may or may not enhance the PP experience. We'll see in the end!

 

[bahfotl]

Ok, final update. The butt finally came up to temp at 1 am, I hit 196 IT and decided to take her off the smoke and place in my igloo. I double wrapped her in a blanket and an old terry cloth robe, placed her in a smaller igloo and placed the top on for the long awaited rest. went to bed and got 6 hour sleep. the maverick 733 woke me at 5:30 to let me know she had gone below 170 so I went back to sleep and when I woke up at 7 she was still at 147f .Still above the danger zone.As I had to get to church by 8:30, I put her in the oven at 170 to cruise until we got home at noon. since the juices were still floating around her I figured it would be ok to pull,so I slide out the bone and went to town with the bear claws.

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When I got done tearing it apart, added the finishing sauce and put the juices back in, it was great! 

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So as a recap, I spent 12 hours smoking, 6 hours resting in the cooler and 5 more in the oven soaking all of its own juices. 23 hours total before serving, and it was still succulent and tasty. One of the best butts ever! This goes to show you how flexible this cut of meat is if you treat it right.

 

[illinifever]

Has anyone ever used a pineapple brine for pork butt? I want to use it but worried about how it would harm or be simply amazing. Thoughts?

 

[dr k]

Has anyone ever used a pineapple brine for pork butt? I want to use it but worried about how it would harm or be simply amazing. Thoughts?

Bromelain is a natural protease. It's a protein enzyme that Adolf's tenderizer used. It sounds like it would break down protein and add flavor. Idiots that take the pineapple challege to eat an entire pineapple can't finish it because the enzyme breaks down the cell walls in the mouth and it's too painful to finish.
-Kurt

 

[noboundaries]

For marinades and brines I've used pineapple juice, apple juice, orange juice, tart cherry juice, dark beer, teriyaki sauce, water, cheap tequila, and more that I can't even remember.  I do not recall ever being able to taste the flavor of the juice specifically after a smoke. 

The butt I did on Sunday/Monday was a pre-brined butt (12% solution of salts), marinated 24 hours in minced onion, garlic, tart cherry juice, and teriyaki juice.  Rinsed it off, patted dry, sprayed with oil, heavy new rub, sprayed with oil again, smoked with hickory wood for 19.5 hours, no wrapping.  Served with finishing sauce.  A bit on the salty side, but PACKED WITH FLAVOR!  Absolutely my favorite of the dozens and dozens I've done. 

The only way I can ever taste the fruit juice on a smoked butt is to add the juice after it is pulled.  Some folks in my family like a sweeter profile.  I have them add juice and a little brown sugar to their meat.  To each their own.       

 

[jarjarchef]

Has anyone ever used a pineapple brine for pork butt? I want to use it but worried about how it would harm or be simply amazing. Thoughts?

If you are going to use pineapple juice, use canned. If you use fresh it has a natural heat activated enzyme that will break the meat down (tenderizer), and over the long cook it will turn the meat mushy. There are some other fruits that have the same reaction, papaya being one. The pasteurization process makes the enzyme not active, but you get the flavor.

As others have mentioned, I add mine after pulled or in the final stages of the cook.

 

[jokensmoken]

I've never used it as a brine but it is a go ingredient I add to my foil wrap while the finished butt rests.
I use one part apple cider or juice one part pineapple juice one part chicken broth to make about 1 (or slightly more) cup of juice to add to the foil wrap...Sometimes I'll mix in a little of my rub (1 TBS, not much more)...All these juices get mixed back into the pork after it's pulled and gives it a real nice sweetness...If that's what you like...Some of my guest have said "a little sweet for my taste" but most love it and NOBODY EVER turns it down.