Pulled Pork Masterclass

Transcription

1 Welcome to your Pulled Pork Meat Masterclass by Susie Bulloch of Heygrillhey.com! Inside this supplemental workbook you will find: Lesson 1: About the Meat - What is a Pork Butt/Shoulder? Lesson 2: Trimming & Seasoning - Prepping, slathering, and dusting with sweet rub Lesson 3: First Smoke - Temperature, wood, spray/mop, and other techniques Lesson 4: Wrapping - The ol Texas crutch to push through the stall Lesson 5: Resting & Shredding - Let those connective tissues break all the way down Lesson 6: Serving - Your guests are drooling, get with it already Plus: A BBQ Journal so you can track and take notes on your own smoke sessions. Printable page with spots for you to log your recipes, time, temperature, and notes for next time. This workbook was created to complement the Pulled Pork Meat Masterclass video. Grab a snack and a pencil, and get yourself ready to become a Backyard Pulled Pork Master!

2 Lesson 1: About the Meat - What cut are we using? Most smoked pork butt recipes call for a bone-in pork shoulder, sometimes also labeled a Boston butt roast or a pork butt. All of these labels are for the exact same cut of pork. None of them actually come from the butt end of the pig (which can definitely be confusing), but from the upper part of the shoulder. The pork butt, or pork shoulder, has many overlapping and hard working muscle groups that are bound together with tight connective tissue. - What makes a pork shoulder ideal for BBQ? Those tight tissues make this cut particularly well suited for smoking. It would be very difficult to simply slice and serve a pork shoulder roast that wasn t cooked low and slow to break down those tight muscles and connective fibers. You d end up chewing for a long time and not getting anywhere. By using the low and slow process of cooking the meat over a wood fire for a long time, those tissues begins to break down, tenderize, and create amazing strands of super succulent smoked pork shoulder. - Bone in or Boneless I recommend working with a bone-in roast for several reasons. I prefer the end flavor of cooking with the bone in. I also find the meat stays more moist because there aren t any loose pieces or ends. When the bone is removed, the pork shoulder loses a lot of its shape and you ll have several pieces of meat that are thinner or more uneven. The perk of boneless is your ability to get seasoning on more surface area of the meat, but that s about it as far as overall benefits. - Extra tips from Susie ~Check the sell by dates on your packages. When picking pork shoulders from the store, look for pork that has a nice marbling of fat in the muscles and a bright red color. ~Pulled pork can feed a lot of people! I usually plan on purchasing ½ pound of uncooked pork per person I am serving. Most shoulders weigh 8-10 pounds.

3 Lesson 2: Trimming & Seasoning - How to Trim a Pork Shoulder I like to keep trimming pretty minimal on my pork shoulders. Most of them come from the store pretty well trimmed. Just look for any overhanging pieces of fat or meat that would burn up. One OPTIONAL technique I ve used is to score the top of the pork shoulder through the fat cap, creating diamond cuts about ¼ inch deep. Some claim this helps the seasoning penetrate the meat better, offer more smoke flavor and more pieces of bark, but I find it made little material difference in the final product. It does look pretty cool though! SIDE NOTE- I said latex gloves. Mine are actually latex free. Both work just fine, be sure they are powder free. - Seasoning your Pork Shoulder I firmly believe that pork can be delicious with nothing more than a simple slather of yellow mustard and a good rub, so that s what I m showing you how to master! I ve got the printable recipe for my Homemade Sweet BBQ Rub in the Bonus Goodies Section. Some people like to season their pork shoulders and let them sit overnight to absorb some of the flavors of the rub. This will draw some moisture out of the shoulder and slightly alter the texture of the meat, almost like a dry brine. You re welcome to try one each way and see which you prefer, for me seasoning and straight to the smoker is the way to go. - Marinades and injections I think you should start easy and master this simple pulled pork before you jump into the deep end with marinades and injections. That being said, pork is a great vehicle to experiment with fun flavors! I ve included links to my Cider Brined Pulled Pork as well as my Cherry Cola injected pork shoulder in the Bonus Goodies Section if you feel confident enough to venture into new territory and start trying marinades and injections.

4 Lesson 3: First Smoke - Grill Temperature I shoot to maintain my smoker temperature at 225 degrees F and can typically plan about 90 minutes of cook time per pound of pork. For example, an 8 pound pork shoulder will take about 12 to 14 hours from start to finish. Every cut of meat is a little bit different though, so if you want real control over how your meat is cooking use a thermometer to keep an eye on internal temperature. I ve had some 8 pound smoked pork butts finish in 12 hours and some 10 pound smoked pork butts take 20 hours to finish. Insert the temperature probe into the thickest part of the meat, opposite the bone. If it s too close to the bone, it will read hotter and throw off your cook times. - Spritzing and Mopping Spritzing and mopping is another totally optional step. If you find your smoker tends to dry out your meat, a spritz or mop may work for you! This only happens during this first smoke session. If your liquid has any spices or larger pieces in it, stick with a mop, as those pieces tend to clog up any food safe spray bottles. I typically spritz every hour during the first smoke. You don t want your meat to be totally saturated and dripping, just evenly moist all over. My most used spritz is 4 parts apple juice to 1 part apple cider vinegar. If you like things to be more tangy, check out the mop sauce used in my Carolina Style Pulled Pork Recipe, located in the Bonus Goodies Section. - Tools needed At the very least, for this first smoke, all you need is a meat thermometer. You can use an instant read thermometer and start checking after about 5 hours. Or you can invest in a remote probe thermometer that monitors the temperature remotely. My favorite thermometers are linked in the Bonus Goodies Section! - Cooking Times and Important Temperatures I recommend a good thermometer to keep track of the internal temperature of the meat. You ll notice a pattern emerge as you start to smoke pork butts more frequently. You will notice your meat rises in temperature up to about 145 degrees F pretty quickly, then the cooking process will slow dramatically and take hours to increase in temperature from 145 degrees F to 165 degrees F. This phase is called the Stall and is completely normal. Don t panic, just let everything keep cooking and eventually the temperature will start to rise again.

