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MGoBBQ: Texas-Style Pulled Pork Comment Count

GoBlueBBQ October 28th, 2021 at 4:00 PM

Note from Seth: Last week we brought back Joe Pichey’s MGoBBQ column thanks to a new sponsor metal homegoods for college superfans. Some of you said “HELL YEAH!” and some of you were like “Noooo I am now too hungry” and some of those people made fun of Purdue losing to Wisconsin, so in payback Gridiron Metal Works is sponsoring again, and will keep doing so until morale improves. Derrick makes officially licensed grilling and decor products, where “makes” in this sentence actually means “CUTS HIGH-QUALITY STEEL WITH PRECISION LASERS,” so you can do your alma mater proud for years to come. Check out his stuff at gridironmetal.com, and maybe accidentally drop that link where people who buy you holiday gifts are looking.

 

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I went back and forth on which recipe to do for this HUGE week as we get ready for one of the biggest games in YEARS. I was hoping the game would be a bit later in the day so we had a little more time to cook but we will just have to modify the recipe a little. This one will be a HOT & FAST Texas style pulled pork. One of my all time favorites and just about the easiest thing to cook on the grill or smoker. For those just starting out or wanting to dip their toes in the BBQ waters, this one is the recipe for you. It couldn’t be any easier. This one is being cooked on my ceramic smoker and on my AWESOME new grill grate from GRIDIRONMETAL. This thing is so impressive. I can tell just by the weight that this thing will last me a lifetime. Unbelievable quality. You gotta get yourself 1 or 5. They have them for most grills and if they don’t, they will customize for you. Give Derrick a call and get one.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8-10 LB BONE-IN Pork Butt
  • Kosher Salt
  • Course ground pepper
  • Apple Cider (Optional)

[After THE JUMP: butts.]

DIRECTIONS:

Fire your grill or smoker up to 300-325 degrees and add some pecan or apple chunks for smoke. Our goal is to get this pork butt done in around 4-5 hours. For Texas style pork, we are going salt and pepper only. I go 3 parts pepper to 1 part salt. Yes, you read that right. Trust me….it works. See the mix below. Also note, when picking out a pork butt that has the cryovac packaging, always choose one that is tight. If it has any air in it, put it back. That means there is a hole in the bag. Also look for one with very little blood.

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Season the butt HEAVILY. I actually wish I would have seasoned this one more. Give it all you got. It’s a big piece of meat and can take it.

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Once it’s been covered, throw it on your perfectly seasoned grate from GRIDIRON Metal Works. So Sexy!

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Let this ride for about 2 – 3 hours at 300-325 degrees. Once you see the split in the fat cap, it’s time to wrap. You can see off to the right side the split is starting.

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Look at that nice smoke ring forming on one of “Future Crunchy Bits” that will be a “PITMASTER TREAT”.

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Something I did a little different this time around was spritzing it with apple cider. Don’t spritz until the bark has set. You don’t want to wash off that tasty treat. My local hardware store carries the right color spritzer. I spritz every 15 mins once it hits 155 internal.

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Once it it’s about 175 internal, remove the Big ol’ butt with you GRIDIRON spatula. This thing is so well made. I cant wait to use it more in upcoming posts. It’s time to wrap. Notice the SPLIT.

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Instead of wrapping completely, I am going with the FOIL BOAT method. This will help keep the juices locked in and speed up the cooking process. It will also help our bark stay crunchy. Use 3 large pieces of heavy duty foil for this. Place it back on the smoker until your internal temp hits 205. This should take another 1 or 2 hours.

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Once you hit 205 internal, remove the butt from the heat and let it rest. You can place it directly in the cooler or set it out on the counter top. I have also placed in my oven at 170 for a few hours. Leave the top exposed (As pictured below)

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After 2 hrs rest, this beauty should be ready to pull. You should be able to remove the bone with no resistance.

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Another nice thing about the GRIDIRON Metal grate is that I can char my buns on it prior to making sandwiches. This worked perfectly. Add some butter or mayo to the buns and set them on the hot grill grate.

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Once you pull that meat, start stacking. I like simple spicy pickles and meat. Add some onions or slaw if you like. Look at that bark and the pink smoke ring. SEXY! Now go enjoy a big win against Sparty and throw back a few cold ones.

