Quick Pulled Pork Slather & Rub question

[smoker pete]

Decided to get off my Butt  ;D and do my first Pork Shoulder Roast!  Been putting it off for way too long so made a quick trip to my local butcher and brought home an  8.59 lb. Butt.  So here I am having to quickly figure out what to slather and rub this chunk of pork with.  I know that there are a zillion answers to this but I need to get her ready and pop it in the fridge overnight.

Been thinking about using Carolina Treet and maybe some John Henry's Texas Pig Rub or John Henry's Pecan Rub Seasoning over the CT.  What do the experts think?

Figure I'll use 4 hrs of hickory with PID set to 225ºF.  Thinking that it will probably take me ± 18-20 hours.

[FLBentRider]

I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

[DTAggie]

Hey Pete you can't wrong with either one.  What took you so long to get your first butt?

[smoker pete]

Hey Pete you can't wrong with either one.  What took you so long to get your first butt?

Decided to slather with CT and chose to use John Henry's Pecan Rub Seasoning cause SWMBO is a big fan of Pecan.  It's sitting in the fridge till 4PM my time where I'll slap it in the OBS for a ± 18-20 hour event.

What took me so long?  Fear, ignorance, $$ for a big chunk of meat, ... and then some  :-\ ???   I guess I just got complacent with chickens/turkeys/pork loins, etc. and left pulled pork, prime ribs, briskets and such to the "experts".  Hey, maybe one of these days I'll look in the mirror and say "I are one too"  ;D ;D  Time will tell.  Practice, practice makes perfect ...

[wyoduke]

Sounds like you have a great plan  :)

[KyNola]

Pete,
No need to look in the mirror.  We have all seen some of your cooks and it's fair to say you're an expert.  And for the record, pulled pork is about the easiest thing you can do in a smoker.  Just don't panic when the IT stalls for several hours.  That's when the magic is happening.  Just let it go and pour another drink. :D

[muebe]

Pete the others are correct. Pulled pork is a fairly easy thing to smoke. Now I like to take mine to a IT of 200 degrees and also foil it for the second half of the smoke. You will lose the bark doing this so if you like bark then don't. But foil will speed up the breakdown time of the connective tissues and allow you to FTC very quickly. I find it makes for a very moist and tender pulled pork ;D

[RAF128]

Pulled pork is pretty much fool proof.   The part for me is deciding on what rub and then I still worry about the IT stall.    Stall seems to go on for ever.   But, in the end everything goes like it's supposed to.   And you usually get lots of compliments from those that are enjoying the food.

[FLBentRider]

I agree - butts are easy - short cook - compared to a 40-hour Ham.  :P

[smoker pete]

I agree - butts are easy - short cook - compared to a 40-hour Ham.  :P

I'm sure I'll get to the point where an 18-20 hour Butt is considered short  ;D ;D  40 hours - Wow that's a loooooong time FLBR!!!!

Right now I'm just trying to survive this butt smokin or should I say a butt woopin ... 2nd puck would not advance.  Pushed advance button too many times and it still would not advance.  Unloaded 4+ hours of pucks and am now feeding them one at a time by hand.  Believe I need to clean out the inside of the SG again!!  Also I am discovering that the used bisquettes aren't always pushed off the end.  There appears to be a gap between the slide and the heating pad.  So every couple of cycles I open the door and push the used puck into the water.

Then I noticed a large puddle under the OBS  :'(  Turns out I used an old aluminum pan from a previous smoke and it has since developed a leak  :-\  Replaced the pan and mopped up all the water inside and under the OBS while the porker keeps smokin away!!

Got everything cleaned up and am continuing with the single bisquette feed every 20 minutes.  Hey, there more than one way to skin a cat  ;)  Sorry about that Squirtthecat  ;D ;D  Pics to follow.

Gotta take my hat off to the pioneers who came up with the 2nd element mods to the OBS.  Since I'm having to open the door too often it's really great to have a short recovery time.  Course the ambient temp right now is 52ºF which help a big bunch.  Nothing like a nice and easy butt smoke ;D ;D

[DTAggie]

Dang Pete sorry to hear about the advance problems.  Definitely need to keep it cleaned out and also scrub the burn plate with a wirebrush so there is not a residue build up.

[smoker pete]

Dang Pete sorry to hear about the advance problems.  Definitely need to keep it cleaned out and also scrub the burn plate with a wirebrush so there is not a residue build up.

You're right DTA I need to be more diligent when it comes to cleaning the SG.  Right now the Butt has been in for 17½ hours and sitting at an IT of 190ºF.  Sneaked a peak and does it ever look and smell great.  Another 10 degrees and then FTC for about 4 hours  ;D :P

[KyNola]

Pete, unless you just want to it's not necessary to go to 200.  It will pull just fine at 190.

[smoker pete]

Pete, unless you just want to it's not necessary to go to 200.  It will pull just fine at 190.

I think I'll follow your your advice KyNola.  After 21½ hours it just hit 198º.  I'm going to pull it and FTC for ~ 4 hours.  Man that porker looks goooood ... pics to follow soon.

[DTAggie]

198* with FTC will work great for you.  Can't wait to see the pics.  This morning I Thawed some PP I had vac sealed and frozen.  Just warmed up some with a little apple juice then hit with some Starnes BBQ sauce.  Man I love that stuff.  Had my bald head sweating!