5 Lesson 4: Wrapping - To wrap or not to wrap? That is the question! I feel like I ve done it all when it comes to pulled pork. The answer comes down to choosing what results you want the most. Any time you wrap, you lose a little bit of that amazing bark on the outside of your meat. However, you retain a bit more moisture in the meat at the end of the day. Do you want bark or moisture? I almost always go with moisture, because using the peach butcher paper allows me to get some of the best of both worlds and my bark is still great. - What to wrap with? I recommend using peach butcher paper. You can grab a roll online pretty easily (I ve linked to some in the Bonus Goodies Section), or occasionally from a BBQ supply shop. Your life will be easier if you can buy 24 inch wide rolls, but 18 inches work fine too if you overlap them. I don t recommend white or treated butcher paper because it is typically coated in wax that will melt onto your meat. Make sure it is food grade paper also, don t use craft paper (yes, I ve had people ask). Foil works great too, but it softens the bark and doesn t allow any more smoke in. I will occasionally share recipes that recommend putting the pork shoulder in an aluminum pan with a braising liquid, but those are specifically designed to add more variations of flavor to the final product. For the purest pork flavor, it s peach butcher paper all the way! - Now what? Get that wrapped pork shoulder back on the smoker and continue cooking! The tight connective tissues in your smoked pork shoulder start to break down at 195 degrees F internal temperature. If you like a little more texture to your pork, it s time to pull it off the smoker! If you want it to be even more fall apart and melt in your mouth tender, you can wait until the internal temperature reaches 201 degrees F.

6 Lesson 5: Resting & Shredding - Resting (we could all use a break at this point) One of the most important steps in this whole process is actually the step that requires the least amount of effort. Once your pork shoulder is done smoking, it s time to let it rest! I like to let my smoked pork butts rest inside of an insulated cooler, lined with old towels. This helps retain the heat and the moisture in the smoked pork shoulder while it rests. Resting allows the pork shoulder to slowly carry over the cooking process and begin coming down in temperature. I recommend resting for at least an hour, but I ve had pork butts in the cooler rest for up to 6 hours. - Shredding Tools needed: Your hands! I recommend inexpensive winter gloves or thin cotton gloves underneath your thin plastic gloves. You can also pick up a pair of the bear paw meat shredders online. I ve got links for you of what I m using in the video in the Bonus Goodies Section. As you shred, leave some larger chunks, as well as thinner shreds. Discard any gristle or big pieces of fat. Serve in a pan and moisten with any juices from the butcher paper wrap.

7 Lesson 6: Serving - Tips from Susie - Leftovers ~Sprinkle with some more of that awesome rub! ~Serve with high quality buns. Hawaiian rolls or potato buns are my personal favorite. ~Try it with coleslaw on top! It s the best flavor combo! My family recipe (never shared before) is in the Bonus Goodies Section! Save any leftover pulled pork in a vacuum sealed bag or in a gallon zip top freezer bag (make sure to press out all of the air). Reheat by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Turn the stove to low and place the sealed bag of pork in the water. This will bring the temperature of the meat up while reserving all of the yummy juices it cooked in!

8 PULLED PORK BONUS GOODIES I ve compiled my list of favorite grilling tools in one spot. These links are affiliate links, meaning if you use them to purchase any items, I will earn a small percentage of the sale to help support our site. Using these links is entirely optional. Thanks in advance! Pulled Pork Tools Used or Mentioned: Large Bamboo Cutting Board Thin Powder-Free Gloves Food Safe Spray Bottle Meat Injector Rubber Heat Resistant Gloves Thin Cotton Gloves Meat Basting Mop Peach Butcher Paper Meat Shredder Claws Thermoworks Thermometers Knives Used: Shun Cutlery 6 inch Filet Knife Dalstrong 8 inch Gladiator Chef s Knife PULLED PORK BONUS GOODIES RECIPES Rub Recipe Homemade Sweet BBQ Rub BBQ Sauce Recipe Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce

9 Pulled Pork Variations Carolina Style Pulled Pork (Includes Rub and Sauce Recipe) Cider Brined Pulled Pork Cherry Cola Pulled Pork Bourbon Brown Sugar Pulled Pork Leftover Pulled Pork Ideas Brunswick Stew Porky Bourbon Baked Beans (swap the pork belly steps for finished pulled pork) Cuban Sandwich Coleslaw Recipe (Bonus Goodies exclusive!) Prep 20 minutes Serves: people INGREDIENTS: 1 head green cabbage, shredded ½ head red cabbage, shredded 2 cups carrots, shredded ¼ cup red onion, shredded Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup dijon mustard ¼ cup lemon juice 2 Tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon celery seeds 1 teaspoon poppy seeds Salt and Pepper, to taste INSTRUCTIONS Combine all vegetables in a large serving bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw vegetables just before serving and toss gently to combine.

10 BBQ Journal Date: Recipe: Results: Things I loved: Things I d change: Date: Recipe: Results: Things I loved: Things I d change: