I screwed up a butt!

[jeffboyette]

I did my best shoulders this weekend. Ive spent a hundreds and hundreds of bucks (not all my money) on 11 different events the past 4 months. Doing some big cooks for the air force. The learning curve is tremendous when you are doing these back to back on the same pit, from the same cases of butts.

One thing i noticed, butts from the same case, same weight, on the same pit, smoked at 220 to the same internal temp 195 (some took 1-1.5 hours longer to reach) Id have some butts, that the entire thing would pull with my hands, no fork or knife needed. And some id only get chunks out of it that would pull while the other chunks i wound up having to chop carolina style.

The racks on the gator pit Predator are 20 degrees different on a good day top to bottom. But i do rotate every 3-4 hours.

If i can keep my temps consistant with no spikes or dips, and keep clean blue smoke ill go 12-16 hours with no foil before the bone pulls. When i take them up, i foil them and let them rest 1-4 hours. Pulling them right when the bone pulls out with some resistance, wrapping in foil will ensure the entire butt pulls consistantly, without turning to mush or drying out. The only time i would wrap is an hour into the stall when im in a hurry, or am fighting the pit to maintain temps and get dirty smoke.

When i was learning, i used to foil every butt and rib i smoked when i got the color i wanted and hit the stall. But clean smoke, good meat, and consistant temperatures and there is nothing wrapped in foil that can compare.

My advice to you, keep the door closed, the temps consistant. Leave it on the pit. Shoulders simply take longer. The only thing you need a thermometer for is the pit temps.

Smoking at 200, smoking at 225 opening the door every 30-60 min, smoking at 225 with the occasional 275-300 spike, or God forbid smoking at 275-300, will all turn out meat the needs to come off at a different internal temperature at a different time. Pull it when its done!

 

[SirPorkaLot]

As most on here will tell you, I am a big fan of picnics.
I cook them all the time.

Here are Sir Porkalot's Picnic Tips:

• Consumer beware! : Some packagers like to sell "enhanced" meat, all that really means is that there is a partial curing solution injected into the meat to make cuts like that more tenderer for the less informed.
  Well when you cure a pork leg what do you get? That's right HAM
  An actual Ham is from the rear thigh (haunch) of a pig, and is cured, then smoked.
  A "Picnic Ham" can also be found in stores, which is from the front thigh (shoulder) of a pig, and is cured and then smoked.
  An "enhanced Picnic" has been cured, but not smoked, and once you smoke it, you get....that's right..Picnic Ham
  Why does this matter? Well if you don't make sure your picnic has not been enhanced, you will likely end up with something that tastes hammy.
• Ok - now that you have an actual un-molested picnic, let's have some fun! I like a picnic better because there is more meat/bone ratio than there is in a butt. - There is a common saying: "Closer the bone, Sweeter the meat." This is very true, and done properly a smoked picnic makes a much better pulled pork product than a butt alone (a boston butt is cut off of the shoulder as well)
• Internal temp on a Picnic? 200-205 - why so hot? Lot's of shoulder muscle interspersed with fat. If you don't cook it enough you will end up throwing away a lot of inedible "stuff", as we must covert all that "stuff" to juicy pork goodness.
• Skin: leave it on!@#@#!$#@! some folks say to take it off so your rub or smoke (or whatever) can get to the meat. That's a load of bull. You need the skin on too help hold the temps & juice IN the meat, as well as to provide a buffer from the heat (that's right I said buffer). A picnic takes a looong time. too much dry heat, and you get....that's right..overooked dry meat, before all your fat has converted.
• if you have done all this correctly, your skin will literally fall off with little or zero fat left to toss, your bone will pull free easily with no meat attached, and you will have to wear a bib when eating your pork to keep your shirt dry from all the pork juice running down your face.

Nuff said

 

[Chef Jim]

With out a quote, all advise sounds really good. I'll just have to pratice some more!

Thank you. Jim