First ever Pulled Pork

daperry

I have had my Large BGE for about 1 1/2 years and just did my first Pork Butt.  I used a homemade rub that I use on ribs and even made my own BBQ sauce.  I got the recipe for the sauce from Smokingmeats.com.

It was a 9.5 pound butt and took a lot longer to cook than I anticipated.  It took about 14 1/2 hours with the grill at 250 with an occasional journey up to the 300 range.  I used hickory chunks with about a cup of soaked Apple chips sprinkled in as well.  Didn't get done in time for dinner so after it was cooked and rested, I pulled it and put it in the fridge for tonight.

I searched the forum for a good method to reheat and found one.

Bottom line...it was delicious and quite a hit with our guests.   It was the first but most definitely not the last!

Thanks to all the contributors to this forum whose posts I studied in detail before taking the plunge.  Next up a few nice size bacon-wrapped filet mignons.

SGH

@daperry‌
First let me say welcome aboard! Sounds like you knocked the pork out of the park! Well done my friend. And again welcome aboard.

Tjcoley

First post after 1 1/2 years with an Egg. And first pork butt? What took you so long. Welcome aboard.

NPHuskerFL

And there's no going back once you do a Butt.I too had never done a Butt until recently. I have done 2 now. The 2nd I did w/ Mickey's (dang). I have a 8#-10# in the freezer right now. Great job man! Enjoy ;-)

daperry

TJ, not sure what took so long.  I have done 3 Brisket's (with very mixed results), a lot of whole chickens, countless burgers and steaks but just now getting to the Butts.  Not sure why it took so long but I can assure you, it won't take that long to make another one!

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I have been lurking on the forum for a while but just didn't feel like I had much to offer.

Great group of people and I suspect I will get involved in more conversations going forward.

jhl192

Low and Slow pork butt's do take a long time but they are worth it! Welcome to the club.   I'd always plan for it to be done 2-3 hours before dinner.  This way if it takes longer,  no problem.  If it gets done early, I wrap it in foil and a towel and stick it in a warmed cooler.  Also, if you are getting close to dinner and you are still far away from your finish temp, you can bump the temp to 350 degrees to help move things along.  

gdenby

Congrats. You will find that pulled pork will become something of a staple.

The usual time for butts is 1.5 - 2 hours/lb with a dome of 250. Lots of people have been doing them hotter for faster results, and/or foiling them for a period to push the temperature up thru the "stall."

On the other side, they do sometimes go faster, around an hour a pound. It is easy to hold them for 4+ hours. But as you learned, the meat reheats well. I often have pouches in my freezer for quick meals.

Mickey

Nice cook. But no need to soak your chips. They are fine dry.

daperry

Thanks Mickey.  I have always soaked them thinking they last longer and produce more smoke but as I think about it, I am sure they are quite dry after only a few minutes in the heated grill.  Oh well!

PNWFoodie

Welcome aboard! Sounds like the first attempt turned out well -great job!

NPHuskerFL

FWIW on a big massive Butt, Picnic, Ham, Brisket etc I much prefer wood chunks (vs chips). I can throw 3-5 chunks and mix into the lump and be totally set for 20+ hrs and never have to open the dome until it's close toppulling time. I'm sure the chips vs chunks thing is as much preference as it is availability of product to people.

lousubcap

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  And the chips vs chunks discussion comes around periodically-kinda like Ford vs Chevy...

tulocay

Welcome.

DMW

lousubcap said:

Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  And the chips vs chunks discussion comes around periodically-kinda like Ford vs Chevy...

And just like the Ford/Chevy discussion, there is a clear winner. Chevy and chunks!

daperry

I had all the bases covered on this one.  I used both chips and chunks!  

SGH

@daperry‌
Listen to @DMW. Chevy and chunks are the logical choice. Anything else is a compromise. Again welcome aboard.

nolaegghead

^^ that.  You'll get more smoke out of a Chevy.

itsmce

The pork butts I've done have been using the Turbo method.  I think I'll be bold and try a low and slow next time.  Can't believe I missed the sale at the local grocery that ended yesterday - they had butts on sale. I'll watch the markdown bin and snag one to stash in the freezer for next time.

SGH

@nolaegghead‌
I didn't see that one coming! I have to give credit where credit is due brother. That's was a good one. Obviously a incorrect statement but funny nonetheless!

nolaegghead

Thanks @SGH.  Believe me brother, I've had my share of Fords and Chevys and I'm not partial to either one - but a couple of the Chevys smoked like hapster with a stick on his back deck.   Granted, they were old.  This is just my experience my friend, other people may have observed the opposite effect.

GeorgeS

What are you two bickering about? Chevy and Ford are both awesome trucks.........I have pulled both out of mud holes and ditches with my Ram. Bahahahaha! ) <> Hope that butt is smokin!

SGH

I have actually owned all makes as well. I like them all to be truthful. What normally determines which one I buy is who had the nicest one at that particular time. The Ford/Chevy contraversery is the very same as BGE/Primo or Jambo/Klose. All are good. Just a matter of options and personal wants. I'm really looking hard at the new F150 with the ECO Boost. I like the thought of a V6 with V8 capabilities. Seems like the best of both worlds to me.

nolaegghead

The Toyota Tundra and Honda Ridgeline (mid sized) are highly rated, historically, by Consumer Reports in reliability.   If you don't care about that as much as the performance rating, Ford, GMC and Dodge are all about equally ranked.  The Ram is highest rated in the large category.  The Ford ECOboost has poor reliability but the regular V8 is above average and recommended. 

GeorgeS

Want to sit in an interior that makes a truck not a truck anymore, look at the Laramie Longhorn (no filigree on the seats though). I have owned several brands myself I just could resist the urge.

SGH

@nolaegghead‌
I just bought my wife a Honda Pilot that she absolutely loves.

NPHuskerFL

@nolaegghead‌ diversion created...thread hijack has commenced )

SGH

@NPHuskerFL‌
Don't shoot!!! Topic is dropped!

nolaegghead

I'll say...13 or 14 posts back.

NPHuskerFL

:-$ you're the diversion Master Nola.
Now what were we discussing? Ah yes football. >:)

nolaegghead

There's an interesting pig rectum thread going on, lets go over there and talk about BBQ.

NPHuskerFL

Heheee. I think the tossed salad is a tasty idea. )