Smoking some ribs and pork shoulder tomorrow (on sale at publix fellas) and have always done it fat side up for whatever reason. Decided to trim it this time. Doubt it really matters as shoulder is so easy, but what say you, you misfit sonsabitches.
Lets Talk BBQ- Boston Butt Fat Cap
- Thread starter PoopandBoogers
- Start date
Trimmed only makes sense for women. It's fat side up so that the fat melts back into the meat and you wrap either the bottom or the entirety in foil about midway through "the stall" so that the bottom doesn't get too crispy.
Always done it fat side up, but was looking at a few bbq sites and there wasnt a clear consensus surprisingly. Many said they trim since there is so much untramuscular fat in the shoulder it doesnt matter. Many said fat down to get a better bark and protect meat, some said that the fat melting down underneath is a fallacy and meat doesnt absorb fat like a sponge. @CobNole , thoughts on this?
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_fat_caps.html
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110091
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1139606/pork-butt-fat-cap-up-or-down
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/105937/fat-side-up-or-down
http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_fat_caps.html
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110091
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1139606/pork-butt-fat-cap-up-or-down
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/105937/fat-side-up-or-down
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Fat on bottom and you don't have to worry about it. Can mop the top...
Try it foil wrapped about midway through the stall. If you do it fat side down no foil you get a drier overall brisket. If you do it fat side up but no foil the bottom gets too crispy. If you do it fat side up ALL foil then you don't get quality bark and it tends to be TOO fatty. But if you wrap the bottom half midway through the stall (what you want to do is wait until the perfect bark has formed and THEN wrap it) you get nice bark and the perfect level of juiciness.
Now having said all that...pork shoulder is delicious no matter how you cook it. So we're just talking tiny degrees of perfection. I have no doubt fat side down unfoiled can come out a 9.99 out of ten. It's only if you want that last 0.01 that you need to do what I described.
I cook mine to 160° fat side up then wrap it up. Take it off when it gets up to ~193°.
Yeah, what i usually do, but dont have such an exact pull temp, usually take it off 195-205 depending on how close to the grill I am or how many beers deep, try for 200 most of the time. Temp in those things are so variable though. Ive taken it off at around 180ish before and had the bone practically falling out and falling apart when picking it up.
Yeah. Honestly pork is very good about standing up to poor cooking techniques and still being edible. The only pork I can remember getting that wasn't at least decent was a pork chop that must have been cooked for 14 hours on broil at a Denny's/Shoney's/Crapplebees whatever several years ago. I can't think of a single protein other than than maybe farmed Atlantic Salmon that can take as much "abuse" and still be perfectly edible.
I don't know. The old ways of cooking pork to well done is still the norm for too many people. It's hard in even decent restaurants to get them to serve a pork chop medium rare.
Yeah I guess I would maybe reserve the chop as easier to mess up as it doesn't have much if any in the way of marbling in the modern pigs (that's not so true in the heirloom varieties).
This is an heirloom breed
Versus the modern "white meat" pork chops
So honestly at home, I tend to pass over the pork chops and get pork sirloin instead as it's got a decent amount of marbling and is closer to that heirloom pork chop level. And you don't have to pay heirloom breed prices.
But while looking up the pic of heirloom pork chop I came across this pic of some American (not even Japanese) Kurobata pork and it's like high end American wagyu beefsteak.
So I might need to order some of this stat!
Yeah, ive been seein a lot of that kurobata pork on tv within the last yr, seems to be the new thing. Have no idea in hades where to get it or even if I would want to pay wagyu prices.Yeah I guess I would maybe reserve the chop as easier to mess up as it doesn't have much if any in the way of marbling in the modern pigs (that's not so true in the heirloom varieties).
This is an heirloom breed
Versus the modern "white meat" pork chops
So honestly at home, I tend to pass over the pork chops and get pork sirloin instead as it's got a decent amount of marbling and is closer to that heirloom pork chop level. And you don't have to pay heirloom breed prices.
But while looking up the pic of heirloom pork chop I came across this pic of some American (not even Japanese) Kurobata pork and it's like high end American wagyu beefsteak.
So I might need to order some of this stat!
Edit, doesnt seem that crazy compared to wagyu. $8.50 for ribs and bone in shoulder. (but it does raise concerns over the authenticity, ie, how strict are the regulations).
http://www.montanawagyu.com/kurobuta-pork-price-list.html
Now that looks tasty!.
But while looking up the pic of heirloom pork chop I came across this pic of some American (not even Japanese) Kurobata pork and it's like high end American wagyu beefsteak.
So I might need to order some of this stat!
Snake River Farms has a few different cuts available - I have had good luck with the one linked below:
http://www.snakeriverfarms.com/kuro...hmbszD7GTRxz4FV7lhj6qUp1dis8UULQaAkY6EALw_wcB
http://www.snakeriverfarms.com/kuro...hmbszD7GTRxz4FV7lhj6qUp1dis8UULQaAkY6EALw_wcB
I'd buy those and my wife would still want it cooked dry. That would hurt my feelings. (read wasting $20 on a good chop for her)
She'll eat steak medium rare but not pork.
I've started trimming off as much as I can, thereby increasing the amount of bark. I have not seen an appreciable difference in how juicy the meat is.
Prior to this I was "cap up," as I reasoned that melting fat would render into the meat...although I have seen plenty of articles that say that this doesn't actually happen.
Regardless, and fortunately for me, pork butts are pretty forgiving.
I made my first porchetta last weekend, smoked it on the Egg. Very good, but too much work, IMO (and expensive to boot...pork belly ain't cheap, and a slab big enough to wrap about a butt or loin will set you back some cash).
