I think everyone's wrong about trimming pork shoulder for pulled pork

I keep seeing videos where people take off almost all the fat cap before smoking. That's a huge mistake. The fat renders down and bastes the meat for hours, keeping it moist. I tried it the 'clean' way once on a 12 pound shoulder and it came out dry, even after 14 hours. My buddy in Kansas City who runs a barbecue spot told me to leave at least a quarter inch, and he's right. Now I just score it and leave it on. The bark gets better and the meat pulls easier. Has anyone else found that leaving more fat actually gives a better result?

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3 Comments

keith2645mo ago

So what do you do with all the fat that doesn't render, just leave it in the pulled meat?

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margaretshah5mo ago

You mean besides making my cardiologist rich? I usually just mix it back in for flavor.

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diana_black223mo ago

Oh I read somewhere that @margaretshah just mixes it back in, that's what I'd do too.

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