Joe Hell Cold smoked for 5 hours. Then, placed in the sous bath at 165 for 20 hours because I let the water go below level for about 7 hours. Ramped it back up to 165. Let it chill in the fridge for 5 days because I had family things to do. Took out of the bags (reserving the juice) and the final result of “PULLED PASTRAMI”. I just laughed. Tasted it before packaging it up for further use and OMG on the taste and melt in your mouth goodness. You’re correct that letting it set for at least a day, is a game changer. Never had anything taste like that EVER. Next time, I will watch the water level to only keep it in there for 10 hours so I will be able to slice. But, this mistake is one for the record books. Thanks. NOTE: The original flats picture was posted in a previous post after holding in the fridge for 2 days before smoking post.
Corned Beef with Pastrami mix held in sous vide at 165 for 20 hours 9-29-30-21.jpg Corned Beef with Pastrami mix held in fridge for 5 days result pulled pastrami .jpg
How To Make Pulled Pork - Recipe
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How to Make Pulled Pork
Learn how to make Pulled Pork with Walton's and Meatgistics. Watch the video, read the guide, and then post your questions or comments below.
What Is Pulled Pork?
Pulled Pork is normally made by smoking or cooking a Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder up to an internal temperature of about 190°. Cooking it up to this temperature breaks down the collagen and connective tissue within the pork and gives you the classic pulled pork texture.
Meat Block
Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
Additives
Soluble Pa’s Black Bull
Southwest Mesquite Rub
Butter Flavored Seasoning
Texas Style Rump RubProcess
We are going to do two types today, one we are going to smoke and the other we are going to cook with our Vacmaster SV1 Sous Vide Cooker, for both of these we will be using our new Waltons Automatic Syringe Injector.
For the smoked one we are going to inject it with Soluble Pa’s Black Bull Seasoning and we’ll rub the outside with Smokehouse BBQ Seasoning. A quick note here, when you are choosing a seasoning to inject or marinate meat look for something that contains phosphates, they increase the water holding capacity of your meat so you will have a juicier finished product.
We will dissolve 6.2 oz of the seasoning in 2 quart of water and then inject the Butt with as much as it will hold. If you like a lighter flavored pulled pork then you can inject smaller amounts, its not a cure so feel free to use as much or as little as you want. Once this has been fully injected we will start smoking it. Now, it’s a large thick cut so it is going to take anywhere from 8-10 hours for it to reach the 190°.
For our Sous Vide Pork Butt we are going to inject it with Butter Flavored Seasoning & Marinade and rub the outside with the Texas Style Rump Rub. We will dissolve the seasoning in a quart of water and then we will inject it until we have increased the starting weight by at least 10% or until the Butt will not hold anymore water. Next we are going to vacuum pack it and Sous Vide cook it at 165° for 24 or so hours and then we will see if cooking it at this temperature for this long will still give us that nice pulled pork texture.
Thermal Processing & Smoking
Smoke at 220° until internal temp is 190°
OR
Sous Vide at 165° for 22 hours and then increase to 190° for 2 hours.Cooling
If you have cooked your pork long enough and gotten it to the right temperature you should be able to slide the bone out fairly easily and then use something like these Heat Resistant Gloves and just pull it apart by hand. If not you can use Man Claws or a Pork Puller.
Wrap up
So, all in all both were great ways to do pulled pork, the Sous Vide was a little simpler and required no baby sitting of any kind but in general I liked the traditional smoked pulled pork a little bit better.
Additional Tips
- Another thing to remember is as you heat up anything under vacuum the gas will expand so you wont have a 100% vacuum
- We intentionally overpumped this so a lot of liquid cooked out during the process, which was fine as it was in the bag so it just cooked it in that liquid.
Watch WaltonsTV: How To Make Pulled Pork
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Jonathon
Just re-watched this video again and have a couple questions. You used two different amounts of water for the smoking vs sous vide.
Why?
