Pulled Pork - Fat Back Up or Down

[Shawn_In_Training]

It's been a while since I have posted, but I have been watching (and using everyone's advice). I have a question. I have about 25 lbs of pork that to be smoked in my BS this weekend. I am going to smoke, pull, vacuum pack, and freeze for about 2 weeks before I re-heat for my family reunion.

My question is a basic one, fat cap up or down. I know the general opinion is fat cap up. All my pork is bone-out so there a lot of "cuts" from the butcher taking out the bone. Based on all these cuts, I am questioning the fat up practice. If is put the fat down it might trap some of the dripping juices and fat and make the meet more flavorful and moist. Of course, I am going to put bacon in the top rack so the bacon fat will be dripping down and being trapped – nothing better the bacon drippings! Would the fat cap down also help retain the bacon drippings?

Thanks for any input.
Shawn



Always trying to improve my technique

[nsxbill]

Fat cap up!

Bill

<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>

[Chez Bubba]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by nsxbill</i>
<br />Fat cap up!

Bill

<i>There is room on earth for all God's creatures....on my plate next to the mashed potatoes.</i>
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
What Bill said, with emphasis! The fat needs to drip through the meat.

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

[Habanero Smoker]

I agree with Bill and Chez.

If the butcher has not already done so, you may want to give some thought to buying some butcher's twine, and tying the meat up like they do with boneless roasts.

My preference is to smoke with the bone in. It may take longer to cook, but I feel it gives the meat extra flavor.

P.S.
This should make you the hit of the reunion.

[Baldrick615]

like they say on TV - pork fat rules!!!!

[Shawn_In_Training]

Thanks to all for the advice - its clear that I should quick thinking so much and just leave the fat side up. Boneless is the only cut our local Costco carries - so boneless it is. I should also read my posts before posting - the first post looks like it was composed by a grade schooler!

Smoking took about 20 hours and turned out great. I have just over 20 lbs of pulled pork vacuum packed, frozen, and ready for the reunion. After the pork came off I put on about 8-10 lbs of boneless chicken breasts. Smoked the chicken for a couple of hours and pulled that also. The chicken was an afterthought so I didn't really put in much effort or prep time. Marinated in Cajun Injector Herb and Garlic for less then 2 hours, smoked for 2 hours with bacon on top, FTC for a couple of hours, and pulled. Pulled chicken was great, especially based on the lack of effort.

Shawn

[JJC]

That's the beauty of the BS, Shawn--you get rewarded for extra effort, but even with minimal effort the result are excellent.  It's the most flexible and forgiving smoker I've seen!

John
Newton MA