Pulled Pork using a Picnic shoulder. Do you pull the meat at the same temp as the Butt?

leo123

  Do you use the same technique as the Butt when smoking a Shoulder.
   Or do you pull it sooner, or do you just slice it and don't go for the pulled pork effect?

  Thanks in advance.

nolaegghead

same as a butt. Use the tenderness test - stab it with a skewer.  Or you can do it to a lower temp and slice like ham.  They usually have skin on them.

lousubcap

Another good finish-line indicator is when the bone pulls clean, then you are there. 

SGH

If you are going for "pulled" style pork with a picnic, it will usually pull at a lower temp than its more marbled half brother (butt). A picnic is considerably leaner and more often than not will pull nicely somewhere in the 190-195 arena. A butt usually has to go higher. 

SGH

leo123 said:

  Do you use the same technique as the Butt when smoking a Shoulder.
   Or do you pull it sooner, or do you just slice it and don't go for the pulled pork effect?

  Thanks in advance.

Picnics make excellent sliced pork as well. Remember that it's actually done at  160 degrees. However it may not be done to your liking at this temp. As such, if you chose to make sliced pork, when it hits 160 degrees, sample it. If you don't like it, take it on uo to 170 degrees and sample it again. Keep doing this until you hit the sweet spot that you like. On average, most folks seem to prefer them around 180-185 when slicing. 

leo123

 Thanks, Ill try the sample test.

gmac

All I can add, and it's not much, is that I've been smoking some uncured hams for pulled pork (we get a whole pig each spring and I don't use much real ham plus I've used all the butts and picnics) and it definitely needs more moisture since it is leaner and I expect your picnic to be in between a ham and a butt. 

I squeeze every drop of fat our of the rind and sauce aggressively to overcome the leanness. You may want to have a sauce ready if your picnic is a bit less moist. We get picnics and when I smoke them I can say that in terms of "juiciness" they aren't as nice as the butts but are still very, very good. Enjoy. 

SGH

leo123 said:

 Thanks, Ill try the sample test.

My pleasure. Here is a picnic cooked yesterday by friend and fellow Brethern sam3. It was pulled at 160 degrees internal at the thickest section. This was not cooked on a BGE so I will gladly remove the pics if asked. However I thought it was worth a look. 

leo123

that look great. 
 I kind of f'd up the cook I had to be at the dentist at nine. Got the egg going at 8 put on some smoking chips and then the meat and had to go. I thought that I had dialed in the proper temp.
  I came back 2hrs later and the temp was at 350 degrees. I closed down the vents more but it took forever to lower the temp.  It;s about 250 now. I had foiled it when the temp was 170. Now it's approaching 190. I'm getting ready to pull it and let it rest. 

KKorkmaz

Please don't pull the pics...BGE or not, that's some damn sexy food (and good eats)

SGH

leo123 said:

  I came back 2hrs later and the temp was at 350 degrees. I closed down the vents more but it took forever to lower the temp.  It;s about 250 now. I had foiled it when the temp was 170. Now it's approaching 190. I'm getting ready to pull it and let it rest. 

Brother it should be fine. I have honestly cooked them as low as 200 degrees and as high as 425 degrees. And every imaginable temp in between. Naturally the texture will be slightly different with such a large temperature variance, but the taste is indistinguishable. If you only hit 350, you are well below my tested maximum of 425 degrees. I'm willing to bet that you have a winner on your hands.