Pulled Pork Help

[tk]

First time post, please be gentle.

I currently run a Brinkmann Pitmaster Deluxe with smokestack, waterpan, heat deflector and charcoal basket mods. I average 14 hours at 250 on one load of briquests.

Back in Feb I did a 10lb shoulder for a monthly poker tournament I run. Big hit. Started the shoulder at 05:00, pulled it off at 16:30. I've done several others of the same size in about the same time since.

It was such a hit with my mother-in-law that she asked me to do pulled pork for my brother-in-laws graduation party. Ok, I'm willing to try anything. But now comes my real question.

I used the calculators here on this site from (http://www.freewebs.com/susquehannabluesmoke/cateringthings.htm), and determined that I'm going to need approx 30lb to feed everyone at the part. I have the pork on order, but I'm wonder what I am looking at for cook time. My butcher is pretty good about getting me what I want, so I'm expecting 3 butts, approx 10-12lbs a piece. Because there will be more meat in the cooker, do I need to look at increasing my cook time, or will I still be in about the same 12 hour time frame?

 

[MoGreen]

It should be about the same time frame. Your smoker may cool down more than usual after you first load it with that much meat, but once it bounces back, it shouldn't make that much difference. You could always throw it on a couple of hours early, just in case, and then hold the pork in a cooler until you're ready to pull.

 

[Puppyboy]

Agreed.

As for holding the meat, a cooler packed with butts and towels will keep the meat very hot and at a safe temp.

 

[Stoke&Smoke]

Depending on how crowded the meat is in the cooker, you might need to adjust times some, but as long as air can circulate around each individual butt, time should be about the same.

If it's all pushed together, it might act more like one large hunk of meat and take longer

 

[Puppyboy]

...If it's all pushed together, it might act more like one large hunk of meat and take longer

Good point. When cooking multiple pieces, I leave at leaset an inch between pieces.

 

[DC-Q]

First time post, please be gentle.

I currently run a Brinkmann Pitmaster Deluxe with smokestack, waterpan, heat deflector and charcoal basket mods. I average 14 hours at 250 on one load of briquests.

Back in Feb I did a 10lb shoulder for a monthly poker tournament I run. Big hit. Started the shoulder at 05:00, pulled it off at 16:30. I've done several others of the same size in about the same time since.

It was such a hit with my mother-in-law that she asked me to do pulled pork for my brother-in-laws graduation party. Ok, I'm willing to try anything. But now comes my real question.

I used the calculators here on this site from (http://www.freewebs.com/susquehannabluesmoke/cateringthings.htm), and determined that I'm going to need approx 30lb to feed everyone at the part. I have the pork on order, but I'm wonder what I am looking at for cook time. My butcher is pretty good about getting me what I want, so I'm expecting 3 butts, approx 10-12lbs a piece. Because there will be more meat in the cooker, do I need to look at increasing my cook time, or will I still be in about the same 12 hour time frame?

30 lbs cooked or 30 lbs. uncooked? If you start with 30-36 lbs. you'll end up with a bit more than 1/2 of that. So maybe 17-20 lbs. Will that be enough?

 

[wardconnor]

I have a question about this if i can chime in. When wrapping them after the cooker and putting them cooler, what should they be wrapped in before they get wrapped in towels? Does there need to be something to stop the juices from getting out of the meat and onto the towels? Should they be any liquid like apple juice?

Bottom line question is do they need to be wrapped in zip lock bags before the towel wrap?

 

[tk]

30 lbs cooked or 30 lbs. uncooked? If you start with 30-36 lbs. you'll end up with a bit more than 1/2 of that. So maybe 17-20 lbs. Will that be enough?

They are looking at about 50-60 people. There will also be sides of potatoe salad, slaw, chips, beans, and my mother-in-laws cake (Don't know what this woman does to make her cakes, but they are SOOO moist and fluffy. And the icing...)

 

[vraknari]

Bottom line question is do they need to be wrapped in zip lock bags before the towel wrap?

I like to use plastic food wrap, then aluminum foil, wrap that in towel, and then place in the cooler.