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BONUS PIC. I had some fun carving my first pumpkin in about 40 years. Not bad at all. Bevs may have been involved on this one. Ha. GO BLUE!

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Comments

Wallaby Court

October 28th, 2021 at 4:06 PM ^

I saw these pictures (or their shuttermates) on Insta and thought we might be getting a pulled pork recipe this week.

I usually go low and slow (around 225° F) with pork shoulder and only crutch if I am low on time. I have never tried (or even heard about) going hot and fast for pulled pork, so this intrigues me. The boat crutch is also a new idea. All in all, I'm happy to have new techniques, but I am about ready to eat my monitor.

Joined: 11/08/2008

MGoPoints: 10470

Oregon Wolverine

October 29th, 2021 at 12:31 AM ^

I’ve done fast, medium and slow. All are delicious, no question.  But… Sorry, but slow is best.  I hit my butt at 200F for roughly 12-16 hours before I wrap.  You cannot get proper bark or fat caramelization at 4-6 hours.   And the meat won’t be both dry enough to accept E North Carolina BBQ sauce w/o more time on the grill, but still juicy.

When I smoke a butt, 10-12 hours in it starts to really kill.  Just thinking about it drives me crazy, I can smell the last time.  Drives my neighbors crazy too, from their comments. 

Love your piece and looks great, but anyone that thinks that a higher temp can make it happen the same should try BBQ done the right way, low and slow.  

Joined: 09/30/2014

MGoPoints: 2628

Creedence Tapes

October 29th, 2021 at 4:21 AM ^

I thought the same thing, though I do tend to go a bit higher on the temp than I'd like to since I still smoke on a kettle grill. I also like to give it a nice layer of rub, if I see the meat through it, it's not enough. Even though I just smoked a butt last week, this does make me want to throw another pork but on tomorrow so I can have it ready for the game. 

Joined: 01/23/2011

MGoPoints: 4165

Oregon Wolverine

October 29th, 2021 at 12:38 AM ^

It will not inhibit at all.  It’s a very good recommendation.  If you are smoking, unless you have a cold smoker, you probably have a heat defused that blocks direct heat, but allows smoke to infuse in all directions still.

Cleaning a pan under a pork butt is a mess, and throwing away a disposable is probably as eco friendly as all of the abrasive soap and cleaners you need to clean a pan you want to keep.

if you’re not deterred, at least line your pan in two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil, which you can pitch w/fat and drippings galore, some of which would be burned to your pan.  

Joined: 09/30/2014

MGoPoints: 2628

mgolund

October 28th, 2021 at 4:33 PM ^

Great post. Based on photos, I agree that the butt should have been more heavily seasoned. I usually season mine (using mustard as a binder) heavily enough that the meat is not visible. Then, when shredding the pork, the bark gets mixed throughout, giving every part a good dose of seasoning.

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 5145

mgobleu

October 28th, 2021 at 4:38 PM ^

I have a hard time with butts. 
 

-no really; I can get a great crust, nice smoke, excellent consistency; super tender throughout. Just by appearance and feel, they’re PERFECT. 
 

Then you have a taste, and it’s just not anything to write home about. Very bland and missing that umami you’re hoping for. Anyone have any brine, injection, or post-cook flavor tips they’d like to share?

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 38428

El Demonio

October 28th, 2021 at 4:48 PM ^

Do you get the butt from a butcher?  If you can find Berkshire pork, that's the way to go. 

That being said, maybe it's your rub?  Are you trimming the fat?  You want to get rid of most but not all the fat, so that the rub is better absorbed into the meat (won't go through the fat).  Do you dry brine it beforehand?

Joined: 01/20/2011

MGoPoints: 893

mgolund

October 28th, 2021 at 5:29 PM ^

Use mustard as a binder - it will hold that bark on there. As you shred the meat, the bark will rub off (a bit) on the interior parts of the butt. Also, heavily season the butt.

I like Meat Church, but not for pork butt. I make my own rub of 1:1 kosher salt and 16 mesh pepper, with a dash of garlic powder and paprika (for color).

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 5145

El Demonio

October 28th, 2021 at 7:03 PM ^

I would suggest two things to boost flavor.

First, make sure you are trimming most of the fat.  You don't want more than 1/8" of fat on the fattiest part of the butt.  Fat is going to prevent the rub and salt from being absorbed by the meat.

