The Art of the Butt (aka- pulling pork)

I seasoned and barbecued a 6 lb. pork butt tonight in about 4.5 hours.  That is against many bbq “truisms” which generally state that “low and slow” is the only way for good bbq.  I was (and am) one of the purists too, but I also keep an open mind and experiment quite a bit.

Tonight, after seasoning, I double-banked some Lazzari Mesquite Hardwood Charcoal, and got it  hot.   I am guessing 300-325 degrees with my kettle lid on.  I placed the butt in the middle and let it rip (adding a generous handful of both pecan and apple chips).  The smoke was billowing out of my wide open vents.  The fire was raging.  The butt was in an inferno!   After about 3 hours I pulled it.  The exterior was crispy, a little burnt, but not bad.  I partially wrapped in heavy duty tin foil and then added about 2 cups of apple juice and then crimped shut.

Because lump charcoal burns so much hotter, and a Weber kettle is not the most tightly sealed grilled known to mankind, the fire still raged- even with the vents closed.

This was now about 6:30 and I planned on another 3-4 hours of just setting in the grill.  But at 8:00, I checked the internal temp…201 degrees!  I pulled it from the grill and let set for 30 minutes, then easily shredded it with a fork.  The bone pulled out clean as a whistle.

High temperature BBQ is a reality.  I am not saying it is better than low and slow, but it is still good and makes a large butt less than time consuming on a work night.

I am finishing it with Big Ricks BBQ Sauce for an office pot luck on Tuesday.

Big Ricks—IMHO, the best commercial BBQ sauce on the market.

http://www.bigricks.com/