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Pulled pork didn't pull

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SmokinM

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First attempt at a pulled pork and it didn't pull or have any bark. It was probably 6-7 pounds that I cooked at 250-275 for ten hours on my kettle. I feel asleep when it was time to check the temp around the ten hour mark, probably an hour, so I don't know if it ever reached 190-195, I also didn't foil. Looking for any advice on what I may have done wrong. Thanks
 
Must not of gotten to temp. No problem, I've started a pork butt on the smoker, and finished it in the oven, due to inclimate weather. What was the temp when you pulled it out ?
 
If it didn't pull, it was not done cooking.

If you cooked at 250°F grate temperature, as opposed to dome temperature, then it would have been more around 1.5 hours per pound, that would be 9 hours minimum. But, a stubborn butt, can take more like 12 to 14 hours at that temperature easily. No bark makes me wonder if you were even that hot, where do you measure temperature?
 
If it didn't pull then it wasn't cooked long enough to become pulled pork. All the collagen and fatty fat fat didn't melt down into oogey boogey goo.

If it's a bone in butt it's ready when the bone pulls out like nobody's business, followed by a rest. Temp is a tricky thing in the world of pulled pork. I've had some ready to pull at 185º some at the 190º+ and others at 212º or so.

Landarc beats me to the punch again.
 
Don't stop until it probes like buttah, never mind the temp or the duration.
This is the best advice I've heard here, foolproof ttoo
 
Many wise posters have advised me to not rely so much on internal temp and instead rely on probing the meat. It is ready when it goes in like butter. I still use a temp probe simply because it is attached to my pit probe and it usually probes like butter at 200-205. Hope this helps.
 
Goyo626 said:
Many wise posters have advised me to not rely so much on internal temp and instead rely on probing the meat. It is ready when it goes in like butter. I still use a temp probe simply because it is attached to my pit probe and it usually probes like butter at 200-205. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

'Tis true. Temps are a big no no in the world of smoking butts and briskets. Chicken and loins and the like, I will temp. The rest of the stuff going by temp is such a pyramid scam it's almost not funny. I say almost because it all makes me laugh. I'm a soul with a good humor about him.
 
Thabks for all the helpful replies. It was 0300 when I woke up and my fire had gone out, but I am guessing the butt must have sat an hour or so after the fire going out cause I checked it around 0130 and the factory temp gauge on my kettle was around 250. Like all of you have said it must not have gone long enough.

Btw it was a boneless shoulder. Should I have foiled?
 
If you're relying on the factory dome thermo, you need to figure 250F on the thermo is around 215F at the grate. Possibly lower, that right there was the problem. In a Weber, dome temps can be 20 degrees higher, easily.

Get a grate reading, a cheap oven thermo will help you learn the cooker
 
SmokinM said:
Thabks for all the helpful replies. It was 0300 when I woke up and my fire had gone out, but I am guessing the butt must have sat an hour or so after the fire going out cause I checked it around 0130 and the factory temp gauge on my kettle was around 250. Like all of you have said it must not have gone long enough.

Btw it was a boneless shoulder. Should I have foiled?
Click to expand...

Eh, "should have foiled" is all in the eye of the beholder. I wrap my butts, and my briskets, but I use butcher's paper, not foil. The one boneless butt I've ever made into pulled pork cooked just like one with a bone in really, I just had to use a probe rather than rely on the bone pull test. As others have said it's going to feel like you're poking into a stick of room temp butter. That's when you know you're at that golden sweet spot of oogey boogey goo.
 
Great advice on a oven thermo and whether or not I should foil.. I didn't realize the temp could vary that much. Will try it again next weekend and see how it goes. I was frustrated at first having wasted all my time and charcoal but now I look at it like a learning experience. After all it was my first time.
 
Out of the hundreds I've done I've had only 2 that wouldn't pull and I brought them to the 205-207 internal temp. I sliced then chopped them both.
 
Another question, I end up putting the butt in the fridge this morning. Could I pull this put this in the oven and continue where I left off?
 
SmokinM said:
Another question, I end up putting the butt in the fridge this morning. Could I pull this put this in the oven and continue where I left off?
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Sure. It's going to take a while to get up to the temp where it will continue cooking, so I would either put it on a rack in a pan with some liquid under it and foil the pan, or foil the butt with some liquid to help keep it moist.
 
If it is boneless...I check by sticking a fork in it...twist....if it doesn't want to twist and feels tough....not done...if it feels like it has some give...done..usually past the 200IT mark. I never foil a butt as I want lots of bark. Finishing in the oven won't hurt at all. I have never been able to over cook a butt...but I did under cook my first one when I was trying to go by time and temp. I found this forum and it has been smooth sailing since.
 
SmokinM said:
Great advice on a oven thermo and whether or not I should foil.. I didn't realize the temp could vary that much. Will try it again next weekend and see how it goes. I was frustrated at first having wasted all my time and charcoal but now I look at it like a learning experience. After all it was my first time.
Click to expand...

Mine is reads almost 50° cooler on the grate, than at the top of the dome.
 
When I do a Butt on the OTS I use the ring of fire I start with 12-15 coals and run it WFO grate temp I guess is 275-350??? 8 lb butts are done (Bone sliding out) in6-7 hrs. ladarc nailed your problem!
 
Just did my 6.5# butt. It was on for exactly 8 hours cooking at an average of 230-240.
I haven't tried to pull the bone out yet, but I was able to pull parts of this thing apart on the grill with two fingers. Probably some of the most tender pork I've had.
I covered it in a foil pan at 160 (4 hours) and let it go until I started checking it when the internal temp was 190ish. I was able to probe it and it was pretty tender. Used my meat claws and checked it and it was tearing right apart.
 
SmokinM said:
Thabks for all the helpful replies. It was 0300 when I woke up and my fire had gone out, but I am guessing the butt must have sat an hour or so after the fire going out cause I checked it around 0130 and the factory temp gauge on my kettle was around 250. Like all of you have said it must not have gone long enough.

Btw it was a boneless shoulder. Should I have foiled?
Click to expand...

Wrapping with foil is totally up to you there's no set "time" or strategy when it comes to bbq (if it works for you then do it again) I just did a 7# butt yesterday and it took around 10.5 hours and I wrapped it 9 hours in because I was tired of waiting. Hope I've helped
 
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