Watching a competition in Austin showed me everyone's pork shoulder mistake

I saw at least six teams pull their pork shoulder way too early because the temp read 203. The problem was they only checked one spot. I learned the hard way at home that you need to poke all over with a probe, especially near the bone. If it doesn't slide in like butter everywhere, it's not done. How do you guys check for that perfect pull-apart feel?

3 comments

3 Comments

lopez.holly2mo ago

My last turkey taught me the same lesson about spot-checking temperatures.

amyc222mo ago

Remember that year everyone swore by the pop up timer? I trusted one once and ended up carving into a bird that was basically still clucking. Now I just use a basic meat probe in three different spots, feels like overkill but it works.

matthewperry2mo ago

Yeah, those pop up things are just a cheap part they stick in... they don't actually measure the deep meat. I read once they only go off at like 185 degrees, which is way past done for breast meat. So you're right to check a few spots.