A couple of questions on preparing pulled pork

ht01us

New member
I got some great advice after my experience with beef ribs. What was good will be great next time.

So, thinking ahead, I thought I'd ask before instead of after doing some pulled pork. Even though this dish is one I've prepared many times on different grills I can still learn. I'm going to do 2 butts and answer (for myself) once and for all "is brining a good idea?" So, I'll want to have the brine be the only variable. I'll brine one and not the other. I'll apply a rub just before putting on the grill. I'm not going to foil, since I'm trying to compare to earlier cooks on other equipment.

My two questions.
  1. How should I program the Pellet Boss? My initital plan is to simply turn the grill to 225 and pull when the probe hits 190. Do you recommend putting it on "smoke" first for 30 minutes or an hour, then 225? Or do you recommend some other configuration. Put simply: How do you program the Pellet Boss for pulled pork?
  2. How should I position my pork butts? My initial plan is just slap them on the grill and let 'er rip. But how about putting a couple of disposable aluminum pans on the grill and placing the butts on the full upper rack over the pans?

Looking forward to your feedback.
 

CarterQ

Moderator
There are way more seasoned veterans on here, and I'm sure they will chime in as well, but here is what I do. I find that the MAK puts out plenty of smoke @225 so when doing pork shoulders and butts I rub, place on a frogmat, and come back when it hits 195. Off the grill I will foil, wrap in a towel and toss in an ice chest for few hours before pulling, resting definitely is a must. I like one temp, simple and easy and they come out perfect every time. Never brined before, definitely curious to see how that comes out.
 
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Mr Hickory

New member
Ok, I have done exactly 1 pork butt, however, I did the rub the night before without brine, cooked @225 until it hit 190, THEN put it in a roasting pan with some extra basting and foiled until it hit 200. Yup, 200, and it was juicy and tender. I would agree the MAK puts out plenty of smoke at 225.

Of course all cooked fat side up, and I did not trim any off. There is a picture here on the forum of my pulled pork, with my pooch licking her chops off to the side.
 

squirtthecat

New member
I'm with CarterQ. I slather, rub, toss on MAK @ 225° until IT of 195°. (more often than not, I let them go to 200°)
Foil tight and let rest wrapped in an old towel + cooler for a couple hours, and pull/enjoy.

I've tried running overnight on 'smoke', but the end result wasn't any different - it just took longer.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
OK I foil at the color I want and usually that is somewhere between 165-180 I then double wrap in foil tightly with about 1/3 of a cup of some kind of liquid and cook until at least 195....I did two today and will pos as soon as I up load them I put in a cooler surrounded by twoels and let rest for several hours. buttah!

I also season them when I plan on cooking...In comps we season it about 10 hours before and we also inject. I no longer inject at home...The ones tonight were the best I have cooked.
 

ht01us

New member
Ah; great info! Thanks all. How about my idea of cooking on the upper rack with aluminum pans underneath. I guess I'm lazy; I'm thinking it might be easier cleanup...
 

CarterQ

Moderator
It wouldn't affect the cook but it would keep the grill clean. After a long cook I usually just crank it up on high for a little bit to burn the grease off and then we are good to go for the next cook (after cleaning the fire pot).
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
Actually I like cookiing roasts higher on the rack especailly it is more even and the convection really works
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I think what your doing with the brining test is smart, because only you can decide if you like brining or not. Just because I like/dislike it doesn't mean a hill of beans for you.

The longer I stick around this forum the more convinced I am that pork shoulders are very forgiving and hard to mess up allowing for a LOT of personal preference.

On brining; I personally don't like brining pork shoulders for two reasons: First, because I think they tend to taste hammy. Secondly, because of blood pressure I stay away from excess salt.

Also, be sure the shoulders you buy have NOT been "Enhanced", or your test won't matter because they will already have been injected with a brining solution.

That's my two cents (and just about what its worth! - lol)
 

ht01us

New member
Alright, the plan is coming together to set my baseline for pulled pork. Brine one in saltwater with molasses; rub both (may rub the un-brined one the night before).

Then; place on frogmats on upper rack over disposable aluminum pans at 225 until internal temp hits 195.

That will help me determine which I like better. From there, I'll take the "winner" and move to the next addition. Unfortunately it won't be this weekend; but soon, very soon. I'll get pictures and post when I get to it.

Thanks to everyone for the help. Y'all are right, pulled pork is a pretty forgiving piece of meat. When I first started cooking about 10 years ago, my first cook was pulled pork over a hot plate with wood chunks in a pie pan stuck inside a terracotta pot (Alton Brown style). It was fabulous. The setup wasn't very flexible; I could do 1 pork butt, couldn't get a rack of ribs on there, let alone 2.
 

KyNola

Member
The last few butts I have done I have trimmed the fat cap from them, slathered with molasses and applied a heavy coat of rub. I go straight to the MAK on frogmats with them positioned side by side. I start on the "smoke" setting for a couple of hours and then bump to 225 until the IT gets around 195. Off they come and into the FTC. I don't foil my butts at all during the cooking process as I am looking for a heavier bark. That's a bit different than what I have read here but I have had some pretty good results with it and have been asked to do it for friends.
 

sparky

New member
once andy was talking about cutting the fat cap off completely. i only use this method now. more bark and smoke to it. smoke good.
 

ht01us

New member
KyNola,

I like that idea of the molasses and then rub. I may try that on the unbrined one. Looks like you do like to set to "smoke" first.
Hmmm; I have a spring and summer of experimentation ahead of me. AWESOME!
 
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KyNola

Member
Sparky hit on some of the advantages of cutting off the fat cap. I find the butts with the cap off are just as moist as the ones with the cap still intact. By removing the fat cap, I find I don't have as much fat to pick out of the pulled meat.

Have fun with your experiments!
 

Carter13

New member
I cut the fat caps of of the last two butts I did and they turned out great. Definately more bark and less fat to remove when pulling.
Like many here I apply mustard as a glue, apply a heavy amout of rub and cook at 225 until IT hits 195. FTC for two hours and pull.
 

So Cal Smoker

New member
Keep the juices from the foil pan and add a little Apple juice, Apple cider vinegar, and Yoshida's (all to taste). After pulling the Butt, take a hand full of pork and add some of the mixture to it. You may find it awesome.
 

ht01us

New member
Keep the juices from the foil pan and add a little Apple juice, Apple cider vinegar, and Yoshida's (all to taste). After pulling the Butt, take a hand full of pork and add some of the mixture to it. You may find it awesome.

Oh! That sounds great. I'll definitely do that. I never had the ability to save the drippings in my clay pot cooker.
 
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