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Getting the fat out of pulled pork?

FM Former Member
When you're smoking several butts to feed a group of people, what's the trick to pulling the pork and getting the fat out easily and quickly?

Whenever I've made pulled pork before, I take it out at 190 degrees, let it cool a bit and pull it when it's still hot/warm. But it still seems to take 10-15 minutes per butt to get the meat pulled and get the fat out -- and it makes a greasy mess to boot, which takes more time to clean up.

How do most Q restaurants do large quantities of pulled pork and get the fat out so they're not spending 10-15 minutes per butt?

Most restaurants do remove the fat, don't they? What's the secret to doing large quantities quickly and easily?
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T tomMember
Wow,that's a bunck of questions/techniques.

Take it up to 200�-205� internal at 225�,there won't be any fat to speak of.

Foil and let set,until ready.

Get a pair of light cotton,or meatcutters,gloves.

Cover with foodservice latex gloves.

Open foil,pull pork to good pan,roll foil and discard waste.


Should take about 2-3 mins.

Many restaurants will cook to about 170�,chop and leave a certain amount of fat in.

Now if you are talking VOLUME,there are buffalo choppers,etc.
FM Former Member
My reataurant smokes about 160 butts each week, cooking 32 at a time. We do not wrap in foil. We smoke the meat at 200 degrees for 15 hours. We do the double glove trick as mentioned above. It takes only 45 minutes to pull, pan and cover all the butts. All we do is pull the one bone out and gently mush(?) the meat into a full size 4" catering type pan. We don't really have to do much "pulling" beacuse the meat is so tender. The only time we remove fat is if there is a big glob. Other then that, we keep it all. Each pan holds four butts and we pour about 1/2 gallon of our special vinegar based sauce over the pulled meat. That's it.
FM Former Member
Thanks for the tips!

So does the "mushing," as Jack and Poolie mention above, kind of squish out the fat and make it rise to the top, so it's easier to pick out? Or is the key to cook it to a higher internal temp than 190, as Tom recommends, so more fat "dissolves"?

Maybe I'm being too picky ... trying to get all the little chunks of fat out of butts. When I eat at Q restaurants and order pulled pork sandwiches, I don't taste chunks of fat, but maybe they use the "mushing" method too ... and maybe that more evenly distributes the smaller bits of fat amongst the pork so you don't notice it as much. Is that right?
FM Former Member
Most cooks leave the fat in, as "fat is flavor" if you're wanting to cull through the pork and get rid of it all, it's going to take longer.

I like Poolie's description "mushing" I use fry mitts that can handle the heat and just break it up with my hands. Doesn't take long at all.

Smokin'
FM Former Member
Thanks, everyone.

Yeah, I've always cooked the butts to 190 degrees, and there is still a considerable amount of fat present. So much so, that if you mushed it all together, I'd think you'd still have unslightly blobs of fat, which people could see and taste. So I'll have to try your advice, Tom, and cook it to a higher temp to get more fat out.

Poolie and Jack: What temp do you cook the butts to in your restaurant? 200 degree? 205 degrees?
FM Former Member
I go to the 190-200 mark and foil if i have to. most of the fat i find is right below the skin and i just kind of wipe it off and it really does go away. but really a long slow smoke does render most of it out and like tom said it really breaks down the collagen. i follow the natural muscle seams to tear off chunks and then just kind of mush it. i find if i am tired the cotton gloves are a must as i am more heat sensitive when i am tired but if i am fresh or excited i just use latex and charge right in. of course sometimes my eyes do this Eeker so i dont recommend it!!!!
jack
2 Greyhounds....SMOKIN!!!!

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