Pulled pork cook times??

[christoff]

Ok guys here's whats going on. I have a small pork butt 4.5 pounds. I have it defrosting in the fridge right now. It is Tuesday evening here in canada. I plan on having pulled pork sandwiches for my work buddies Thursday for lunch. My question is what time should I start this thing Wednesday night so it's done in the morning. Than I should FTC till lunch then pull apart? Or what do you guys think I should do. I need to leave for work by 8 Thursday morning so it needs to be done by than... Sorry I'm sure I seem like a idiot haha

[Wildcat]

I personally have never done a butt that small before. Many factors come into play. Generally it takes me around 18 hours to do a butt twice that size. It really depends on the cabinet temp, how much fat is in the meat, whether or not there is a bone, and sometimes just how stubborn the pig is. I would normally recommend doing the butt ahead of time and then simply re-heat.

[TedEbear]

My question is what time should I start this thing Wednesday night so it's done in the morning.

The genera rule is it takes 1.5-2 hours per lb for a butt.  However, I've had an 8 lb one take 21 hours at a cabinet temp of 210*F to get to an IT of 190*F.  If you're cooking at a higher chamber temp it can go faster.  As was already mentioned, if you start cooking it early you will know it wil be finished in time and then it is easy enough to just reheat.

[christoff]

So when it's 190 IT, FTC till ready to eat then reheat if needed and pull?  What is best method to reheat? I work in a shop so no oven but we do have a small BBQ

[tailfeathers]

I would FTC it for a couple hours, then pull it. Reheat the (already pulled) meat in a crock pot. Depending on your timing, you may be able to pull it and go straight into the crock pot, otherwise refrigerate it in ziplocks and crock pot it when you get to work. It'll probably take a couple of hours in the crock pot to get hot enough if it starts out at refrigerator temps. Or you could microwave it to give it a head start before putting it in the crock pot. Plenty of options. Good luck, let us know how things turn out for you! (pics would be nice)! ;)

[TedEbear]

So when it's 190 IT, FTC till ready to eat then reheat if needed and pull?  What is best method to reheat? I work in a shop so no oven but we do have a small BBQ

The 190*F is just a ballpark temp.  People on here tend to go 185-200, depending on what chamber temp it was cooked at and the character of the meat.  I cook pork butts at 210 and start doing the fork test when the IT reaches 190.  Stick a fork in it and twist.  If it twists fairly easy it is done.

For reheating, the crock pot idea was already mentioned.  Pull it first when it is still hot from the smoker. You might add a bit of apple juice for moisture.  If you had an oven available you could put the pulled pork in an aluminum pan with a little bit of apple juice and seal it with foil at 250 for an hour or two.

[kayes]

I have a 12lb picnic shoulder that I will be smoking next weekend possibly. Would the 1.5-2hours/lb apply here as well? Anyone with experience with large picnics?

[Dano]

I get 4lb approx. shoulders or butts from Sobeys here.  It's about 1.5 - 2 hours per pound as previously stated plus about an hour for the plateau at 160F.  I cook mine to 195F then FTC so I'd plan between 7 and 9 hours for your pork, not including FTC time.  Honestly I don't go by time per se, just the temp and "it's done when it's done."

I pre-heat my cabin to 280F then once the pork goes in drop the digital to 220F.  This of course depends on ambient temp and outdoor conditions like wind).   I've only done them when it's been close to 0C so that will increase the time.  If it's 15C out stick with the 1.5 times estimate I would think, then FTC and then pull.  If you need to re-heat throw it in a crock on low or in an oven after FTC/before pulling.

Good luck!

[tailfeathers]

kayes-
I have never done one quite that large, probably 9-10 lbs max. I would say this: allow yourself the maximum amount of time you think it could possibly take and remove it when it passes the fork test. A hunk ot meat that size will stay hot enough to serve dang near forever if you FTC it properly (tightly wrap in several layers of foil, then an old towel, then into the smallest cooler available that it will fit into. I then put newspaper over the towel before closing the cooler). Or again, you can always pull it and reheat when time to serve.

[pondee]

kayes-
I have never done one quite that large, probably 9-10 lbs max. I would say this: allow yourself the maximum amount of time you think it could possibly take and remove it when it passes the fork test. A hunk ot meat that size will stay hot enough to serve dang near forever if you FTC it properly (tightly wrap in several layers of foil, then an old towel, then into the smallest cooler available that it will fit into. I then put newspaper over the towel before closing the cooler). Or again, you can always pull it and reheat when time to serve.

this is good advice for those of us who are having folk over and/or would like a plan.

[kayes]

Do you guys think my 12lb picnic will be enough to feed 12 adults and 6 kids?

[tailfeathers]

That depends a lot on the appetite of your guests, particularly the kids I would say. If they're little shavers that only eat 1/2 a sammie each you should be ok. If they are 12 year old boys who eat 2-3 apiece thats a different story! I like to go with the lb/person rule of thumb, although I will say that I always have leftovers when I do that (which I consider a good thing)! At any rate I would say that for sure no one will be going away hungry even if it does all get eaten. When its gone, its gone! I just got done rubbing two 8.8# butts that I will be smoking overnight tomorrow and Saturday morning. My daughter and son-in-law just bought a house and will be moving sometime in the next few weeks, I told her that given my knee issues I wont be of any use for totin' and liftin' but I can feed the troops! I'll smoke it, pull it, enjoy a bit and freeze the rest for moving day.

[Habanero Smoker]

Do you guys think my 12lb picnic will be enough to feed 12 adults and 6 kids?

A picnic doesn't loose as much weight as a shoulder, but when you consider the large bone; trimming the skin and fat off, and the finished cook it may be close to being enough; if you don't have hearty sides, or a second cut of meat to serve. One way to make the pork go further is to use dinner roll (slider rolls). It you don't have a second meat choice, maybe consider also serving chicken thighs/legs/wings. Or a hearty starter such as Moink balls, or stuffed mini sweet peppers.

[kayes]

Would you guys recommend trimming the skin and some of the fat off with the picnic?

[Habanero Smoker]

I always remove the skin and trim the fat down to about 1/8". An alternative would be to crosshatch the skin, cutting just to the meat, and making sure you get the rub into the crevices. If you crosshatch, the easiest way to do that is to use a utility knife, and set the blade at the proper depth. I have a stainless steel Stanley utility knife that I only use for this purpose.

Being that it is 12 pounds, I was thinking you could have a small whole shoulder. Did the label have the word "Picnic" on it?