Second, you should dry brine the butt.  Rub Kosher salt (coarse) on the meat and put it in the fridge for 12-24 hours before smoking.  Also, you want to make sure that whatever rub you use does not contain salt, as you'd be doubling up.  This is a great salt-free rub:  https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/spice-rubs-and-pastes/meatheads-memphis-dust-rub-recipe/

Joined: 01/20/2011

MGoPoints: 893

MgoBlaze

October 28th, 2021 at 7:08 PM ^

A few things:

Quality of pork matters. There's a huge difference between a commodity pork shoulder/butt and one from a happy, healthy pig that had a great life except for that one shitty day at the end.

The longer it's seasoned in advance, the more the seasoning will permeate the meat. Brining it will ensure even seasoning via osmosis, but it will need to be dried off before cooking or the smoke ring starts to suffer, so there are benefits and drawbacks both ways.

If you're really looking for more umami in your rub/brine, add some MSG.

Also, heat and acid will accentuate the umami. I like the apple cider wash, but I really like using a nice Gose (sour beer), Dijon mustard, and Thai hot pepper wash. Using a Spanish or French sparkling cider would also be great, but obviously less "Texas." For the sauce, I'd just use the same ingredients as the wash but in different proportions (more mustard)

 

Joined: 07/12/2020

MGoPoints: 2668

B-Nut-GoBlue

October 28th, 2021 at 10:18 PM ^

To counter one of your points, if your season/rub includes salt then seasoning early would matter, yes, allowing the salt to permeate. The rest of those seasonings however (pepper, paprika, herbs, ancho/cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic, onion, etc.) are too large and are not permeating...they are there for that outer bark flavor!  Nobody asked but a dry both kosher salt the night before works great and a rub (homemade, not a store bought that contains even more salt) applied right before throwing the meat on the smoker works great.

Joined: 09/30/2011

MGoPoints: 43697

Creedence Tapes

October 29th, 2021 at 11:09 AM ^

Interesting tip about the seasonings not permeating the meat. I usually rub a pork butt a couple of days in advance, and although the flavors don't permeate all the way, I swear it works better than when I rush. Maybe that's the salt permeating (I don't brine it), but either way, I'll have to do some testing. Good excuse to smoke 2 butts instead of one. 

Joined: 01/23/2011

MGoPoints: 4165

MgoBlaze

October 29th, 2021 at 12:41 PM ^

They don't permeate the meat... whole. If you throw the spices in a vita mix with the salt until everything is the consistency of powdered sugar, then that's a totally different story. But this is TX style, which means salt and (hopefully freshly-ground, there's a huge difference) pepper. 

Also, a bbq rub without salt is a major amateur move. Would never recommend.

Joined: 07/12/2020

MGoPoints: 2668

B-Nut-GoBlue

October 29th, 2021 at 6:43 PM ^

A rub doesn't need salt. I make my own rubs.  They don't contain salt.  I salt/dry brine typically anywhere from 12-24 hours prior to smoking.  Immediately before smoking I apply the rub.  Applying the rub with the salt won't hurt anything.  But the 2 can be separate.  NOW, if buying store bought rubs which I should probably assume many are, then yes, those likely contain the salt needed to brine the meat and one would want that applied in that 12-24 hour lead-up!

Those ground spices you speak of still aren't being pulled into the meat very far.  Salt is because of science.  Those vitamix'd spiced into powdered sugar are still too large to diffuse into the meat.

Joined: 09/30/2011

MGoPoints: 43697

MgoBlaze

October 29th, 2021 at 8:39 PM ^

I think you misread what I typed. The spices should be ground with salt, to the consistency of powdered sugar. What that does is mix the volatile oils released by the spices throughout the salt, ensuring an even cure. You can think it doesn't work if you want, but it does.

Don't take my word for it, try it and see. I did it with different cures/rubs when I cooked in/ran Michelin-level fine dining kitchens for a decade. John Harbaugh liked my food, but find out for yourself. ;-)

You can rub without salt if you want. All I said is that it's amateur hour to do that with BBQ, specifically Texas-style. It needs the salt because SCIENCE- the moisture pulled from the meat by the salt helps the flavors of the rub penetrate it. 

