SLOW cooking Pulled Pork

Eggin-smurff · May 2010

Hi folks and Happy Memorial Day,

I've done pulled pork many times over the years but this weekends cook completely baffles me!!!

I did everything as I normally do, started with a clean egg, filled with a fresh bag of just opened BGE lump, hickory chunks for smoke, platesetter legs up, drip pan on that filled with apple juice, grid with two 8lb. shoulders preped with mustard and rub, BBQ Guru set to 225 grid and shows 250 dome and it's been rock solid.

The problems is, I put the meat on at 4:30pm yesterday and the meat is only up to 185. Almost 21 hours now!!! In the past, I've pulled the meat at 200 at around 15~16 hours. I've double checked the meat temp with my Thermopen to insure it not a faulty guru reading.

What's different this time? The only thing I can think of is that these shoulders were frozen but completely thawed before going on the egg.

Hmmmm

Little Steven · May 2010

Eggin-smurff,

I am no expert but I have had huge variations in cook times with butts. Have had two in the same cook that finished six hours apart. I find non-enhanced pork cooks slower but other than that it just happens.

Steve

Tarpon65 · May 2010

I did a 10# pork shoulder that took almost 22 hours yesterday. I ended up pulling it at 191 degrees (double checked with thermapen) and wrapped it in foil for 30 minutes and the temp went up to 195 degrees. Meat just fell apart and was delicious. I thought I was giving myself plenty of extra time, but we still ended up eating an hour later than planned.

Eggin-smurff · May 2010

Thanks! Wow. This is the first time this has happened.

But as a follow up; I went back and checked once again and the temps were between 195 and 200 so I pulled them.

Now 2 (two) huge testaments to the Egg: (Lurkers who haven't purchased your first Egg yet, listen up)

First, After 21 hours on the Egg, the pork was still super juicy and tender. Pulled it with a dinner fork.

Second, there's enough lump left that we've put on ribs and it's still going strong on the original charcoal fill!!

Compare that to those tin briquette burners! :woohoo:

Eggin-smurff · May 2010

Thanks! Wow. This is the first time this has happened.

But as a follow up; I went back and checked once again and the temps were between 195 and 200 so I pulled them.

Now 2 (two) huge testaments to the Egg: (Lurkers who haven't purchased your first Egg yet, listen up)

First, After 21 hours on the Egg, the pork was still super juicy and tender. Pulled it with a dinner fork.

Second, there's enough lump left that we've put on ribs and it's still going strong on the original charcoal fill!!

Compare that to those tin briquette burners! :woohoo:

danny285 · May 2010

I dont see how you guys can cook a butt for 20 plus hours and have anything left, i cooked a 7 lb butt in 6 hrs yesterday at 250 dome till 195 int. I did one a few months back for 12 hrs at 250 then threw it out, cremated.

faddyarbuckle · June 2010

Perhaps different wind conditions affected the burn (no wind, less burn, therefore lower temp overnight)? It might just have needed a rest in some foil to stabilize the temp and give it that extra 5 degrees, as someone else suggested. Internal temp, in the middle of the pork, should be 190 to 200. I usually give it a tug with a fork--the meat should be tender and easy to pull apart.

faddyarbuckle · June 2010

Were you using the plate setter/heat deflector, for an indirect cook? I've made pulled pork on a gas bbq--no heat deflector--at about that temp, and it took six hours.

BananaChipz · June 2010

times like that almost makes me wish I had a Stoker vs a DigiQ II so that I can record what my temps were.

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