Smoked Pulled Pork

[Gavin]

Depends on what you like...Some like sweet and smokey, other folks like it plain, some like sauce & beer...Best bet is to smoke at least two at a time, and try different seasonings a methods till you find the way YOU like it. Lots of good recipes on this thread..I plan to do some experimenting next time I fire up the smoker.

FWIW, pork butt is pretty hard to screw up...it just takes a long time to tend the smoker....2 butts, should be plenty for 25-30...I usually toss mine on the smoker around 4-5pm the day before, wrap it in foil and stoke the fire and fill the water pan before I go to bed around 10-11pm, forgettaboutit and pull it off in the AM. Its pulled and ready to go long before my guests arrive. Then I toss it in the oven with some sauce and beer to let it braise a bit before I serve. The leftovers will freeze well too. Cheers.

[3wt]

WHAT IF...

you only had a Weber kettle and didn't feel like staying up all night stoking the stupid thing? I've seen recipes to smoke the meat in the kettle, and then finish in an oven wrapped in foil.

I'm thinking this might be the most reasonable option.

Oh and I'm planning on making a butt Saturday, so help quick

[Gavin]

Finishing in a 225 degree oven is no problem. The meat will be braising in its own fat, just like it would if it were wrapped in foil and sitting in the smoker..I'd be worried about burning it on a Weber though. Webers are great grills because they cook HOT..best thing ever for steaks, burgers, and sausages...but not great for smoking because there is nothing to shield the meat from intense direct heat.

If I had to do it on a Weber, I'd toss a pan full of water under the meat in an attempt to shield it from direct heat while its on the grill. A disposable aluminum pan from the supermarket and a cookie rack might do the trick. Cheers.

[3wt]

If you do it right, you can get pretty good indirect heat with a weber - you're really limited to what can fit on half of the grill, and you have a pretty small fire. I usually do use the pan trick to help keep the direct heat off.

I've pretty much only done ribs, and they don't take quite the time committment of a pulled pork.

So, how long in the smoke, how long in the oven?

[Gavin]

If you can keep the temp down to 225..let is smoke for 6 hours..If your fire is a bit hotter you wont be able to keep it on that long.. Keep it in the smoke for as long as you can without burning it...I'd probably give it a couple hours, then start checking it on regular basis. Remember when you put it on and took it off, and shoot for a combined cook time in the 8-12 hour ranges.

[rps]

WHAT IF...

you only had a Weber kettle and didn't feel like staying up all night stoking the stupid thing? I've seen recipes to smoke the meat in the kettle, and then finish in an oven wrapped in foil.

I'm thinking this might be the most reasonable option.

Oh and I'm planning on making a butt Saturday, so help quick

I use a Weber and what I wrote above does work. The key is to keep the number of lump charcoal down to a double handful for each dose of smoke. Be sure the coals are on one side and the meat on the other. The foil pouch for the nuts or wood chips serves as a direct heat baffle. When done with the first day (4 doses of 2 hours +/- each), refrigerate the meat until the second day.

Good Luck

[jdavis]

South Carolina Pulled Pork w/ mustard sauce

Try the reciepe on the above link. I used it last weekend and it turned out great. The mustard sauce was a huge hit and a nice tangy change from the typical BBQ sauce. The only thing I would caution you about is the amount of time needed. You will need plenty of time to get it to the suggested 195 degrees and then let it rest.

[bojack]

hey guys~~want to thank you for all the suggestions and replies about smoking the pork butts. they turned out fantastic. woundup smoking 3-8lb. butts for 17 hours. at midnight friday the internal temp. was only 180-185 so i took them off anyway. let them rest in a ice chest(no ice) for about an hour or so. started chopping them up~~very little fat left~~ and put it in the frig. till noon on saturday. then put them in a roaster added 3 cans of beer and let them heat up until 3pm then started to eat. 31 people with 26 adults and everyone thought it was the best the ever had. so thanks for all the input.

bojack

[mclothier1]

WHAT IF...

you only had a Weber kettle and didn't feel like staying up all night stoking the stupid thing? I've seen recipes to smoke the meat in the kettle, and then finish in an oven wrapped in foil.

I'm thinking this might be the most reasonable option.

Oh and I'm planning on making a butt Saturday, so help quick

One other option for using a Weber is to put the meat in the middle, down in the bowl and not on the grille itself, and place the charcoal around the sides. With some foil protection it works wonders for indirect heat cooking.

something like this helps too... Charcoal holders

[catfish]

Has anyone tried smoking the pork butts for pulled pork on an electric smoker like Phil talks about using for his famous smoked chicken? Just wondering if anyone has experience or info on cooking on the electric smoker. Please chime in.