My 2nd Attempt at Pulled Pork Starts Tonight

Cheaven

Sorry I am still a fairly new egger, I got it in January and smoked a butt about a month and a half ago. I went to 205. It came out pretty decent but came out a little dry in my opinion. I injected it with a little vinegar/water/salt solution beforehand. I tried to keep the grill between 200 and 240. It seemed like it went up a degree every 20 minutes, then when it got to high and I adjusted it would go down a degree every 20 minutes. I have a remote thermometer so I am able to catch it, but I wish it would peg.

So on to round 2. Please provide some tips.

I am thinking of really taking the time and effort to set my charcoal right, clean it, set big pieces on bottom, etc.

I am going to rub right when I get home. I have a 9lb butt.

Should I inject? with what?

Do people recommend the mustard coating to help with bark?

What temperature do you cook to? (I was thinking 195 this time around)

What's the deal with the wrapping in aluminum foil towards the end and increasing the smoker temp?

Do you soak your wood? Do you use chips or chunks? How often do you replace for a nice pink ring?

Thanks for all of your help!! We are setting up a miniature golf course in the backyard for a mini-masters BBQ. I am calling it Amen Shoulder.

gdenby

I aim for a dome temperature of 250 +- 10. The temp at the grill will change as the cook progresses, and the meat gets hotter. I check every four hours, because that is about the amount of time it takes for the fire to either rise or fall too much.

I do carefully lay the lump for long cooks, and bring it at least half way up the fire ring.

If you rub too early, you may get a "hammy" flavor. Not necessarily a bad thing, but maybe not the best flavor for PP. Mustard does help the rub to stick. I paint the meat with oil. It seems to me to hold moisture a little better.

Most folks aim for 195 - 200. This will insure that all parts of the meat have passed the point where the collagen turns to gelatin.

Myself, I've only foiled towards the end if the meat would not finish before I needed to serve. In other words, to speed the cook up at a higher temp.

Do foil, and wrap in towels, and sit in a cooler for some time. At least an half hour, as much as 4. This allows the juices to redistribute evenly through the cooling meat.

No need to soak the wood in an Egg. The ring only forms while the meat temp is below 140 (I believe) and in the presence of smoke. The colder the meat, the better the smoke ring will be. The flavor is not improved by the ring, it just looks nice. Scatter chips or chunks through out the lump.

Good luck!

Bacchus

Personally I don't think any of those variables besides internal meat temp is a big deal.
You might want to make sure the Egg is cleaned of out of ash and old lump before loading, but the arranging the lump is not nessary. Dump it and light it. Don't soak the wood. Hell you don't even have to use wood.
Stabilize the Egg between 250-300 then put on the butt(s). Butt cooks are extremely forgiving. As long as you cook to the correct internal temp, not much else matters.

AZRP

Go for a dome temp of 250, no injection, no mustard, pull it off at 190-195 internal. At this point you can wrap it in foil and let it rest for an hour or put it in a cooler to hold it longer. -RP

Cheaven

Thanks.

Last time, I thought I would be creative and run chips and chunks throughout the charcoal but I ended up getting so much smoke it was hard for the fire to start.

I think this time it will just be a a hickory chunk on top and a handful of pecan wood chips.

I am only going to be rubbed for about 3 hours.

I am going to start around 9 or 10 tonight and hopefully be down close to 3pm tomorrow.

Cheaven

Are we in agreement 195 is a good stopping point?

Cheaven

My remote thermometer has a probe for grill level temp, should I shoot for that to be around 225 assuming the dome is 25 hotter?

AZRP

Dude, you are overthinking this cook, just get your dome temp relatively close to 250 and don't worry about grate temps. -RP

Boilermaker Ben

when I use my remote thermometer, I pull out the dome thermometer, and insert the probe for the remote thermometer through the hole. No need to adjust for grate vs. dome

Cheaven

I hear ya.

I have smoked for years on something far less superior, so now that I have the tool to do it right, I just want to learn as much as I can up front.

Ross in Ventura

I made a few mistakes in this cook but it turned out good

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=837326&catid=1

Ross

Car Wash Mike

Are you cooking it fat side up? I pull at 195.

Mike

Memphistide

i personally don't think any injection is needed.

Cheaven

I do, I am going to pull at 195 this time.

About an hour of rest time?

I need my cooler for beer, so I need to figure out how to make this work.

Car Wash Mike

We actually pull at 120.

Mike