I've got a question about pulled pork, specifically, resting the smoked butt before pulling it.

Agreed, cv. That’s actually what I thought when I posted the question. I still subscribe to Cooks, but I find myself spending more time here than digging through my collection of magazines. Interestingly enough, I first came across Kenji when he wrote for Cooks Illustrated.

So much of the lore of cooking is simply that. Kenji’s work and the work of Harold McGee and others puts this lore to the test of scientific rigor and frequently finds it lacking.

Being a Tar Heel, I can’t do pulled pork only in the oven. That’s just not right around here. ;-)

My method follows the Cooks Method minus the paper bag. I rub it the night before with a blend of brown sugar, kosher salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, and red pepper flakes. The next day, I smoke it over charcoal, hickory, and fruit wood for 4 or 5 hours at around 220 degrees and then wrap it in foil and finish it in a 300-degree oven to get the meat to 200 degrees. This step usually takes around 2 hours. I let it rest for about an hour and then pull it by hand and with 2 forks.

I know I’ve done it right when I can pull out the bone (scapula? pelvis?) by hand. And the smoke flavor gets stronger if you have any leftovers, which may be fodder for another discussion!

Interesting cv! So now we know why to rest it in a paper bag, which I guess I'll be doing from now on :)

Unsurprisingly Kenji at Serious Eats provides a lot of analysis in this oven-based pulled pork article:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/02/easy-oven-pulled-pork-recipe.html

and touches on many points concerning both flavor and moisture. He does not bother with a paper bag nor do I.

Of course, he has a sous-vide barbecued pulled pork recipe as well:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/food-lab-complete-guide-smoky-sous-vide-pork-shoulder.html

and says the temperature at which the pork shoulder is cooked in the sous vide water bath is the primary influencer of the moisture in the end product. Again, there is no mention of anything about resting in a paper bag.

I suggest people who are interested in cooking pulled pork read both Serious Eats articles.

Interesting answers, everyone! Thanks!

I first saw the paper-bag method in Cooks Illustrated. I'd ask, CV, but there's a pay-wall between the magazine (to which I've subscribed for years) and their online site (or at least there used to be). And I'm cheap! :)

Never thought of the KitchenAid, Leith. I usually pull by hand and with forks. I also chop up the bark. The texture does soften a bit. Next time, I'll uncover it during the rest time.

Happy cooking!

I'm not sure what the purpose of the bag is. Usually I hand put it so there are some big pieces as small ones. I shred it as soon as I can handle it. Pull pork is so good it needs very little handling in my opinion.

I just rest it uncovered. If you cover meat, especially by enveloping it, it looses a bit of the texture on the surface. Usually, the shoulder is large enough that even with a 30 minute rest, the meat will still be quite hot, but will have cooled enough to handle. That way I can use my hands to pull apart the meat. I prefer hand pulled pieces versus fork shredded.

Never heard of the paper bag method! I rest it, cut it into chunks then shred it in my KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment. It saves a ton of time and is less messy.

Never heard of the wrapping and resting. I take it out of the oven and start pulling it apart without resting. I do it in the pan so the shredded meat is soaking up the juices and, yes, fat. Been doing this for over 40 years so whether it's right or wrong, it works for me. BB