Workplace competition part II: PORK BUTT

Powak

Aight, we’re doin it again and this time it’s pork butt. I’ve done a buncha butts but this time am thinking of turning it up with an injection and a couple good sauces for the tasters to toss with their samples. Thinking of either making an Alabama white sauce or Carolina gold sauce and a bottle of Memphis or St. Louis bbq sauce. My main competition is worried about making his pork too tender. Never heard of that being a problem but I’m thinking he’s reading the yankee room up here and gonna make that pork a little drier and more firm. I’m thinking of pulling the pork from the egg at 205° internal. Always been a winner winner pork dinner for me. Any other comp suggestions?

loco_engr

https://smile.amazon.com/Smoke-Wheels-Pork-Marinade-Injection/dp/B006FFCKXE/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.c2391f3b-de31-4a45-9e55-8c469e899430%3Aamzn1.sym.c2391f3b-de31-4a45-9e55-8c469e899430&crid=3OC8DX976UW03&cv_ct_cx=smoke+on+wheels+pork+marinade+and+injection&keywords=smoke+on+wheels+pork+marinade+and+injection&pd_rd_i=B006FFCKXE&pd_rd_r=5aeb129b-f46d-4f96-8bf3-81100e03c429&pd_rd_w=4thky&pd_rd_wg=S3sgY&pf_rd_p=c2391f3b-de31-4a45-9e55-8c469e899430&pf_rd_r=73ZD61ZP5NFPXRACRVA2&psc=1&qid=1664838194&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjczIiwicXNhIjoiMC40NiIsInFzcCI6IjAuNDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=smoke+on+wheels%2Caps%2C141&sr=1-1-f0029781-b79b-4b60-9cb0-eeda4dea34d6

He won 3 out 4 years grand champion at my old home town KCBS Big Blue BBQ contest

HTH

Thatgrimguy

Powak said:

Aight, we’re doin it again and this time it’s pork butt. I’ve done a buncha butts but this time am thinking of turning it up with an injection and a couple good sauces for the tasters to toss with their samples. Thinking of either making an Alabama white sauce or Carolina gold sauce and a bottle of Memphis or St. Louis bbq sauce. My main competition is worried about making his pork too tender. Never heard of that being a problem but I’m thinking he’s reading the yankee room up here and gonna make that pork a little drier and more firm. I’m thinking of pulling the pork from the egg at 205° internal. Always been a winner winner pork dinner for me. Any other comp suggestions?

Do your best butt. Don't make changes for the comp. We used to do at least 5 test cooks before trying something new at a Comp. Great sauces, and a variety of sauces is usually a winner. 

Definitely pull it at the same time you usually do. I wonder if he holds his a long time or improperly, which can cause it to get overly tender and turn into pork mush.

Powak

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Aight, we’re doin it again and this time it’s pork butt. I’ve done a buncha butts but this time am thinking of turning it up with an injection and a couple good sauces for the tasters to toss with their samples. Thinking of either making an Alabama white sauce or Carolina gold sauce and a bottle of Memphis or St. Louis bbq sauce. My main competition is worried about making his pork too tender. Never heard of that being a problem but I’m thinking he’s reading the yankee room up here and gonna make that pork a little drier and more firm. I’m thinking of pulling the pork from the egg at 205° internal. Always been a winner winner pork dinner for me. Any other comp suggestions?

Do your best butt. Don't make changes for the comp. We used to do at least 5 test cooks before trying something new at a Comp. Great sauces, and a variety of sauces is usually a winner. 

Definitely pull it at the same time you usually do. I wonder if he holds his a long time or improperly, which can cause it to get overly tender and turn into pork mush.

Man I’m wondering the same thing. Would injections and smoking the day before cause any harm to a butt?

lkapigian

@Powak , I am a fan of injections on Butts, but they are the one item I do not do ahead of time, especially with a Phosphate Injection ........the window is pretty large to have it ready on time 

buzd504

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Aight, we’re doin it again and this time it’s pork butt. I’ve done a buncha butts but this time am thinking of turning it up with an injection and a couple good sauces for the tasters to toss with their samples. Thinking of either making an Alabama white sauce or Carolina gold sauce and a bottle of Memphis or St. Louis bbq sauce. My main competition is worried about making his pork too tender. Never heard of that being a problem but I’m thinking he’s reading the yankee room up here and gonna make that pork a little drier and more firm. I’m thinking of pulling the pork from the egg at 205° internal. Always been a winner winner pork dinner for me. Any other comp suggestions?

