Pulled Pork - Difficult to pull part/shred

w_ky

I smoked my first Boston butt on my big green egg yesterday. It wasn't a big one (about 4 lbs) and tasted great, but when we went to pull it apart it was more difficult than i expected.  Here was my setup:

Platesetter with legs up. No water pan.

Hickory wood chunks

250 degree dome temp (I don't have my new thermometer with dual probes yet)

Placed on BGE at 9 AM and removed at 3:30 PM (6.5 hours)

Internal temp reached 195 using a meat thermometer I had on hand

Wrapped it in aluminum foil and a towel after taking it off the BGE and placed it in a cooler

Began shredding at approx 5 PM.

The meat was moist and tasted good but like I said, just hard to shred. Should I have taken the temp to 200? Or maybe let it sit in the cooler longer? Maybe it was the cut of meat? The meat was still very hot when we were pulling it. I don't have a pair of those high temp gloves yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Nanook

I have always taken my pork butts to 203* internal, and then FTC'd for an hour. Always pull easily.

HDumptyEsq

@w_ky. You may have read that they all differ but I think the consensus would point to an internal temperature of 200 to 205 for really easy pulling.

Griff2w2

What I have found with butts is it is all personal preference.  We all have our own idea for perfect doneness and ideal texture.  A good place to start is the 200 to 205 range.  If you typically like your meat looser, go longer and vice versa for a tighter muscle.

lousubcap

An eggcellent finish-line indicator for the bone-in butts is when the bone pulls clean...FWIW-

Acn

How did the probe feel going in? If there was any resistance, it wasn't ready to pull, it can taken off and FTCd, but it will be easier to do chopped or sliced. If there is a bone in it, that is the best thermometer possible, if you can pull the bone cleanly, it is ready.

BuckeyeBob

Yes, probe test with no resistance and also temp 200-205.

Mickey

As said:::::: 200/205

buzd504

201 - 204

TexanOfTheNorth

93.3333 - 96.1111

DMW

TexanOfTheNorth said:

93.3333 - 96.1111

Hey, most of us are from 'Merica, what's that mean?

Skiddymarker

Temps as noted above by many to pull with claws or forks - bone pulls clean on larger butts, probe is like going into "buttah" for smaller ones. 

When a but feels "too firm" simply chop it. In order to ensure a moist finish, a slightly underdone chopped butt can be better than a pulled butt. 

gdenby

'nother good indicator beside bone pulling out, the butt as a whole should juggle a little like jelly. I have a huge spatula to lift from the grill, because I've had them fall to pieces when lifting.

w_ky

As expected, I should have taken it just a little bit longer. I'll try 203 next time. 

This was boneless so I couldn't use the bone as an indicator but that is good to know for future reference.

The probe felt about like I expected but honestly, it was my first one so I don't know much. The good part is that even with my novice self, it still turned out ok, 

Hotch

TexanOfTheNorth said:

93.3333 - 96.1111

Celsius?
)

mcmac

Thats one of the nice things about butts... even if they don't pull perfectly, they can still be very tasty on the plate. I kept a journal when I first started just for the purpose of review prior to my next cook. I don't log much anymore, but it is a great way to leave yourself little reminders about your last cook for that particular food.

The key is you like the results. Fine tuning is an on-going process 

=D>

Ktim

Was that thermo calibrated?