The pork butt is a sub-primal cut from the pork shoulder. It is a heavily-worked muscle on the animal. Because of the load-bearing activity of the shoulder muscle, the protein fibers of the butt are very tough, and they are held together with a web of connective tissue. But though the butt starts tough, those who take the time and effort to tenderize it are amply rewarded with a deep, rich flavor and a succulent texture. Pork shoulder is the lead of culinary alchemists, just waiting, itching to be turned into gold.
Kenji Lopez-Alt. We took two pork butts of similar size and weight, prepared them in exactly the same way and cooked them in two similar smokers. For this project—and for successful smoking in general—we needed to measure both the internal temperature of the meat AND the surrounding air temperature of the smoker.
Meat Prep: Each pork butt was taken directly out of the fridge, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels. Our butts were boneless and needed extra help holding together, so we tied each of them with kitchen twine. Tying the pork keeps it in a uniform shape to help it cook evenly.
Use your favorite pork dry rub. Probe Placement: The ThermaQ probe for the meat was placed with the tip in the center of each butt. Any piece of meat is only as tender as its toughest part, so we needed to make sure the thermal center of each cut was reaching our desired temperature.
The Cook: With the ThermaQ probes in place, each butt was placed fat side down so the fat could act as a barrier between the heat source and the protein, and help the meat retain its moisture. We checked the air temperature of the smokers and internal meat temperatures hourly to track the progress. Maintaining a steady internal temperature in your smoker over the extended period of a slow cook can be a challenge and require some fire craft.
On more than one occasion our high and low alarms helped us know we needed to tend the smoker fires to keep our cook temperature consistent throughout. So when the water changes from liquid to gas form, it absorbs a significant amount of heat energy…creating a cooling effect….
Inside a cooker, the piece of meat is sort of sweating too. Take it on faith, once enough moisture has evaporated, the internal temperature will start rising again! So many good things going on inside and out! Verifying the Temperature: Eventually, the internal temperatures of both butts started to rise again. Both butts were placed in their smokers at AM. Six hours and 50 minutes longer. Resting: Just like any other cut of meat, resting is an important step with pork butts.
The protein fibers are allowed to relax out of the higher heat environment and reabsorb moisture. We wrapped our pork in butcher paper and held it in an aluminum foil pan for about 30 minutes. The butcher paper is more porous than foil and allows the surface of the pork butts to breathe.
Wrapping the butts in foil after cooking can cause the bark to get soggy. Shredding: After resting, both butts were ready to fall apart on their own. After snipping the twine holding the meat together, we started shredding.
This well-marbled cut i s the ideal choice for pulled pork. Rub the spice mixture onto the entire surface of the pork butt, massaging it into all the crevices. Let the seasoned meat sit at room temperature for no longer than one hour while you prepare the grill or smoker. Add about half the wood chips, and pour about half the apple juice into the water pan.
Add the pork to the center of the smoker and close the grill to begin cooking. Make sure the pork fits on the area with no coals directly underneath, or the overall cooking time will be affected. Cook the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of degrees Fahrenheit you can refer to a pulled pork temperature chart if you have trouble remembering this number. Make sure the cooking temperature stays between and degrees. After about 5 hours, the pork should reach degrees Fahrenheit on an instant-read thermometer.
At this time, wrap the meat in a double layer of aluminum foil to preserve the juices, then return it to the cooking surface.
Start checking the meat after another hour. Pro Tip: Perform this step over a large, heatproof, nonreactive bowl. This will help to preserve the juices. When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-sized pieces using the tips of your fingers. If any large chunks of fat or gristle remain, pull them out and discard them. Serve the pulled pork warm, with toasted buns and a few of the suggested side dishes listed below.
For example, an 8-pound pork shoulder will take about 16 hours from start to finish. Quick note! Every cut of meat is a little bit different, so plan ahead for variations in cook time! I recommend a good instant read probe thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature of the meat, and for this one reason.
Your meat rises in temperature up to about degrees F pretty quickly, then the cooking process will slow dramatically and take hours to increase in temperature from degrees F to degrees F. A lot of pitmasters choose to wrap their smoked pork butt in foil or butcher paper at this point to help shorten the process and push their meat through this stall period you can see how I utilize this technique HERE. For this simple smoked pork butt recipe, I did not wrap at all.
If you find yourself in this predicament, simply freeze the leftovers! Ready to reheat that pork you have ready in the freezer? Here are some ways to get your pork tasting just as good as the day it came off the smoker. Ready to get a little fancy and try some other flavors and techniques? Try my other tasty recipes below! Each one is unique and simply bursting with flavor. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. To make great pulled pork, you need to start with the right ingredients.
Pork butt or Boston butt , which is actually part of the pork shoulder, is the cut of meat you want. Some beginners are put off by the appearance of the cut. Dark pink in color, with plenty of connective tissue and a high percentage of fat, pork butt looks like it needs a lot of work in order to be edible. All that fat acts as a natural basting liquid for the meat, making the finished product moist and tender. There may still be a few chunks here and there, but for the most part, the fat should render out as the meat cooks.
During certain times of the year, it may even be available for as little as 89 cents per pound. Otherwise, the meat will turn out tough and chewy. If the meat is so tough to begin with, how does it get soft enough to be shredded using only a fork?
Tough cuts of meat like pork butt contain high amounts of collagen. At around degrees Fahrenheit, certain enzymes begin the denaturing process.
When the temperature hits degrees, the meat begins to turn opaque. This is also the point at which red meat begins to turn pink.
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