Do your best butt. Don't make changes for the comp. We used to do at least 5 test cooks before trying something new at a Comp. Great sauces, and a variety of sauces is usually a winner. 

Definitely pull it at the same time you usually do. I wonder if he holds his a long time or improperly, which can cause it to get overly tender and turn into pork mush.

Mmmmm, pork mush....

JohnInCarolina

buzd504 said:

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Aight, we’re doin it again and this time it’s pork butt. I’ve done a buncha butts but this time am thinking of turning it up with an injection and a couple good sauces for the tasters to toss with their samples. Thinking of either making an Alabama white sauce or Carolina gold sauce and a bottle of Memphis or St. Louis bbq sauce. My main competition is worried about making his pork too tender. Never heard of that being a problem but I’m thinking he’s reading the yankee room up here and gonna make that pork a little drier and more firm. I’m thinking of pulling the pork from the egg at 205° internal. Always been a winner winner pork dinner for me. Any other comp suggestions?

Do your best butt. Don't make changes for the comp. We used to do at least 5 test cooks before trying something new at a Comp. Great sauces, and a variety of sauces is usually a winner. 

Definitely pull it at the same time you usually do. I wonder if he holds his a long time or improperly, which can cause it to get overly tender and turn into pork mush.

Mmmmm, pork mush....

Florida Grillin Girl

I use this sauce over smoked pulled pork, stir it in and you can't tell it's there, it just enhances the pork. It's from Martha Stewart's Menus for Entertaining Cookbook:

Sauce

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt
• 3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

It's a winner every time.
Good luck with the competition. I'm pretty sure you will win.

Thatgrimguy

Powak said:

Man I’m wondering the same thing. Would injections and smoking the day before cause any harm to a butt?

I inject just before putting on the smoker. When I have done it earlier, the butt took on a ham like taste and texture that we did not like.

I routinely cook my butts and briskets the day before I serve them. I start cooking usually around noon and get food on the smoker by 1 or 2.  Then smoke till somewhere around midnight when tenderness is right. Then I let them cool on the counter still wrapped till they hit 180 and I put them into an Alto-Shaam set to 150 till I serve them the next day.  My quality for brisket has gone way up since doing this and my butts are coming out amazing too.

For me, I get to use my offset during the day instead of at night and I can have a couple drinks once I wrap my big meats in the evening because I don't have to stay up crazy late. I have even started first thing in the morning and held my food from 5pm one day till serving at 6 pm the next day and it was great. 

On the flip side, I've taken hot meat out of a smoker and loaded it all straight into a RTIC cooler and it kept cooking and ended up mush. Just total meat mush. So be careful that you can keep a consistent temp when holding.

I usually pull my brisket and butts at 198 now even if tenderness isn't there yet because my long hold loosens it up and pulling it early keeps it from getting pot roasty.

Powak

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Man I’m wondering the same thing. Would injections and smoking the day before cause any harm to a butt?

I inject just before putting on the smoker. When I have done it earlier, the butt took on a ham like taste and texture that we did not like.

I routinely cook my butts and briskets the day before I serve them. I start cooking usually around noon and get food on the smoker by 1 or 2.  Then smoke till somewhere around midnight when tenderness is right. Then I let them cool on the counter still wrapped till they hit 180 and I put them into an Alto-Shaam set to 150 till I serve them the next day.  My quality for brisket has gone way up since doing this and my butts are coming out amazing too.

For me, I get to use my offset during the day instead of at night and I can have a couple drinks once I wrap my big meats in the evening because I don't have to stay up crazy late. I have even started first thing in the morning and held my food from 5pm one day till serving at 6 pm the next day and it was great. 

On the flip side, I've taken hot meat out of a smoker and loaded it all straight into a RTIC cooler and it kept cooking and ended up mush. Just total meat mush. So be careful that you can keep a consistent temp when holding.

