Pulled Pork - Bad Results

Unknown

Everything I cook on the BGE turns out great except my two attempts at pulled pork. I am buying 4 lb boston butts, and when they are finished, I get moist pork, easy to pull, crisp outside meat, but alot of the meat has a "gamey" taste and is pretty dark in color. The darker, the more "gamey". The light colored strands are great. What cut are most of you using? What is difference between butt, shoulder, picnic. Not sure I am getting the right cut to begin with. I am using BGE charcoal and a couple fists of hickory. Thanks in advance for your help.

Tim M

JimmyK,[p]I trim off a lot of the extra visable fat and that makes mine taste more like I want it to. You might try that to see if it helps. I don't care for a lot of smoke either and a fist full might be too much. Cut that back and try again. The Butt is my prefered cut over the picnic, but the difference is minimal.[p]Tim

Mike in MN

JimmyK,
I get the Boston Blades, at about 4-6 pounds each. I look for meat that appears more red than pale pink. Less fat, marbling. [p]I agree with a good handful of chunks and chips for smoke. 225 until an internal of 200. Indirect with a platesetter, pizza stone, and a drip pan with water. Don't open the dome unless absolutely necessary....until the last hour or two to do some mopping.[p]Mike in MN [p]Mike in MN

LasVegasMac

JimmyK, just my $0.02 worth....[p]I've put rub on 24 hrs in advance - and 2 hrs in advance. Both tasted good.[p]I found that I like only about 3 - 4 hours of smoke, just my taste.[p]I do make sure it is completely thawed, if frozen, before starting.[p]The one thing I did discover was that I worried too much, with the first several butts, about the temp straying too far from 200 on the dome. Then read about the difference in temp from the dome therm compared to "meat level"(grate) temp. If the dome temp (calibrated) says 240, it's probably around 220 meat level. Adjust accordingly. I now try to keep my dome temp between 220 and 230.[p]Are you using an external temp gage? Polder, etc.?? Great tool, you know exactly what the meat is doing. You can see the plateau, etc.[p]I've done both butt's and shoulders. If I remember correctly, the shoulder cut is higher up, butt lower. The truth is that I like both of them. I think the key is the time. Long enough to break down the fat, etc.[p]Were both cuts of meat from the same place? Perhaps they use crappy meat. Try from a different source.[p]Like I said, just my $.02 worth. Practice - practice. It took me about 6 months to get comfortable with the entire process - trying this, that, etc.[p]Good luck and let us know - by no means am I the expert. They are all down in Atlanta about now. Ha.[p]LVM

ChefRD

JimmyK,
Hello, and welcome. How are you cooking the butts? Indirect over bricks or some barrier or direct? I would think that would matter for sure. Like others have said I would shoot for about 225~240 and I only put about three medium size hickory chunks in at the beginning of the cook while the temp is rising (with the butt on the raised, indirect grill) and then stabilize the temps and continue cooking. This gives me plenty of smoke and I have not noticed a 'gamey' taste and I've not noticed any darker strands with an 'off' taste. The bark is definitely dark, but it is supposed to be . And it is still good.
As for the different pork names, from what I understand, the front leg/shoulder is the boston butt (upper part) and the picnic is the lower half of the front leg.
Hams come from the rear hip.
This site has a lot of pork info in you want more info.
later,
ChefRD[p]
[ul][li]pork names[/ul]

Unknown

ChefRD,[p]This is a very active forum! I am cooking it indirect (on a vrack sitting on a pyrex), but at a higher temperature (300). I'll make another attempt at the lower temperatures. The smoke is not causing the flavor issue because the first time I cooked it with no smoke(hickory). Again I am happy with the consistency, just not the flavor (which is what its all about right!). Thanks to all of you.

Sundown

JimmyK,[p]Try a fresh picnic shoulder. My wife tells me it has a more delicate flavor than the butt. Danged if I can tell the difference though. I'll eat Pulled Pork any you it's cooked on an Egg!

Unknown

JimmyK,[p]Sounds to me that you are cooking it exactly right, but that you just don't care for the flavor of the darker portions of the pork butt. Best parts, as far as I'm concerned![p]You could try cooking a pork loin for MUCH less time to 140 degrees and get all "white meat", but it will be sliced, not pulled. It's delicious, too, but very different. [p]Another thing you might try is mixing your pulled pork butt or picnic (they do taste about the same)with a strong-flavored sauce that you like. I use a vinegar-based sauce on mine, but others prefer one that's tomato-based.[p]Lee[p]

Unknown

JimmyK,
I agree with that Qsis lady... All butts have that muscle or whatever down by the bone area that is dark meat.. It does have a Different flavor.. You are buying small butts.. If your tried buying a bigger one, you might have more meat to mix together so as that part you dont seem to like is smaller in Perportion..[p]Its all good to me...[p]Geet in my Belly...[p]Dylan [p]