Smoked Pulled Pork Butt
For my Smoked Pulled Pork Butt I have always trim off the fat cap. Like many other Pitmasters, I used to trim the fat cap down to a ¼ inch, barbecue low-and-slow for countless hours, and Foil Towel Cooler (FTC) the smoked pork butt for 3 to 5 hours before pulling it. Then there's the question of fat cap up or fat cap down! The fat cap up camp swear that during cooking, the fat cap bastes the pork butt while the fat cap down camp swear that the fat cap protects the pork butt from burning on the bottom. All I know is keeping even a ¼ inch of fat cap prevents half of the pork butt from forming that beautiful and tasty bark cause fat does not form a bark. Also, all that fat cap melting makes one big mess in your wood pellet grill pit. Even with the fat cap removed, there will still be plenty of grease on the grease tray.
Over the years, I have tweaked my smoke pulled pork butt recipe down to 8 - 9 hours rather than 14 - 18+ hours. No more loosing sleep for me when it comes to enjoying some great pulled pork.
Rub the trimmed boneless pork butt on all sides with roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil and season all around with an ample amount of Jan's Original Dry Rub - page 168 of my cookbook - The Wood Pellet Smoker and Grill Cookbook. I like to use Silicone Hot Cooking Bands to hold the boneless butt in place and promote even cooking. Wrap the small seasoned pork butt in plastic and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat your wood pellet smoker grill to 225ºF using CookinPellets.com Premium Perfect Mix hard wood pellets
- Smoke the pork butt for 3 hours at 225ºF
- Increase the pit temperature to 350ºF and cook for an hour
- Remove the pork butt and double wrap in heavy duty foil
- Make sure to keep meat probe in place when wrapping in foil
- Return the foil wrapped pork butt to the 350ºF pit
- Finish cooking the pork butt until the internal temperature reaches 205ºF
- Wrap the foiled pork butt in a towel and place in a cooler for 2 - 3 hours
- Pull the smoked pork butt and enjoy
- Took about 8½ to 9 hours from start to finish ... Times are for planning purposes only
Served with a side of Cole Slaw and Instant Pot Great Northern Beans
Bruce Bartl
Hi Pete,
In your pulled pork recipe, you are suggesting to wrap it in foil for the finish. What is your opinion to wrapping in pink butcher wrapping paper? I’m seeing a lot of controversy on this subject. I have been wrapping in foil, but am willing to try the butcher paper technique. They say that the butcher paper offers a better bark.
Both you & your book have been my BBQ mentors.
Thanks,
Bruce Bartl
Pete Jautaikis
Unfortunately, over the years I have never used butcher paper to bypass the stall. Not because there’s anything wrong with using butcher paper but because I’ve just never taken the time to use the paper in place of foil. On Forums there are always both points of view but I tend to lean towards the side of using the butcher paper.
Here are some views that I advocate. First let me say that you are correct in stating that butcher paper preserves the bark. While not all pitmasters wrap their meat in the final stages of a cook, wrapping is an effective way of finishing a long cook without drying out the meat. You can wrap your meat in either foil or butcher paper. There are advantages to both, whether you’re cooking brisket, pork butt, or spare ribs.
Butcher paper is used in barbecue to preserve the bark. It turns out a little firmer in the paper where aluminum foil steams the bark causing it to be mushy. Once the butt is wrapped place it back on the pit and stick a meat probe into the center of it. Wrapping your butt in butcher paper is the happy medium between moist or dry meat, smokey or pork flavors, and soft or crunchy.
Hope this helps … You’ve peaked my creative curiosity and I will be visiting my favorite butcher to get some pink butcher wrapping paper or I’ll purchase a roll of USA Made – All Natural FDA approved food grade BBQ meat smoking paper – unbleached unwaxed uncoated from Amazon . The more I cook, the more I learn. Looking back on my Blog I have learned a lot from other pitmasters.