Attempting Pork Butt On WSM!

[HoosierKettle]

Vette10R it'll be fine. You got this.

People care about tender and juicy more than bark.  True story. I'm gonna start wrapping sooner. Mine have been drier than they should be. "But great bark."

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[Vette10R]

Pulled her at 198 degrees after about 10.5 hours! I have her wrapped in foil and wrapped in a few towels in my cooler. Hopefully she stays safe in there for another 6 hours!

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[CarrieAnn]

Since you already have all kinds of great advice regarding your smoke I won't repeat what's already been said. I also agree with juicy >bark. Frankly, if the bark isn't shredded enough I can't even eat it as it gets stuck in my throat.

So while you wait and as you experiment, might I suggest you try your hand at making a couple different sauces?? My family adores the Rootbeer BBQ sauce you can find at TVWBB.  Surf around and find a couple different ones. In your position, I'd be looking for one "traditional" sweet, one sweet-hot, one mustard and maybe a vinegar and maybe a white or something completely different from the rest. You'll have something for all tastes and with your butts cooked all the same way you'll still be offering a smorgasbord of different flavors. As well you can cook all of this well ahead (hell, rootbeer I use flat rootbeer so how's that for recycling/no waste!). 

You whomp out those butts and a couple different sauces and your rep as Mr Bad Ass of the BBQ will be solidified and you're only problem at that point is going to be your knockin' door and your ringiin' phone with family and friends begging for a bbq invite.


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[Vette10R]

Good thinking I've never made any sauce I have to give it a try!

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[Vette10R]

I just shredded half the butt and chunked the rest then sealed a three in the freezer. The shredded stuff went in the fridge, I'll just heat it up a little before we eat today. I did take a few samples and damn its tasting good!! I can't wait to eat tonight!

Any recommendations on reheating this afternoon?

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[Mike in Roseville]

Good thinking I've never made any sauce I have to give it a try!

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If you don't have time to make sauce, take your favorite bottled sauce....add white vinegar.

4 parts sauce, 1 part vinegar is where I usually like it. If one part vinegar isn't enough (if your sauce is super sweet and sticky) add more to thin.


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[addicted-to-smoke]

Man, I really like all these suggestions. Gonna be great.

[1buckie]

I just shredded half the butt and chunked the rest then sealed a three in the freezer. The shredded stuff went in the fridge, I'll just heat it up a little before we eat today. I did take a few samples and damn its tasting good!! I can't wait to eat tonight!

Any recommendations on reheating this afternoon?

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Seriously?

You got this! Its really (and I do mean...REALLY) hard to screw up a pork butt. Ambitious doing a bunch so soon...but practice a little and you will nail it. Trust me.

Here we go...school's in session:

~Increase your cook temp for starters. You won't hurt it by trying to cook hotter. 275 is a nice mid point between low/slow & hot/fast. I've been cooking them at 325 lately and haven't looked back. Last butts I did  (7.5lbs untrimmed) I woke up later in the morning that I wanted and I still had them done, rested, and eating in 6.5 hours from when the meat hit the grate (and I really wasn't rushing it).  The hotter you cook, the faster it's done.

~Spritz it only if it looks really dry. Otherwise, don't. My spritz is...2 to 3 parts Apple Juice/1 Part ACV (and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce). If it's getting dark quickly spritz with vinegar or plain water (don't add any additional sugars that will just burn).

~Keep the lid closed (and if the lid is off, work quickly). If you're lookin,' you ain't cookin.' Check it on the hour. Later in the cook, (195 internal) every 20/30 minutes. When you remove the lid for too long, the temp drops...then spikes. If you have a second person handy when transferring meat, have them grab the lid while you grab the meat. It will keep your pit temp steady (where it needs to be). If it gets too hot, close everything down...then slowly open it back up. You'll be fine.

~Wrap it in foil DURING the cook. "F"oil is your "F"riend (they both start with F...so it's easy to remember). Some people wrap to temp, some to color, some to time. I say...color is where I usually wrap. Time and temp can vary from cook to cook depending on weather, meat, pit temp, etc. So wrapping in foil midway when I get a color I like...sometimes its 155-165ish; is the bark softer? Yes. Does it still have bark? Yes. Is it juicy? Yes! I'll let you in on a super secret about pulled pork. Sshhh...please, please, please don't tell anyone, ok? Here it is: People care about tender and juicy more than bark. Take an unbiased poll if you don't believe me. Bark is overrated and relegated to "beauty contests." If your rub is good, it will translate into a flavor that makes a nice bark and an excellent contrast between most of the pork in the interior (that has no bark) and the exterior. Some of the best butts I have ever made had a nice smoke ring, smoke flavor, and a soft, reddish/mahogany bark. Seriously. If you're feeding a crowd, ditch the competition mentality and go for best TASTING food. Focus more of your time "crushing" the choice of roll, bbq sauce, and the type of slaw (I prefer vinegar slaw over mayo btw).

