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NC Style Pulled Pork BBQ

JavaBen
JavaBen Posts: 35
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
This is a very detailed approach to using the Big Green Egg to make NC Style Pulled Pork BBQ.
New edit:This approach is for the most flavorful BBQ you can make, and is made at lower temperatures. It's not about quick BBQ, so it doesn't use 195 dF or 200 dF or other egg chamber high temperature approaches. I'm not saying those higher temperatures can't make BBQ - I am saying they can't make BBQ as good as this BBQ because they render out more of the moisture and more of the fat. Since cooking at lower temperatures requires a different setup on the Big Green Egg, I go into quite a bit of detail on how to do this. Also, since not everyone has a lot of experience with using their egg (I've noted a lot of questions over the years about the use of the dampers), there is also considerable instructions regarding the use of the dampers. This makes the post pretty long and very detailed. Thus this post may not be for you as you may have your own favorite way of doing things, or you may have all the necessary skills on how to use the dampers, etc, in which case you might prefer to just skip it rather than complain about it.
Note: I think poorly phrasing on my part caused some to think I was cooking my BBQ at an egg chamber temperature of 160 dF. This is incorrect; that was my meat temperature. I target 180 - 190 dF for the egg chamber temperature. I'm sorry for the confusion my poorly written details caused people with this regards, and I have corrected the post to make it more clear.


NC Style Pulled Pork BBQ Using the Big Green Egg

Comments

  • Morro Bay Rich
    Morro Bay Rich Posts: 2,227
    I was OK right up until I read the words "lighter fluid". :angry: At that point I stopped reading.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    That certainly is detailed! One might say too detailed ;). Here are some instructions that work just as well:

    1) Cook the butt on the egg until the internal temperature is around 195.

    2) Pull the pork, and add some vinegar based sauce.

    Bam! NC style pulled pork.
    :side: :cheer:


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    In my opinion, 195 internal is way to hot - I would throw it away.
  • srq2625
    srq2625 Posts: 262
    Opinions vary on the temperature at which to pull the meat from the Egg.

    The blog posting indicates that the internal temperature should be around 160°F when one pulls it. My understanding is (and my limited experience - 10 or 12 pulled pork cooks since Sep 2010 - seems to support) that this is before most/any of the connective tissues have been rendered. Hmmmmm :unsure:

    As for the 195°F - well, my "favorite" temp is about 192°F .... too small a difference to be significant. However, I've found on three or four cooks that anything lower than about 190°F leaves too much of the fat un-rendered ... gotta have some, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Too hot for what? If you want to slice the pork, much lower temps are fine. If you want PULLED pork, you need it to be in the neighborhood of 195°. It's what we all do and it's great.

    If you still want to throw it out, throw it in my direction! hahaha

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
    Carolina Q wrote:
    Too hot for what? If you want to slice the pork, much lower temps are fine. If you want PULLED pork, you need it to be in the neighborhood of 195°. It's what we all do and it's great.

    If you still want to throw it out, throw it in my direction! hahaha

    +1. I'll even go to 200F Throw it right in my mouth. 160 is not pulled pork.

    No lighter fluid on my pulled pork either.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    No, it's not what we all do. Some of us would prefer to do it at lower temperatures which helps with moisture retention. However, it takes a lot longer - thus the 24 hours because of the lower temperature. Some of us do this because we feel it makes superior BBQ and thus is worth the additional effort and time.
  • wmd36
    wmd36 Posts: 58
    The butts I have cooked cant be really be pulled until at least 195.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    I agree with regards to the lighter fluid. This was left over for an earlier email to a friend. Thanks for pointing it out. I have removed it and changed it to the method I actually use, which is to spread some olive oil on the paper and place into the bottom of the chimney.

    I have also used propane torches, but the torch I have has a different connector than found on the new propane bottles, so I can't use it any longer.

    Have also tried the electric starters, but don't use those any longer either.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    wmd36 - I suspect that you aren't cooking them for 24 hours, like I do and is what I'm posting about.

    Higher temperatures are a trade off between convenience and better tasting BBQ. If you use higher temperatures, then you are giving up some flavor for that convenience.

    Temperature determines several things:
    - Length of time to unwind the protein binding on the muscle. Lower temperatures require longer time.
    - Amount of fat rendered out of the meat. The higher the temperature, the less fat (and flavor) left in the meat.
    - The amount of moisture in the meat.
    - The amount of cell damage to the cell walls. Higher temperatures will cause the cell walls to rupture, spilling out the moisture and can end up with mushy meat if left on too long.
    - pasteurization of the meat.

    If you haven't tried lower and slower, then give it a try; you might enjoy the results.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    I think, due to some poorly written details pm ,u part, I gave an incorrect impression as to the cooking temperatures I use, so I wanted to correct that - I have also corrected the post so it is more clear on that point.

    I cook the meat temperature to a temperature of 160 dF. I try to maintain 180 - 190 dF for the Big Green Egg cooking chamber temperature.

    I'm really sorry for the confusion I've caused on this point.

    If you'll stop by, I'll be happy to erase your memory on this point.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    Hi JavaBen,

    I apologize if my original comment came off as critical. To be honest I didn't realize that you wrote the instructions, I thought was just something you ran across.

    Thank you for taking the time to put together the detailed instructions. I might just have to give it a try one day. There is certainly more than 1 way to skin a cat and to smoke some swine.


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    SmokeyPitt,

    I've recently been testing making BBQ with Sous Vide Supreme, then finishing in the Big Green Egg. I'm really impressed with this approach, and so is my wife.

    Here's a link. I'm still evaluating and improving.

    Also, several years back I automated my smoker with a temperature controller - this was before the BBQ Guru was available. Same concept - mine was homebrew, theirs is commercial product, so theirs looked a lot better!

    Using that same controller now for use with Sous Vide cooking, as it requires +/- 1 dF temperature control. I plan on making those plans and software public in the near future.
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    That is also an interesting technique with the SVS/Green egg combo.

    I also rigged up mine with a temperature controller. By bro-in-law works for a company that sells automation and control products. He had an old demo unit that he gave me. I purchased the fan/adapter from BBQ Guru and wired it up. Mine is not pretty either, but it works! I have not tried tuning the PID loop manually. My Bro-in-law could help me with that, but I just use the autotune option and that keeps me within a few degrees.

    IMG_0452.JPG


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    Sho is a small world - I used to work in Instrumentation and Controls in the nuclear industry before it died and I went into software.

    I see you're in Woodstock - I'm in Alpharetta. I'm going to follow up with you on an email.
  • probe1957
    probe1957 Posts: 222
    One of the first butts I smoked, perhaps THE first butt I smoked, I pulled off the Egg at, as I recall, 170 degrees because that is when my thermometer said pork was done. Although it was good, I had to slice it because it would not pull. Now I smoke to 195 degrees and I have PULLED pork.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    Probe,

    My suggestion is that you use the lower temperature and go for a longer time. If you do this, you will have more moisture, more fat that's not rendered out of the meat, more flavor, and it will pull.

    Note that my approach calls for 24 hours to accomplish this.
  • wmd36
    wmd36 Posts: 58
    Last butt was 9.5 lbs and cooked it for 22 hours, good stuff.
  • JavaBen
    JavaBen Posts: 35
    Yup! Wish I had been there!

    I've got some in a waterbath, cooking at an internal temperature of 136 dF. One package I'll take of tonight after 24 hours at that temperature in order to see how tender it is. Based on that, I'll take the others out, or continue to cook for another 24 hours before I toast on the Big Green Egg.