Pulled pork ?

Meat

I plan on attempting pulled pork this weekend. Found some recipes just had a question about the meat. Most recipes call for a butt. Do butts go by any other name (shoulder?) My local grocer has a limited meat department and I want make sure I grab the right thing. Thanks. FG

gdenby

The "boston butt" is one part of the sholder. The other is the "picnic." Butts are most commonly used. They provide a little more meat per pound than the picnic.

The first few I did were just half butts, about 4 pounds. They tended to be dry. Bigger, 6 lbs and up, have worked much better.

Buckdodger

Good advise from gdenby....also get a bone in butt. Made the mistake of getting a small butt with no bone, the meat was rolled up inside and did not do well.
Good Luck!
Bob
Alex City, Al

Wise One

Good advice so far - get a butt if you can and make sure it is bone-in. I have paid (in the last year) as little as $0.79/pound and as much as $1.99. See if you can get something in the neighborhood of $1.29/pound. Bigger is better. Try to get one at least 8 pounds.

Then enjoy. I had never done pulled pork before getting my BGE but now I do about one a month. If this is the first time, you will probably be up and down all night checking temps. After a time or two you will determine that you can trust the BGE to hold its temperature all night. Just be sure to fill the firebox FULL. Filled to within an inch or so of the top of the firering is not too much. Make sure your temps do not get away from you as you start (once you get the temperature to around 150 start closing the vents down. You will be surprised at how small the openings are to hold the temp at 225 or so).

Have fun. Even the worst pulled pork I ever did was great.

Florida Grillin Girl

Family Guy, don't worry if your small market only has the picnic. I have done this many times and it comes out great too. It is usually cheaper than the butt. I buy it at costco and there are usually 2-8 lb. shoulders in a bag for around 1.25 per lb. Go for it no matter which cut you can find - you will enjoy the results either way!

This is the shoulder (picnic):


Faith
Tampa, FL

Celtic Wolf

Personally I'd avoid any pork product at a small grocer as the meat could be "enhanced" This usually means it's enhanced with a brining solution.

If you have a Costco, Sam's or BJ's near-by get the butt from them.

Pulled Pork

fishlessman

butt shoulder picnic all work. while most like the butt end of the shoulder, i like the picnic end as i find it has more flavor. get elder wards recipe (all 4 parts in the recipe section) and cook at a temp of 250 inderect.

fishlessman

real dissapointing after you cook for 14 or so hours and find out you bought an enhanced piece when you taste it. there should be a law that the supermarket cant take an enhanced product out of its origional packaging and place there own misleading label on it.

Celtic Wolf

There is... If your market is doing that it is a violation of USDA regs.

Not to mention FDA rules..