Is there a certain mix rate for the Pa’s per quart of water depending on the method or size of butt?I’ll be smoking this one. I also read about removing the fat cap before smoking??? Really?
This will be my first attempt using the Pa’s so I didn’t plan on using an outside rub, want to see what the Pa’s taste like or wouldn’t it matter?
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PapaSop No, the reason we used more on the Butter Flavored one is because that is what they seasoning calls for, you dont have to use more, or less water when sous vide cooking. For Pa’s I’d recommend following the instructions and use 6.2 oz in 2 quarts of water.
Never understood removing the fat cap. One of the ones we used in this was over trimmed for my tastes. The fat adds flavor and juiciness!
Good luck and let us know how it turns out. Oh sorry, yeah I don’t think a topical rub willover power the pas taste so Id say feel free to use one!
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PapaSop IMO, Pa’s adds more to the ‘depth’ of flavor rather than an upfront blast of seasoning. I would recommend adding a liberal amount of your favorite rub!
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Jonathon Joe Hell
Thanks guys. Appreciate it. Guess sometimes I over think this stuff. Just looking forward to trying the Pa’s after hearing so many good things.
I’m leaving the fat cap on for the same reasons you mentioned.
Also will use a rub I have.
I’ll be on a meat vaca this coming week so will let you know how it goes. Maybe even pics if I remember to take any. -
PapaSop Meat Vacation? My wife has been bothering me to take a vacation for my 40th…I was going to go somewhere nice and sunny with free drinks and take a fishing excursion or two but you have intrigued me with the thought of going somewhere specifically for the meat…
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Jonathon
That’s a great idea but my vacation will be in the kitchen and garage. The plan is to do some brats, breakfast sausage, venison sausage and snack sticks and that pulled pork. And probably a steak or two along the way. -
PapaSop Well, while that doesnt sound as good as going somewhere nice and sunny and sitting on a beach sipping cocktails all day, it does still sound pretty good!
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Jonathon
LOL. After one day of sitting I’d be like, ok, this is boring, lets do something. Perhaps I’ll include an umbrella drink in my next meat pic. -
Tex_77 Team Blue Power User Traeger Primo Grills PK Grills Canning Sous Vide Community Moderator last edited by Tex_77
Well here’s some sous vide pulled pork that I made, my recipe differed a little from Jonathon s because I went @ 165 for 24 hours, then finished mine on the smoker for 3 hours at 225 to give it a good smoke flavor. I injected my pork shoulder using Waltons Automatic Syringe Injector with Butcher BBQ Pork Injection, and rubbed it with Bad Bryon’s Butt Rub.
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Tex_77 I think that is probably the right call. Sous Vide has it’s place but so does smoking!
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i just have a hard time getting in the sous vide or waterbath cooking style. Seems like alot of wasted time and extra steps to me, maybe someday i might realm into the new cooking society just to see what its all about
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twilliams I’m on the fence with Sous Vide but I’m a firm believer in reverse sear!
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Joe Hell yes i so wanna try a reverse sear. I just learned about it last week
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twilliams Nothing to it…low and slow then sear the c**p out of it! lol. I’ve got a t-bone from the shop that I intend to do that with this afternoon. Can’t wait!
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Tex_77 Team Blue Power User Traeger Primo Grills PK Grills Canning Sous Vide Community Moderator last edited by
twilliams It’s pretty simple, pretty much the same principals as sous vide, low and slow, then sear the heck out of it.
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twilliams It is the best way to cook a steak. Check out this post from joe hell which is an amazing breakdown of his experience with sous vide vs reverse sear, this has everything you need https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/1300/sous-vide-vs-reverse-sear
Then there is this https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/952/reverse-sear-vs-sous-vide and this https://meatgistics.waltonsinc.com/topic/952/reverse-sear-vs-sous-vide
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Joe Hell Also, I moved that post into your blog, that post deserved a bump. I hope anyone who did not follow it initially reads it now.
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