Author Topic: First Crack At Pulled Pork  (Read 3054 times)

t-motheviking

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First Crack At Pulled Pork
« on: September 15, 2017, 04:08:48 PM »
So this weekend I have decided to try pulled pork as blade roasts were on sale.  Going to keep it simple and use yellow mustard as a binder and season Famous Dave Rib Rub.  I am ordering a briner Jr soon so this one won't be getting brined since I don't have anything big enough to hold it.
Couple of questions:
Since the roast is skinless and not as big as a full butt (this roast is 3.5lbs), how much wood do y'all think is enough?
Does the 1.5-2 hour per pound rule hold up on such a small roast or will it be faster/longer?
How long do y'all rest the meat (foiled then wrapped in a towel and placed in a small cooler) before pulling it?
T-Mo from Morris, MN (West Central MN)
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old sarge

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #1 on: September 15, 2017, 11:51:03 PM »
I think your plan will work well. I always shoot for an internal temperature of 195; the stall hits at about 170/175.  From that point on it is a waiting game as the temp climbs slowly.   On the subject of wrapping, it depends upon when you plan on eating.  I've wrapped and placed in a cooler for several hours as it finished way sooner than expected.  I have also placed the finished butt in a covered stock pot to rest and pulled a half hour or so later as the butt finished 'just in time' for dinner; in other words, later than planned. This being your first butt, I would go light on the wood, say 3 ounces. Certainly no more than 4 until you see how things go and how much smoke you like.  But that is just me.  I do 5 to 6 ounces on large butts with double digit weight.
David from Arizona
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t-motheviking

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #2 on: September 16, 2017, 12:33:45 PM »
Well here we go!  Had more guests coming so had to get a second roast.  Coated 'em both in yellow mustard and gave em a good seasoning of the rib rub.  In the smoker at 9 with hickory and cherry and a small pan of Minnesota's finest beer Nordeast.  Started 'em at 9 to cook at 225 to an internal temp of 191 (I feel like the second the meat hits the target temp it shuts off so going for an extra degree so it is for sure 190).  The weather has been doing this on and off light sprinkle all morning so I just opened the garage door and left the smoker near it.  You'll notice my fancy Amana garage fridge that I recently got from an uncle so now I have double fridge space! Currently the temp is about 115 on the meat.  Excited to see how these turn out!
T-Mo from Morris, MN (West Central MN)
AKA The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking
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drains

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #3 on: September 16, 2017, 12:57:45 PM »
Looks like you have it all under control. Looking forward to pics of the final results. Wish i could reach through the screen and grab that cold beer.:P
Dale from East Texas
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t-motheviking

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #4 on: September 16, 2017, 02:27:37 PM »
The wood combination smells really good coming out of the smoker so here's hopin! Do they have Grain Belt down in Texas?!  I wanna visit Texas and go hog hunting some time cause I would imagine wild hog would smoke up pretty good!
T-Mo from Morris, MN (West Central MN)
AKA The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking
Smokin-It Model 3D
Cast Iron Lodge Sportsman Grill
Are electric smokers the mobile home of smokehouses?

drains

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #5 on: September 16, 2017, 05:18:46 PM »
I haven't seen it but then I wasn't looking either. Hog hunting is year round in Texas because of the damage they do to peoples property. There are actual contests hosted by local businesses and land owners that offer some pretty good bounties to the team that kills the most hogs over a given period of time. Bring a trailer and load up.
Dale from East Texas
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SuperDave

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #6 on: September 16, 2017, 07:22:17 PM »
I haven't seen it but then I wasn't looking either. Hog hunting is year round in Texas because of the damage they do to peoples property. There are actual contests hosted by local businesses and land owners that offer some pretty good bounties to the team that kills the most hogs over a given period of time. Bring a trailer and load up.
Love the footage of the helicopter teams that chase them down from the air. 
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t-motheviking

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #7 on: September 17, 2017, 12:47:07 PM »
I've got a Springfield M1A that I really wanna take down there and start slayin hogs!

So the two small roasts ended up taking 12 hours but it was some of the best pulled pork I've ever had!  The bark on them was phenomenal and it was really juicy and tender.  My buddy and his wife said it was definitely worth the wait so that's good.  Can't wait until I can brine them too and take it to another level!
T-Mo from Morris, MN (West Central MN)
AKA The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking
Smokin-It Model 3D
Cast Iron Lodge Sportsman Grill
Are electric smokers the mobile home of smokehouses?

old sarge

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #8 on: September 17, 2017, 01:21:53 PM »
Looks good to me!  Congratulations!!
David from Arizona
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SconnieQ

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #9 on: September 17, 2017, 01:48:56 PM »
Smaller roasts take more hours per pound than the larger ones. Yours took about 3.5 hours per pound, which is typical for the smaller sizes. You can think of it this way, it just takes a certain amount of time for the collagen and connective tissue to convert to gelatin and get tender, no matter what the size. So no matter how small, there is a minimum amount of time it takes to make that process happen. 12 hours might be pretty close to the minimum. So as a recommendation in general, allow at least 12 hours minimum for any size, then the larger the roast, the closer to 1.5 to 2 hours per pound you will get.
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drains

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #10 on: September 17, 2017, 05:46:00 PM »
Bring plenty of ammo. Great job on the pulled pork. Looks like you nailed it.
Dale from East Texas
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t-motheviking

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Re: First Crack At Pulled Pork
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2017, 12:58:02 AM »
Thanks y'all!

SconnieQ I didn't know that so I will keep that in mind for next time.

Drains I always bring more ammo then necessary!  No animal escapes if I still have a tag to fill!

My baby sister graduates high school this year and my Ma is talking to me about her buying some shoulders for me to smoke for the graduation party in the spring.  So that means I'll have to keep practicing until then so I get it down. Which is rough because this Lazy Q thing takes a lot of effort.  I have to season the meat, then put it in the smoker, find something I like to watch while the meat smokes, and I mean all those 12oz curls I do while the meat cooks add up real quick.  So much effort haha
T-Mo from Morris, MN (West Central MN)
AKA The Bear, Big Mo, Big Fuzz, The Viking
Smokin-It Model 3D
Cast Iron Lodge Sportsman Grill
Are electric smokers the mobile home of smokehouses?