Prior to this I was "cap up," as I reasoned that melting fat would render into the meat...although I have seen plenty of articles that say that this doesn't actually happen.
Regardless, and fortunately for me, pork butts are pretty forgiving.
I made my first porchetta last weekend, smoked it on the Egg. Very good, but too much work, IMO (and expensive to boot...pork belly ain't cheap, and a slab big enough to wrap about a butt or loin will set you back some cash).
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Related question...made ribs this weekend. Costco back loin ribs.
I've done ribs plenty of times, and they come out good, but maybe just slightly dry. Decided to go with the 3 - 2 - 1 method for the first time, and risk a slight bit of mushiness to have them a little juicier.
They turned out fine, but still a little drier than I would want, which surprised me. So, dry ribs...too high, or too long?
I'm assuming it's a temperature thing...I did them mostly around 230-250. I read somewhere that for best results, 200-225 is really better. Is that the likely culprit?
I've done ribs plenty of times, and they come out good, but maybe just slightly dry. Decided to go with the 3 - 2 - 1 method for the first time, and risk a slight bit of mushiness to have them a little juicier.
They turned out fine, but still a little drier than I would want, which surprised me. So, dry ribs...too high, or too long?
I'm assuming it's a temperature thing...I did them mostly around 230-250. I read somewhere that for best results, 200-225 is really better. Is that the likely culprit?
Before last weekend I thought I knew how to que. Then I cooked the double at the American Royal in KC and got my ass handed to me. Day 1, 129 teams that have all won at least 1 Grand Championship this year. It is easily the toughest field in BBQ. We were 19th Chicken, 121 Ribs (won Ribs at Pigs and Peaches in GA the weekend before), 22nd Pork, and 91st Brisket (The brisket was amazing, but in the midwest they Sauce them, and I did not sauce it enough).
- Fat cap trimmed and always DOWN. If you are cooking on an egg or other direct type cooker then trim it less. Otherwise that thick white fat will barely render and only increase your cooking time. I also isolate the Money Muscle and Horn, because that's the only Butt Cuts I will eat. The middle is just flavorless, and you have to add sauce to make it edible.
- Wrapping during the stall. We always do, but the wrap it to set color and allow us to introduce some new flavors. it really does not change cooking time that much.
- Mushy Ribs- So many people think ribs need 6 hours, and that is crazy. We are currently ranked 4th in Ribs for the state of GA and put out as good of a rib as you will find. Ribs have very little fat so they are mushy because you have rendered all the fat and are starting to break down the collagen in the meat. One way to protect against this is to inject with phosphates. We use Pork Prod from Big Poppa Smokers, but Victory Lane is always great. We cook them (St. Louis) in 3 hours at 275. We wrap about 2 hours in. Again we wrap for color and flavor. We put brown sugar, 80% oil content Margarin, and honey in our wrap. Wrap TIGHT and put back in pit face down. We pull from pit at 204-207 depending upon feel.
- Fat cap trimmed and always DOWN. If you are cooking on an egg or other direct type cooker then trim it less. Otherwise that thick white fat will barely render and only increase your cooking time. I also isolate the Money Muscle and Horn, because that's the only Butt Cuts I will eat. The middle is just flavorless, and you have to add sauce to make it edible.
- Wrapping during the stall. We always do, but the wrap it to set color and allow us to introduce some new flavors. it really does not change cooking time that much.
- Mushy Ribs- So many people think ribs need 6 hours, and that is crazy. We are currently ranked 4th in Ribs for the state of GA and put out as good of a rib as you will find. Ribs have very little fat so they are mushy because you have rendered all the fat and are starting to break down the collagen in the meat. One way to protect against this is to inject with phosphates. We use Pork Prod from Big Poppa Smokers, but Victory Lane is always great. We cook them (St. Louis) in 3 hours at 275. We wrap about 2 hours in. Again we wrap for color and flavor. We put brown sugar, 80% oil content Margarin, and honey in our wrap. Wrap TIGHT and put back in pit face down. We pull from pit at 204-207 depending upon feel.
Too long. 3-2-1 is good for spares. For babybacks, you need less time than 6 hours. I've never had a rack go that long, and I don't foil. I've seen 2-1-1, but never done it. I just smoke and don't foil. Start checking at about 4 hours and pull when tender. FOB=overcooked, IMO.
Yeah, probably too long. I was under the impression that back loin and "baby backs" were different. I was also doing three racks at once using up pretty much all my space, so I thought maybe it could use the full time.
The pull was good, they weren't falling off the bone, and they weren't mushy...they just weren't as juicy as they could have been.
I've never foiled before, and honestly I didn't notice any difference in texture or cooking time. Although I wrapped them loosely, not tightly as NotGuilty says...if I foil again I'll wrap them tight.
I'll probably try it again not bothering with the foil, and try to keep the temperature a little lower and pull it off sooner.
I also might go with St. Louis. I much prefer those, but my family likes the baby backs.
The pull was good, they weren't falling off the bone, and they weren't mushy...they just weren't as juicy as they could have been.
I've never foiled before, and honestly I didn't notice any difference in texture or cooking time. Although I wrapped them loosely, not tightly as NotGuilty says...if I foil again I'll wrap them tight.
I'll probably try it again not bothering with the foil, and try to keep the temperature a little lower and pull it off sooner.
I also might go with St. Louis. I much prefer those, but my family likes the baby backs.
I always have with butts, but never tried with ribs, didn't think it could hold the probe. But I'll just manually check it with a thermometer. Thanks.
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