Picked this bad boy up for $12 so I wouldn't cry if I ruined it. Also got the thermopro which took out a lot of the guess work. Lump charcoal and apple chunks.
Smoked for 6ish hours til it stalled then finished in the oven at 275. Crust is burnt to shit (maybe wrap it next time?) but 95% of it is fantastic
by ihrtbeer
4 Comments
Looks nice and proper! Cheap cuts are always fun to smoke and chill with
Burnt??? That’s a weird way to say delicious.
Very good looking piece of meat! The bark looks great – I wouldn’t call that burnt!
Wrapping is a good option if you are concerned with burning the bark. Try cooking the first few hours unwrapped til ~160F. Then wrap it to help it cook quicker thru the “stall”.
Next time – try looking for a Bone in Boston Butt if going for pulled pork. Shouldn’t be much more expensive per pound vs the pork picnic. This is the cut that contains the “money muscle” that competition BBQers prize. And it has more fat marbling throughout which = more flavor and juicy goodness. The Picnic cut is a little bit lower down the leg towards the knee. It doesn’t have as much fat marbling, and the skin is left on the outside. The skin does not absorb smoke as well as fat and doesn’t contribute much in the flavor department IMO.
I found my best results with wrapping after the 8-9 hour mark usually when bark is set and fat is rendered enough on top. (8-10 lb butt). Then I wrap in tinfoil baking sheet until it’s around 205 or my probe slides through it like butter. It will leak out delicious juices into the pan which I then pour back in at the end after it’s shredded. You could also throw in some fun stuff like bacon fat, brown sugar, Worcestershire …etc in the wrap. Also recommend tying up with some butcher twine at the beginning it’ll cook more evenly.