Waiting, tapping foot and wondering why the pulling of pork is so important lol
As we wait, may I say this-
We have an annual Fall Fest, street fair.
There is this dude who ALWAYS has his pulled pork sandwich stand there.
My mother asked me to run uptown and get her one and bring it back to her condo.
She demanded I have one too.
I did.
It was awesome.. smoked pulled pork on a kaiser roll, topped with an awesome BBQ sauce, a few pickles..
So ya see folks, Sass DOES fall off the wagon occasionally, but not often.
In the end, it’s really about know-how and technique. Respect in other words.
You can cook a pork roast to 160 and it is done, then you can man handle it and slice and chop the shit out of it, and you’ll have a plate of small pork pieces that make a good sammie. That ain’t pulled pork. There is no “badge” for that.
Now, if you run your cooker the designated length of time, the way that “it” has been done for hundreds of years and you join that sacred brethren by getting your meat to the 195 – 205 shred area….the area where it is pull by hand, and juicy, and no knife is required, that is a badge, a gift, and an honor.
My hardcore initiation was a brisket…..12 hours on the smoke, then judges on the slice.
It’s about the ranks and honor.
But really, ANYBODY can gook the meat and chop it.
It’s the few, the proud, the Smokers that can do it low and slow with no knife required.
I don’t expect everyone to understand. But once you go down that smokey road, you’ll know. It’s a test, and it’s a labor…..but it is a labor of love. It’s like solving a rubix cube. When you get it right, BOOM…..something changes!
