Pulled Pork - How to finish in the oven?

[Wildcat]

Nice job!  Pulled pork is one of my favorites and most of my smokes are butts.

[beefmann]

Dustin...

Congrats

[meatgeek]

Congrats Dustin!  Looks yummy!

[FLBentRider]

Sounds like you need to tell you friend it need more "TESTING"

:D ;D ;D

Congrats on the Q!

[Habanero Smoker]

Dustin;

The pork looks good.

When you are cooking it at that low of a temperature, the next time it hits 175°F, use the fork test, because the butt is probably finished at that point. The fork test is just what it sounds like. You take a two tine fork, insert it into the meat and twist. If it easily breaks apart it is ready.

[Smoked]

I'm also drooling over the ics of the pulled pork- yum!   

I'm a big fan of the "bark" that forms on the outside of the pork shoulder after a long smoke-- but if you cover the butts in the oven, with liquid in the pan, does the "bark" still form-- or do you have to put the pork back in the oven at a higher temp to form it?

[Gizmo]

I have plenty of bark produced from the original 4 hours in the smoker.  Never felt the need to create additional.

[beefmann]

great job on the pork...great pics as well

[Smoking Duck]

Dustin;

The pork looks good.

When you are cooking it at that low of a temperature, the next time it hits 175°F, use the fork test, because the butt is probably finished at that point. The fork test is just what it sounds like. You take a two tine fork, insert it into the meat and twist. If it easily breaks apart it is ready.

Habs,

The last two rounds of butts I have smoked have never been pullable at 175.  They were certainly moist, but not pullable.  Do you believe the amount of fatcap plays a role in this?  Unfortunately, the last two rounds have been with butts with very little fat cap (the downside of buying meat on Death Row).  I assume it's the fat cap, because a lot of it wasn't pullable at the 182-184 mark either.

Thanks!

SD

[dustinm]

I'm also drooling over the ics of the pulled pork- yum!   

I'm a big fan of the "bark" that forms on the outside of the pork shoulder after a long smoke-- but if you cover the butts in the oven, with liquid in the pan, does the "bark" still form-- or do you have to put the pork back in the oven at a higher temp to form it?

I smoked for 4 hours, and a nice bark had already formed.  I then wrapped in foil (no liquid) and placed on a baking sheet in the oven.  There were juices in the foil once the cook was done, but the bark was still there.  This was my first attempt, so I can't really comment of the difference in bark between cooking it the way I did or leaving it in the smoker the whole time.  Personally there seemed to be enough bark with the method I used

[Smokin Soon]

I have done both ways. The only real diff is with the oven finish wrapped, you get much softer bark that some like.

[Habanero Smoker]

Dustin;

The pork looks good.

When you are cooking it at that low of a temperature, the next time it hits 175°F, use the fork test, because the butt is probably finished at that point. The fork test is just what it sounds like. You take a two tine fork, insert it into the meat and twist. If it easily breaks apart it is ready.

Habs,

The last two rounds of butts I have smoked have never been pullable at 175.  They were certainly moist, but not pullable.  Do you believe the amount of fatcap plays a role in this?  Unfortunately, the last two rounds have been with butts with very little fat cap (the downside of buying meat on Death Row).  I assume it's the fat cap, because a lot of it wasn't pullable at the 182-184 mark either.

Thanks!

SD

Mine always come out perfect. I believe Tiny Tim now only takes his to 170°F, and he reported that they pull easily at that temperature. Try trimming the fat. I trim my butts down to about 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch, but now the butts I get from Sam's are already trimmed like that, or require very little trimming. What fat is left over after the smoke (if any) I discard. As far as ease for pulling the meat, has very little to do with the fat cap, it all about the connective tissue breaking down and the collagen converting into gelatin. The cabinet temperature has to be around 200°F, and your probe placement has to be correct. The best way to test to see if it is done is the fork test.

[Tiny Tim]

That's right Habs...170-175 is where I stop to FTC.  The earlier ones had gone to 185+ and I thought they were awfully mushy...no real meat texture at all.

By the way, I use 200* as my setpoint on the PID for this product.  Don't know if a higher cook temp would change the texture at any given IT along the way.

[LilSmoker]

LilSmoker......