Joined: 07/12/2020

MGoPoints: 2668

El Demonio

October 28th, 2021 at 4:46 PM ^

I just made pork butt this past weekend.  I, like other responders, usually go 225F for awhile (10+ hrs) but since I was on a deadline, I had it at +/-260F for about 8 hrs and it came out great.  Pork butt is a very forgiving piece of meat, so no doubt that you can go 300F and then crutch.

Thank you, MGOBBQ, love your posts.

Joined: 01/20/2011

MGoPoints: 893

Moleskyn

October 28th, 2021 at 5:09 PM ^

This may be a dumb question, but would this work in a gas grill? Obviously wouldn't be able to get use the wood for smoking, but is there any reason otherwise that this couldn't work going low and slow?

Joined: 06/28/2010

MGoPoints: 10287

USMC 1371

October 28th, 2021 at 7:32 PM ^

Search for a “smoke tube”.  You put pellets (they sell small bags) in it, light it with a torch and let it burn for ten minutes, then put it in your grill. Put the meat on one side and light the burners on the other side. Get the temp to 225-275 and let it go. Only open to spritz. If your lookin, it ain’t cookin. When done put in the oven at 165 until your ready to serve. I’ve let butts and briskets sit in there for 8 hours. That way you don’t have to time out dinner perfectly. Nothing worse than people ready to eat and the meats not done

Joined: 07/07/2012

MGoPoints: 1188

BursleysFinest

October 28th, 2021 at 5:39 PM ^

I hate this feature so much. 95% of the time I'm too lazy to make it, and the once or twice I tried, I've burnt it/messed it up.

All jokes of course, if you're not compiling these for a cookbook, you definitely should!! 

Joined: 08/24/2011

MGoPoints: 6411

WCW

October 28th, 2021 at 6:03 PM ^

Do you ever brine your butt?  I usually give it 8-12 hours in a salt and molasses brine.  Then pat dry and rub before going on the smoker at 225-250 for about an hour per lb.  Usually, I'll throw two 8 pounders on the smoker around midnight and they'll be done around 5pm the next day.

Joined: 09/13/2012

MGoPoints: 150

Rendezvous

October 28th, 2021 at 6:59 PM ^

I like big butts and I cannot lie.

However, with just the two of us at home, and my better half not a big fan of all that barbecued goodness (what is wrong with her?), I'm always looking for smaller options. A few weeks ago I purchase a normal butt, divided it into two relatively equal cheeks, er, pieces--one with the bone, one without--and put one half in the freezer hoping for an upcoming MGoBBQ post. Yeah, I know frozen isn't as good as fresh meat, but...  My usual rub is a lot more varied than this, but I think I may try this simple pepper/salt blend. Relatives are coming for Thanksgiving, so I should have some assistance evaluating and devouring the results. Thanks for the post and recipe!

Joined: 03/29/2019

MGoPoints: 3519

B-Nut-GoBlue

October 28th, 2021 at 7:06 PM ^

I know the sentiment on frozen meat is not as good but for example, I had some frozen beef tenderloin this past weekend that were frozen as the store had a great deal on them and I stocked up last month (come to find out the kid rung them up as sirloin anyway...ooops!).  They were fabulous that night after thawing all day.

/shrug

Joined: 09/30/2011

MGoPoints: 43697

USMC 1371

October 28th, 2021 at 7:21 PM ^

Looks great!

A few things. Buy a roll of tin foil from Sams. It’s heavy duty, big, and lasts for a long time. A roll will last me a year and I smoke meat every weekend. Also, you can gently spritz with water if you don’t have anything else. Some of the top bbq champions do this. I like to put the fat cap down. When the shoulder is done the fat turns into “pork jerky”.  Lastly, when serving pull off enough pork for each sandwich and leave it whole.  If you pull the whole thing then serve it has a tendency to cool quickly. Pulling off for each individual sandwich will keep the butt warmer. When everyone is done eating pull the rest. 

Joined: 07/07/2012

MGoPoints: 1188

B-Nut-GoBlue

October 28th, 2021 at 10:11 PM ^

I often don't crutch as it can of course soften my bark (that's what she said) however from what I understand expert competition smokers often utilize the method and obviously get great results (as have I when needed to quicken things a bit).  It's just helping to push through the mailard reaction and for all intents and purposes the smoking has been complete by that point.

Joined: 09/30/2011

MGoPoints: 43697