I usually pull my brisket and butts at 198 now even if tenderness isn't there yet because my long hold loosens it up and pulling it early keeps it from getting pot roasty.

This is exactly what I’m shooting for. Sounds to me like having it still warm from the cooking process to serving time is key and will beat cooking it a couple days before with fridge time and crock pot reheat.  I don’t have a Alto-shaam, but have crock pots. Do you think I should shred the meat after it’s rest or wait till serving time to shred?

Thatgrimguy

Powak said:

This is exactly what I’m shooting for. Sounds to me like having it still warm from the cooking process to serving time is key and will beat cooking it a couple days before with fridge time and crock pot reheat.  I don’t have a Alto-shaam, but have crock pots. Do you think I should shred the meat after it’s rest or wait till serving time to shred?

I've found my quality to be much better when I keep the butts whole and can just keep them out of the danger zone.

Put your oven on low and throw a thermo in there and see where it holds. It may sit right in that 140-165 region and anywhere in there works. Just make sure the butts are in a pan, well wrapped. Another option is to put them in a cooler hold with some thermo to let you know when the butt hits 140 internal and then pop them in the low oven till they hit 160 internal and put them back in the cooler. Probably get away with only having to get up and deal with it for one cycle. You just want to keep them food safe and not too hot.

Legume

Last butt cook I did for a party was two that I cooked the day before, finished maybe 10 or 11 at night just about 200F.  Let them rest for a few minutes, HD foil wrap, then into a small yeti with some towels.  They held overnight easily and I eventually pulled them out about midday, they were 140ish and I put the foil pans into oven at 170 until I was ready to pull and chop.

One thing that worked really well was walking the temp gradually up so that it was 350ish for the last hour of the cook which really set a crisp bark that holds through the FTC.  It comes out very crispy, so I remove the bark and chop it in to small pieces and mix into the pork when I pull it.  Once pulled, I sauce it lightly with a sauce thinned with vinegar and then back into the oven at 170 in well sealed foil pans.

Powak

Legume said:

Last butt cook I did for a party was two that I cooked the day before, finished maybe 10 or 11 at night just about 200F.  Let them rest for a few minutes, HD foil wrap, then into a small yeti with some towels.  They held overnight easily and I eventually pulled them out about midday, they were 140ish and I put the foil pans into oven at 170 until I was ready to pull and chop.

One thing that worked really well was walking the temp gradually up so that it was 350ish for the last hour of the cook which really set a crisp bark that holds through the FTC.  It comes out very crispy, so I remove the bark and chop it in to small pieces and mix into the pork when I pull it.  Once pulled, I sauce it lightly with a sauce thinned with vinegar and then back into the oven at 170 in well sealed foil pans.

Boy that sounds outstanding!! Mines going into an office so I’m gonna have to crock pot it to keep it warm.

Thatgrimguy

Powak said:

Boy that sounds outstanding!! Mines going into an office so I’m gonna have to crock pot it to keep it warm.

If you can avoid pulling till the last possible second, do that.

Thatgrimguy

Really I would just use a small cooler instead of a crockpot. The crockpot is so likely to overcook the butt.  Bring a disposable pan, and pull it when you get there. (I use some cloth gloves with disposable gloves over those to pull, then the only thing you are bringing home is a cooler and some gloves.)

Powak

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Boy that sounds outstanding!! Mines going into an office so I’m gonna have to crock pot it to keep it warm.

If you can avoid pulling till the last possible second, do that.

Right on! I always churned out good butts for work in the past smoking the night before into the morning and shredding either right before leaving the house into the crock or at work before feast time.

Powak

Thatgrimguy said:

Really I would just use a small cooler instead of a crockpot. The crockpot is so likely to overcook the butt.  Bring a disposable pan, and pull it when you get there. (I use some cloth gloves with disposable gloves over those to pull, then the only thing you are bringing home is a cooler and some gloves.)

Great idea. Don’t wanna overcook it but where’s the unsafe temp range?