~Pull 195-205. If you pull earlier, it will be done. Just not "pulled pork." It will slice fairly well. Pull higher than 205 and it will still pull. It may just be that you may get some mushy (or dry) pork. If you're pressed for time, and I mean hungry guests gathering around the pit, pull at the highest temp possibly under 205 and...disregard the next step.

~Open the foil and vent it for about 3-5 minutes minutes minimum (some people vent for 20-30 min). Regardless...let that steam out or it will keep cooking (unless you're pressed for time and need it to keep cooking).

~Keep the pork chunked/whole in a cooler or cambro until serving. All of that moisture you worked to save will evaporate when you start shredding it. If vac sealing, keep it chunked with juice from the foil.

Alrighty...

Fire up that pit and get after it! Do one a week before the big cook to nail down your process/procedure. If you nail it, repeat. If for some reason it isn't the best, offer it to your neighbors with some sauce.

You got this.

Ok...pencils down. Any questions?

See.....Mike was right.......you got this!!!
It wasn't an attempt, it was going to a be a completion regardless........just how well it comes out."....

260 is a good pivot/Center point for these kind of things.......if you're aiming at 225 & fall a little low like the first cook (215) & the therm if off even a smudgin you're under the boiling point of water....

Meat cooks by "pushing moisture out" ......mostly water moisture..".at 210, An 8 ounce....ounce.... Pork butt could theoretically take forever.....and that's a loooonnnnng time!!!

Congrats....glad you nailed it!!!!!

[Vette10R]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions folks! After this cook I do feel a lot more confident at tackling 30-40 pounds. The party is on the 30th so I'm going to try and get the 29th off work then cook the butts all day Friday, pop them in the fridge and warm up Saturday.

A couple more questions. When I do the big cook Friday should I shred the pork before the fridge or should I cut it in chunks then warm it up in chunks saturday then shred?

Also when I warmed up the pork last night for dinner I put some apple juice in then covered and cooked at 300 degrees till the meat hit 160. It was a little but dry but not to bad, should I try different temps or more juice?

Thanks

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[Mike in Roseville]

A couple more questions. When I do the big cook Friday should I shred the pork before the fridge or should I cut it in chunks then warm it up in chunks saturday then shred?

Also when I warmed up the pork last night for dinner I put some apple juice in then covered and cooked at 300 degrees till the meat hit 160. It was a little but dry but not to bad, should I try different temps or more juice?

Thanks

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Store it in chunks and reheat that way. Shred right before serving.

So if you pull the meat off when it's done, vent the steam from the foil. If you don't, I promise it will be dry later. Buckie is correct...cooking the meat is essentially "pushing moisture out." If the meat keeps cooking you'll remove the moisture from it.

So vent it. And stop the cooking when it's the tenderness you want.

Most people discard the juice in the bottom of the foil (But it's easy to collect if you put the foil wrapped meat into a disposable foil pan when resting). One idea is pour it in a fat separator and reserve(or chill it all down in a pitcher/bowl and remove the fat with a spoon).

This is completely optional

Some people heat the meat juice and pour a little over the meat when you shred (if it's really dry). Some people mix it with sauce to incorporate that way. Other people save and add it to beans. Or if the meat is juicy as-is...you don't need to use it at all. Just keep it as an ace up your sleeve just in case.








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[CarrieAnn]

Keep it as whole as you can when you pack it as others have said. I would vac seal it (I have a food saver) and when reheating, I'd pop the vac pack in simmering water to bring to heat, then open them, shred and put them in crockpots or chafing dishes.


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[Mike in Roseville]

Keep it as whole as you can when you pack it as others have said. I would vac seal it (I have a food saver) and when reheating, I'd pop the vac pack in simmering water to bring to heat, then open them, shred and put them in crockpots or chafing dishes.


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☝️ this is method works very well. Whatever vac bags you don't open...keep them sealed and toss in the freezer.


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[Vette10R]

Mike and CarrieAnn thanks again for the great advice. I'll be posting up when I do the big cook June 29th, I hope you all follow along there as well!

Now I need to find some bbq sauce recipes! And start playing around

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[1buckie]

When you go to do 35-40 lbs. at once, remember that you're starting off w/five times the cold meat mass as doing one 7.5lb.  piece.........it will take quite a bit long to get up to run temp before things level out.."
Start out hot...hotter by 35-40 degrees that you would for one.....it will then get to cruising altitude much more quickly......saving you a freak out 6-7 hours later......

[Vette10R]

When you go to do 35-40 lbs. at once, remember that you're starting off w/five times the cold meat mass as doing one 7.5lb.  piece.........it will take quite a bit long to get up to run temp before things level out.."
Start out hot...hotter by 35-40 degrees that you would for one.....it will then get to cruising altitude much more quickly......saving you a freak out 6-7 hours later......

Yeah I was thinking about that too. I figured if I get it to 300 before putting everything on then get it dialed in between 250 and 300 for the entire cook?

I might try using sand instead of water to help keep the temp up a little, also it sounds like with sand you use less fuel while cooking. I haven't tried sand yet so I'm not sure if it's a good idea to attempt it on this large cook? Maybe I should make some ribs this week with sand to see how it reacts.

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