WTK Can I use a fresh ham to make pulled pork??

Unknown

Hi[p]I am new to cooking in the BGE, I purchase a 7 1/2 fresh ham from a local meat market. He told me that " a lot of Cubans buy this to make roast pork and pulled pork"[p]Anyone know if this fresh ham will work as well s Boston Butt for pulled pork??[p]Any recipe ideas would be greatly appreciated as well!![p]Thanks [p]Daniel[p]Ps How mch time should alow for this huge chunk of meat?

Tim M

Daniel,[p]I have read people doing it with a ham but it wouldn't be the best choice. Cooking the meat to 190 deg or a little higher would be your goal but a ham is pretty lean and a butt or picnic has a lot of fat and the slow cooking is to let that render out as the meat breaksdown under higher temps. Maybe if you add some bacon strips over the outside would help. Maybe others have ideas that can help.[p]Tim

Nature Boy

Daniel,
I think a ham will pull apart easily once you get it past 170 or so. It is still ham, and tastes like ham. And like Tim says, it is a lot leaner and would be prone to drying out if you went to 200 internal. Probably would make a killer sammich, but with a different flavor than the shoulder. Just an opinion!
Cheers!
NB

Unknown

Daniel, I don't use an Egg but a Klose so I have alot of room for different cuts of meat. I usually do picnics and butts. People like different textures. My wife prefers the fresh ham over the butt. I like a combination. Usually 225 keeps the ham from drying out. If you think about it the shoulder is the butt and the picnic. I have not cooked a hind leg yet but I have cooked a pig. Part of the enjoyment of whole pig is the different textures. I always leave the skin on when smoking and I think that makes a difference. Similar to the effect of smoking a whole pig, skin on. Give it a try.