1st pulled pork - not so pullable - newbie error

[weekendsmoker]

Well my first try at pulled pork went well considering, the taste was great and it was tender but I had to cut it up.  Where I made my mistake was....

When I turned my DBS on, I forgot to set the cook time so it went to the 4 hrs default.  I put it on at 10:00 Thursday night and it must have shut off at 2:00 a.m.  I turned it on again at 6:00 a.m., FTC'd it at 4:30 p.m. and ate at 6:30.  All in all it was good but I'm sure with the additional 4 hours it would have been much better. 

I learned a good lesson in smoking.

[Gizmo]

That time setting can be an easy one to overlook.  The actual cook time was way too short for low and slow in general for pulled pork unless you are using high temp.  You didn't mention what the IT of the meat was so I suspect you did not reach a temp high enough to break down the collegen for pulling.  If you needed to eat by 6:30, you could have moved it from the bradely after the smoke and foil boated with a cover and a little AJ in the bottom and put it in the house oven at 350 or so to finish it off.

[MoSmoke]

Weekendsmoker, welcome to the forum.
Gizmo has it pretty well pegged.
low and slow is the way to smoke the pork butts.
Depending on the weight of the pork butt and your smoker temp it could take 16+ hours.
If you live where it's really cold at night the 4 hour shutdown you had could have taken you back to square one as for as cooking time. The DBS has that 9 hour timer feature which I've heard a lot of owners talk (complain) about for long slow smokes. Make sure you reset it before hitting the sack.
Some sort of thermometer for watching the IT of the butt is almost required and as Giz stated that "plateau" where the IT temps stall in the 160 range can last 2 to 4 hours depending on the makeup of the butt. I usually do two at a time with a total weight of 14 to 16 pounds and shoot for about 20 hours smoking and FTC time. I cook them at 210 to 220 and Ftc them when they reach an IT of 195.

Good Luck.

John

[Sparky47]

Weekend,

Giz and Mo hit it on the head.  I just wanted to add my 2 cents.  Try using an internal temp probe, it will take the guess work out of, is it done or isn't it.  I have seen a 10lb butt take up to 18hrs, they will hit a plateau and stay there for several hours.  I personally pull mine at 195* add a little apple juice and FTC them for up to 4 hrs.  At that internal temp, they will pull very easily.  Hope this helps.  Happy Smokin.

[icerat4]

Way to go.

[iceman]

They have spoken.
Low, slow, pull and FTC 190 / 195.
It is time to try again and again and again.
Never ending quest for the perfect butt.
Just try it again soon weekendsmoker  ;D ;)

[La Quinta]

Ahh yes...the never-ending quest for the perfect butt...uh...well...never mind...it's a chick thing!!! :) :) :)

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

I am, drinking at a distance.   :D

Sparkler

[btlear]

Wish I would have found this board months ago...not understanding venting has almost roached my generator because the GD manual doesn't tell idiots like me in a way I can understand...

Whats "FTC"?

[Mr Walleye]

Hi btlear & welcome to the forum

FTC = Foil Towel Cooler

When most members do butts they allow a cushion of time at the end of the smoke till it's time to eat. When the butt comes to temp you wrap it foil, I usually give it a shot of apple juice, then wrap a towel or two around it and put it in a cooler. You can keep a butt very warm for up to 6 hours this way and it acts as a time buffer until you are ready to eat. It also aids in continuing to break down the meat.

Mike

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum.

[Consiglieri]

First, welcome to all.  Next, I did a 9 pound shoulder this weekend, and the bone in sucker took some time.  I slathered with my favorite recipe, dry rubbed with a healthy dose, did so again the morning after (need that bark, ya see). Preheated the DBS to 250 and put the meat in at 6 pm.  Turned the temp setting down to 230F.  Target box temp of 210 to 220F.

4 hours of smoke planned, equal parts hickory, pecan and apple (rave reviews, by the way).  Cooked to an internal temp of 195, about 3pm the next day, probably because of bone-in.  FTC till 7.  Shred (clean bone) and toss with a pint of Ice's sauce and a half cup of cider vinegar.  More of Ice's sauce on the side.  Lot's of questions, lot's of happy customers, and I expect lot's of future Ice sauce orders.

Ice: thanks for making us all look good!

[La Quinta]

Amen Consigs!! :)