Pulled Pork Texture Question

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

I made some PP a few weeks ago and it tasted great. However this past week I had some local PP that tasted fine but the texture was much better than mine. The PP that I ate was very tender and almost sponge like. I can't really describe it other than it held together very well as opposed to my PP that was more tough. I cooked my 8lb butt for 11 hours at 275-300 dome until internal temp of 198.

So my question.....how do you get the tender or soft PP?

Mickey · November 2012

Sometimes it is just the cut of meat.

Skiddymarker · November 2012

Mickey said:

Sometimes it is just the cut of meat.

Agreed - big difference. Was the local PP Q'd? Sometimes they are "crock potted" which, depending on the serving sauce and added slaw can hide the smoke taste and be extremely tender and as you state, sponge like.

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

The PP was definitely done BBQ style on the smoker and not finished off in a crock pot etc. They turn out too much BBQ to manage it any other way than traditional smokers etc. The meat I got was from the grocery store so perhaps that is a problem too.

Little Steven · November 2012

I do mine 250* dome and pull at over 205*. Maybe that would help.

jlsm · November 2012

I usually buy my butts from a butcher, but picked one up at the grocery store last time. Huge difference.

Buckdodger · November 2012

Little Steven said:

I do mine 250* dome and pull at over 205*. Maybe that would help.

+1...Usually get my butt's from Sam's club, come 2 to a pack, usually around 8# ea. Never had a problem with the quality of the meat.

gerhardk · November 2012

I am not sure but to me sponge textured meat doesn't sound that appealing. For me I like the pork to be tender but still require a little bit of chewing, maybe I misunderstood what you are trying to achieve.

Gerhard

IrishDevl · November 2012

jlsm said:
I usually buy my butts from a butcher, but picked one up at the grocery store last time. Huge difference.

I second that, I have bought some terrible pork butt at supermarkets. Could very possibly be the meat selection. And 205 is my favorite temp.

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

gerhardk said:

I am not sure but to me sponge textured meat doesn't sound that appealing. For me I like the pork to be tender but still require a little bit of chewing, maybe I misunderstood what you are trying to achieve.

Gerhard

Yes perhaps my comparison to a sponge was not that great.

I just can't seem to find out how to get that very tender and moist PP. I injected mine as well. I perhaps did not let it rest long enough to let the juices redistribute. I only allowed about 10 min to let it rest because i was getting crazy hungry just looking at it.

Optiontrader · November 2012

SmokingOzarksBBQ said:

The PP was definitely done BBQ style on the smoker and not finished off in a crock pot etc. They turn out too much BBQ to manage it any other way than traditional smokers etc. The meat I got was from the grocery store so perhaps that is a problem too.

I have a friend that boils his butts in beer first, then smokes them. The texture sounds like what you describe. The clue is, little to no smoke ring.

nolaegghead · November 2012

Foiling through the stall gives you juicier meat texture, at the expense of the bark. I'm trying to find the study that has pictures of the difference - they were remarkable. The weight of the meat is greater (from moisture) with the foiling, and the texture is a little different - more "fluffy".

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

Yes, fluffy is the word i was looking for. Thank you. Yes please provide the study and pics if you can find it.

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

nolaegghead said:

Foiling through the stall gives you juicier meat texture, at the expense of the bark. I'm trying to find the study that has pictures of the difference - they were remarkable. The weight of the meat is greater (from moisture) with the foiling, and the texture is a little different - more "fluffy".

Nola - Were you able to find the study?

SmokeyPitt · November 2012

Perhaps this is it?

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html

If you look at the pics of "foil jump" vs "normal rubbed" it does demonstrate some some fluffiness

.

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

I think that illustration and explanation is what i was looking for. I guess what I will have to do it foil it to 190-195 internal temp and then take the foil off and high temp it to get the bark hard again. How does this sound?

Has anyone else tried this and it work?

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

Wanted to bring this back up. If I foil until 200 internal temp then take off the foil and cook for the added bark, will that drop the temp back down and thus lose the moisture from foiling and extend the cook time?

nolaegghead · November 2012

SmokeyPitt said:

Perhaps this is it?

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/the_stall.html

If you look at the pics of "foil jump" vs "normal rubbed" it does demonstrate some some fluffiness .

That's exactly what I saw (and couldn't find) - thanks.

nolaegghead · November 2012

SmokingOzarksBBQ said:

Wanted to bring this back up. If I foil until 200 internal temp then take off the foil and cook for the added bark, will that drop the temp back down and thus lose the moisture from foiling and extend the cook time?

It should crisp up your bark. It takes a long time to lose moisture. But you don't want to overcook either. Once that meat is tender, it needs to come off. Maybe unfoil at 180. Play around with it and refine your technique to get what tastes good to you, and so you can reproduce it.

Skiddymarker · November 2012

My family, brought up on crock pot PP prefers the soft fluffy texture, bark was secondary. The old Weber provided the addition of smoke and bark, but at the expense of texture (a little). So like ribs, we tend to smoke for a while, foil for a while then un-foil to finish the bark for PP served straight up with a hot and sour (Lexington?) style sauce. If we are going to use a BBQ sauce the butt just cooks without foil and lots of bark as the sauce provides all the moisture needed.

SmokingOzarksBBQ · November 2012

Great stuff. Thank you guys.

SamFerrise · November 2012

Once the internal temp hits 195 the tough connective tissue is pretty much broken down to buttery tenderness. I pull my brisket and butts off at 190 internal and wrap them, then put in the cooler for 2-3 hours. Never had a failure and the texture is perfect. Going to 200 and beyond just liquefies the fat and it gets too mushy. You can eat it even if you don't have teeth.

Eggcelsior · November 2012

Skiddymarker said:

My family, brought up on crock pot PP prefers the soft fluffy texture, bark was secondary. The old Weber provided the addition of smoke and bark, but at the expense of texture (a little). So like ribs, we tend to smoke for a while, foil for a while then un-foil to finish the bark for PP served straight up with a hot and sour (Lexington?) style sauce. If we are going to use a BBQ sauce the butt just cooks without foil and lots of bark as the sauce provides all the moisture needed.

Does it have tomato-base(ketchup)? Then yes, it could be Lexington(Western NC). If just Vinegar-based, it's Eastern-style. Mustard-based? South Carolina, towards the coast.

Skiddymarker · November 2012

@Eggcelsoir, thanks. This recipe came from a neighbour when we lived in Chicago, he was from Wisconsin, which is why why I was unsure about the Lexington reference. Yes it has ketchup. This easy sauce has a nice zip to it.

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup or tomato sauce

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 Tbs sugar

1/2 Tbs salt

1/2 Tbs ground white pepper (or a little less if using black pepper)

1/2 tsp red pepper chile flakes (the longer it sits, the hotter these get so use sparingly)

The vinegar really brings out the taste of the pork and if you like slaw on your PP sammie, this makes a great slaw sauce as well.

Pulled Pork Texture Question

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