Just found out why my pork shoulder always came out dry

I was reading through an old meat science textbook my uncle gave me and found out that collagen breaks down at 160F, not 165F like I always assumed. That extra 5 degrees of overcooking was ruining my pulled pork for 3 years. Any of you guys actually temp your shoulders at 160 or do you go higher?

2 comments

2 Comments

samw4720d ago

I took my shoulders up to 203F for the longest time because that's what every recipe said. Started pulling them at 160 just to see what would happen and got this weird tough meat that wouldn't shred right. Found out the hard way that 160 is where collagen starts breaking down, not where it finishes. I aim for 195-200 now and rest them in a cooler for an hour before pulling. That resting time seems to finish the job without drying it out.

aaron_wilson1720d ago

That resting hour makes all the difference, but I'd argue 195 is still pushing it higher than necessary. I've had better luck pulling around 185-190 and letting the cooler rest do the heavy lifting on tenderness.