6 butts with only a smidgen left!

RRP

Today's neighborhood picnic is over and after fixing and pulling 6 butts (49 pounds raw weight) I'm tuckered out! I know I spend a lot of time finessing the meat so as to get a uniform texture, limited fat and a good dispersing of bark pieces - so I'm my own worst enemy. Pulled wise I filled an 18 qt water heated roaster with 15 quarts of pp. Then for liquid I added 2 12oz cans of Coca-Cola and NO there was no sweet taste, but it provided enough moisture to keep the pork nice and tender without letting it dry out from the roaster's heat. Seeing that there were brats and hot dogs also available I was quite proud to see only a scattering in the 4 corners of any pp left. I scraped them together and all that was left was a large orange size ball! Guess that in itself was a testimony, but compliments from neighbors I barely know also helped! 

ChrisgrillsSTLMO

Well done, sounds like a great output!

Cheers,

SoCalTim

Good job, what size egg?

SGH

@RRP
Way to go brother. Sounds like it was a grand slam homer to me. As to the Coke, first and foremost it is my favorite drink by any stretch of the imagination. Next, it makes a killer marinade for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. It's my wife's favorite way that I make chicken. Again, great job brother.

RRP

SoCalTim said:

Good job, what size egg?

Oh I had to cheat!!! I egged two in my large and 1 in my oven on Saturday and then repeated that 2 and 1 pattern today. The one thing I learned this weekend was why you want to cook butts outside in an egg or whatever...the flying grease even with a large drip pan makes a total mess in your oven inside. PLUS on day two if you didn't clean the oven well after day 1 the smoke created inside is not good! Seeing that I also had a desert to bake before the picnic then I spent an hour today cleaning the oven after the second butt. Lesson learned...cook your butts outside!!!

swordsmn

I admire you guys who work that hard for family and friends.  

Judy Mayberry

All that pre-planning and strategizing did pay off! You are the neighborhood hero because of it. Thanks for sharing what NOT to do when cooking indoors...I'm sure your wife will never let you do THAT again. WELL DONE.

THEBuckeye

Won't you be my neighbor?

badinfluence

Great job Ron. Feels great when your food goes and everything else is skipped over don't it? I am fixing to do a block party cook for 75 at the end of the month. Then the beginning of next month a cook for 100 for my mothers 70th birthday party. Fun times.

Jstroke

Ron, glad everything went well. I know the exhausted, but happily proud feeling when you bring it home very well. Congrats

bettysnephew

Ron, sorry I missed this follow up on your cook. Good job. I noticed you mentioned being tuckered out pulling all that meat. When I did my big cook, I just pulled big chunks off the bones and put them in the KitchenAid mixer with the paddle blade. Just a short while on low and instant pulled pork. Worked better than I imagined it could.

DaveRichardson

Dang, @badinfluence....  I'd start cooking now and the vac sealing the hell outta some pulled pork!!!!

RRP

@bettysnephew - I forgot about that trick, Dave, but I was so hung up on making sure it was just the way I wanted I stuck with the manual tearing and shredding of the meat. I didn't even use opposing forks!

Theophan

bettysnephew said:

... When I did my big cook, I just pulled big chunks off the bones and put them in the KitchenAid mixer with the paddle blade. Just a short while on low and instant pulled pork. Worked better than I imagined it could.

I forgot about that, too!  Definitely will try it next time!

TCT

@SGH Coke as a marinade sounds interesting. Any hints for (time, other "stuff") marinating the chicken??

badinfluence

@DaveRichardson no need to. I can fit 36 butts on the monster at a time if need be without even touching a egg but 24 is more realistic as the bottom 12 are a royal pain to get to. So easy 250 at 1 cook.

SGH

TCT said:

@SGH Coke as a marinade sounds interesting. Any hints for (time, other "stuff") marinating the chicken??

The only thing i use it on is boneless chicken breast. I give them 4 hours in the Coke, then season and cook. My wife loves them.

RRP

SGH said:

TCT said:

@SGH Coke as a marinade sounds interesting. Any hints for (time, other "stuff") marinating the chicken??

The only thing i use it on is boneless chicken breast. I give them 4 hours in the Coke, then season and cook. My wife loves them.

And the obvious question...what kind of taste is left behind from the Coke, or does it just work its magic but tenderizing and moisturizing? 

badinfluence

I have used coke with deer and elk roasts. Some them for a few hours then cook them. Seems to take the "game" flavor out of the meat.

SGH

RRP said:

SGH said:

TCT said:

@SGH Coke as a marinade sounds interesting. Any hints for (time, other "stuff") marinating the chicken??

The only thing i use it on is boneless chicken breast. I give them 4 hours in the Coke, then season and cook. My wife loves them.

And the obvious question...what kind of taste is left behind from the Coke, or does it just work its magic but tenderizing and moisturizing? 

Ron i cant detect a Coke taste at all. With that said, i drink a average of 12 Cokes a day so i may be acclimated to the taste. My wife swears that it gives a slight sweet taste. It does work great as a tenderizer though.