Pulled Pork Butt ~ I Learned A New Lesson Yesterday

Friday night I started two butts to serve at a pot luck and pool tournament Saturday afternoon at my neighborhood saloon. Injected with Kosmo's Pork, seasoned with pepper and Smokin' Guns Hot, smoked with cherry and peach for 14 hours at 240°, then wrapped for another 3 hours. I re-seasoned the pulled meat with a finishing rub and seasoned salt then mixed in some de-fatted juices. I served it with Kings Hawaiian Rolls and some homemade Dilly Green Beans, with some thinned out Blues Hog on the side. Since I had so much meat I took it in a Crock Pot in order cycle the "warm" setting on and off to keep the meat fresh.

The grazing action started off a little slow, most of the regulars and the bartenders had made a slider or two, but a lot of the people in the tournament had never tried any of my barbecue. Someone would get a plate, then come right back or make some sliders for their table. And after about 12 or 15 of those people came over and asked questions about how I cooked it, or how I got "that kind" of flavor.... It finally dawned on me what was going on. :twitch: On the food sign-up list I just put "Pulled Pork". There are a considerable number of non-barbecuists who cook their "pulled pork" in a Crock Pot, or have only had it at a restaurant slathered in sauce. This was the first time some of these folks experienced the real deal so to speak.

Hoss said:

Those two in the pic have beautiful color.I bet it did confuse your eaters if they thought that was crock pot Q. :laugh:

Click to expand...

And plus I included some pieces with bark. And I had the various muscle groups together, so the horn muscles surrounding the bone are a deeper color.

Stlsportster said:

We got invited to some friends for taco night. Their version was pork butt and salsa in a crock pot.

Good thing there was plenty of bourbon, which made me not care about not eating.

Which of course made the bourbon buzz even better.

Moral of the story...you saved someone from a hangover for sure!

Click to expand...

I make burrito and tamale filling from butts in a pressure cooker but I'm adding several chile powders, peppers, onions, and the like and it comes out great and in a fraction of the time over roasting or a Dutch oven.

lzbcook said:

"That Kind" of flavor sounds REALLY good!
I never thought to use the peach wood I had in a prior location. How much does peach influence that smoke flavor?

Click to expand...

I think the peach is as light as apple. And I intentionally did not want a real smokey product, a spicy rub or sauce, or a heavy bark either just because Of the crowd factor.

Michigan BBQ Fan said:

Great story and thanks for sharing. You make a great point, most people have never truly experienced backyard produced "real" BBQ. For me, this is what it's all about. I always say to my wife when I'm putting on "too much" pork or brisket for the both of us, "Better start calling people because you can't text message a sample of this." It forces us to see people, share with people and spread the love of BBQ. Your pork looks great and kudos for you to raising the bar on the local potluck. Happy Smokin'

Click to expand...

What's funny is that over the years I've taken all kinds of barbecue from fatty sliders, pork loins, ribs, pork burnt ends, brisket and sausages but usually just use foil pans or styro to-go boxes to make the clean-up easy. Heck, some of us have gotten together and cooked 3 whole hogs in the parking lot. But about the only time I use a Crock Pot is for ham and beans, chicken and noodles or chili.

It's usually better not to speak too soon, especially when you don't know everyone's abilities. I helped a friend smoke 15 racks of spares for a backyard party and one of the guests boldly announced several times that he was a connoisseur of ribs, and it was rare for him to find a rib better than his.

Later on, I don't recall his exact words but they were something along the lines of "I've finally met my match". His wife cornered me at the bar and asked all kinds of questions because her husband was afraid to.

SmokinAussie said:

You just should have told them about this stuff called "liquid smoke"

Click to expand...

When I started making hot dogs, every recipe called for liquid smoke and the only flavors of liquid smoke I found was hickory and mesquite, which were both strong enough to be detected in a sauce or pot of beans or when added to sausage meat. I understand the process to make it, but I always found it too overpowering. Then, a sausage mentor told me about "apple" flavored liquid smoke. Wrights (who has been making liquid smoke for 100+ years) sells it and it's very light. It's still best when measured by the drop.

Twisted T's Q said:

man seeing the scold you got on them butts using your egg makes me want to break mine out ...

Click to expand...

I didn't open the dome during the first 7 hours, I peeked with a flashlight through the daisy wheel after 4 hours, then went back to bed. And when I did open 'er up around 5 AM.... I gave them a light spray and took a picture. the kamodo design is essentially foolproof. Plus they laugh at winter temperatures.