Thatgrimguy

Powak said:

Thatgrimguy said:

Really I would just use a small cooler instead of a crockpot. The crockpot is so likely to overcook the butt.  Bring a disposable pan, and pull it when you get there. (I use some cloth gloves with disposable gloves over those to pull, then the only thing you are bringing home is a cooler and some gloves.)

Great idea. Don’t wanna overcook it but where’s the unsafe temp range?

Anything over about 160.

Powak

Thatgrimguy said:

Powak said:

Thatgrimguy said:

Really I would just use a small cooler instead of a crockpot. The crockpot is so likely to overcook the butt.  Bring a disposable pan, and pull it when you get there. (I use some cloth gloves with disposable gloves over those to pull, then the only thing you are bringing home is a cooler and some gloves.)

Great idea. Don’t wanna overcook it but where’s the unsafe temp range?

Anything over about 160.

Unsafe because it would keep cooking right? But unsafe for Sanitary reasons closed to 100?

lkapigian

<140 unsafe as far as “ health department “ 

time temp chart, bacteria is killed at lower temps, just takes longer, I’d want to stay >130

Ike

4 hours between 40 & 140 is safe for most things according to standards I've read.

Legume

Remember, it’s going to be coming down from 200ish and will have been at high temps for hours, killing any bad stuff.  Also, it will be wrapped well before the temp drops and it will be a solid piece of meat if you don’t pull it until before you serve.  No baddies are going to be there unless you open it up and pull it.  You’ll be fine.

Powak

Do you guys usually wrap yer butts around 170 or after it’s done on the egg at your target temp? I’ve only wrapped em in the past to speed up cook. Never used butcher paper on a butt but i got some so might try it. Bark seems a to be a selling point up here in new eggland and i love a good bark myself.

JohnInCarolina

Powak said:

Do you guys usually wrap yer butts around 170 or after it’s done on the egg at your target temp? I’ve only wrapped em in the past to speed up cook. Never used butcher paper on a butt but i got some so might try it. Bark seems a to be a selling point up here in new eggland and i love a good bark myself.

If you really want good bark then don’t wrap it until it’s done on the BGE.

Powak

JohnInCarolina said:

Powak said:

Do you guys usually wrap yer butts around 170 or after it’s done on the egg at your target temp? I’ve only wrapped em in the past to speed up cook. Never used butcher paper on a butt but i got some so might try it. Bark seems a to be a selling point up here in new eggland and i love a good bark myself.

If you really want good bark then don’t wrap it until it’s done on the BGE.

If I get a good bark on the butt and throw it in foil for the FTC it should still have good bark by serving time right?

Mark_B_Good

I really encourage you to make a batch of this ... it is incredible. My wife is from North Carolina, and says this is perfectly what she remembers as good pork BBQ from here area.  From the few times I've visited NC, I also remember the pork BBQ and this recipe is very close:

JohnInCarolina

Powak said:

JohnInCarolina said:

Powak said:

Do you guys usually wrap yer butts around 170 or after it’s done on the egg at your target temp? I’ve only wrapped em in the past to speed up cook. Never used butcher paper on a butt but i got some so might try it. Bark seems a to be a selling point up here in new eggland and i love a good bark myself.

If you really want good bark then don’t wrap it until it’s done on the BGE.

If I get a good bark on the butt and throw it in foil for the FTC it should still have good bark by serving time right?

Yes. It will maybe soften a bit during the FTC, but there’s not really another option if you’re planning to hold it for a decent amount of time.  

Thatgrimguy

I wrap when the bark is dark mahogany color and strong enough to draw my finger against. In my green egg this rarely happens before it’s done and in my offset it depends on how much humidity is in my smoker.

Powak

Mark_B_Good said:

I really encourage you to make a batch of this ... it is incredible. My wife is from North Carolina, and says this is perfectly what she remembers as good pork BBQ from here area.  From the few times I've visited NC, I also remember the pork BBQ and this recipe is very close:

Boy that sounds outstanding!

Powak

Pork and sauce came out killer! Buddy’s got some tough competition today! 

lkapigian

Looks Killer , personally , if I know I am just going to pull it I smoke in the pan and save everything , never needed to add sauce that way ( you can drain, separate fat and reintroduce)