Why Does My Pulled Pork Get Mushy?(Tips)

Why Does My Pulled Pork Get Mushy?

The answer is simple: You are cooking your pork for too long. The optimal time to cook, the magic number of hours at which all goes right, is 3 hours and 45 minutes at 275°F. Anything longer than that, you enter the realm of overcooked, mushy pork.

Also, it makes you look like an amateur.

Muscle fibers denature at around 165°F and fully denature at around 180°F.To stop the cooking process, you need to remove the pork from its environment to stop the transfer of heat (i.e., pulling it off the pit).

The longer you cook, the more its precious moisture content gets locked in towards the center of each cell and away from your mouth.

Thus, stuff like pulled pork and baked beans will go totally off the deep end after 90 minutes.

The best way to cook pork is to focus on two things:

1) Cook to at least 165°F, but don’t overcook it.

2) Make sure that there’s ample moisture in the meat so that you can pull it off the heat before it loses too much of its moisture content.

Ordinarily, high heat tends to be a problem when you’re cooking meat.

The reason is simple: it’s easier to cook something from low heat than it is to cook something from high heat.

The higher the temperature, the faster the moisture content evaporates off the meat

Why Is The Pulled Pork Not Falling Apart?

Pulled pork is a popular type of barbecue that has been around for decades.

It is compound meat, meaning it’s cooked with pieces of the different muscles on the pig’s body, and then one removes these bones to leave behind primarily lean meat.

Your pulled pork is not falling apart because it cooked only for a short time at high temperatures. Pulling the pork or the shredding process results in two different textures of meat; the stringy part and the soft part (muscle).

These textures are mixed to create that familiar ‘pulled pork’ texture and flavor. To pull any meat, the internal temperature must reach a minimum of 160ºF.

After cooking it at this temperature for a short time, one gently pulls the pork away from the bone to separate the muscle fibers.

The more quickly you pull and shred your pork, the more textured and flavorful your finished product will be.

Your pulled pork is not falling apart because you did not cook it long enough at the proper temperature for pulling.

The longer you cook, the hotter you cook at around 220ºF will produce a more tender result.

Keep in mind that determining when your meat is good comes with practice and experience.

There are also several variables that can affect results, including; meat type, meat size, pit setup, smoker temperature, and cooking time.

It is essential to allow your meat to rest or cool down after cooking before pulling. This will increase the cooking time and tenderize the meat even further.

To increase your success in pulling pork, I recommend using a digital cooking thermometer like the Maverick ET-733, which can monitor bio-readings and probes for various meats at once.

Why Is My Pulled Pork Still Tough?

When you undercook the connective tissues of the pulled pork, the pork becomes tough. I call this process “souping.”

This happens when large, dry pieces of meat soak in boiling liquid, and the water can no longer wash away quickly enough to avoid overcooking.

To prevent this from happening, ensure your pork roast has fully cooked before you begin the pulling (you can test for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer into one of the larger cuts).

For the best protection from overcooking, marinate your meat overnight in a mixture of orange juice, brown sugar, and vinegar.

The pH of the marinade secretes an alkaline solution into the meat. This solution effectively lowers the pH of the meat as it cooks and promotes more efficient “poaching” of its proteins.

The result is more tender pork by both holding onto moisture during cooking and keeping its succulent flavors intact throughout cooking.

The succulent flavor is key to getting the big barbecue taste for a regular Northern style pulled pork.

You should simmer the meat over an extended period until the collagen and other connective tissues in the meat have broken down into a rich, gelatinous mixture.

The longer you cook your pork, the more tender it will become.

When making pulled pork, try not to lift your lid (if possible). Opening the lid lets the heat escape, which slows down cooking time.

The goal here is to develop a rich and deep porky flavor that needs the time for the meat to melt before it overcooks.

How Do You Get Pork To Pull Apart?

You can accomplish pork pulled apart by using either a pressure cooker or braising pan. With these different methods, the pork will evenly cook on all sides within minutes of removing it from the heat source.

You can cut pork into cubes and place them in a pressure cooker with 1/4 cup of water to steam for about 6 minutes.

When the time expires, take the pressure cooker off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Take the pork out of the cooker, then shred using two forks.

Alternatively, place a piece of pork shoulder in a braising pan with enough hot liquid to cover the meat by an inch (water works well).

Let it cook at a low temperature until it’s tender and breaks apart easily.

You can pull apart the pork into small strips or shred it into large shreds. This is a great approach to cooking pork in bulk for sandwiches, tacos, or other pork recipes that call for pulled pork.

Does Pork Shoulder Get More Tender The Lengthier It Cooks?

Yes! The pork shoulder will get more tender the longer it cooks, given that it has enough moisture to keep the meat from drying.

The key factors influencing this are the cut of meat, how much fat is present on the surface of the meat, and how large an area of meat is being cooked.

All things being equal, a smaller piece of pork shoulder will be more moister than a larger piece.

The more fat on the surface, the better it will keep moisture and the more tender it will be after cooking.

For example, if you cook a whole pork shoulder on a rack in a covered roasting oven at 325ºF for three hours, it will come out tougher and drier than if you cook the same cut of meat for a similar amount of time on a vertical roasting rack.

A large surface area also helps in retaining moisture. This is especially true with meats that have marbling (e.g., ribeye).

A vertically cooked ribeye with a tight-fitting lid will cook more evenly and tender than an even larger piece of meat left uncovered on a rack in an oven.

This is because by cooking vertically, the high-fat surface area of the meat will stay moister because it will not dry out as much.

Can You Cook Pulled Pork Too Long?

No! Cooking pulled pork for too long or beyond 20 degrees, it drys out and loses flavor.

Cooking Pulled Pork the Right Way

Step 1: Buy a pork shoulder from your local butcher. Score it to make the fat and connective tissue flush with the meat.

Make sure your pork is about 5-6” in diameter, so you have enough meat for 2lb of pulled pork for each person.

Your goal is to have each person eating 2lb. of pulled pork, so you need a 4lb—of pork shoulder.

Suppose you don’t have a local butcher; substitute with pork butt. These are really the same thing, just different regional names for the same cut of pork.

Step 2: Rub your pork with a dry rub. Use a rub for pulled pork or a dry rub for pork steaks; decide which you prefer.

I rarely use a dry rub at home because most commercial dry rubs contain sugar, which isn’t good for our health.

I like to make my own “Dry Rub” with salt and sugar, which is just as good.

Step 3: Put your slow cooker to high and put your pork shoulder in.

Step 4: Cover up with beer and cook for a few hours.

The best amount of beer is 1 cup per pound of meat, but this varies from recipe to recipe – sometimes less, sometimes more, with a 4lb. Pork shoulder, you want about 2 cups of beer.

I prefer dark beers like Guinness or Newcastle for cooking pulled pork.

Step 5: After 3 hours, take the cover off and let the meat brown.

Step 6: Squeeze lime on the meat and pour beer over it. Repeat this step every 30 minutes until you are ready to eat.

When you have fully cooked your meat (dark red), switch to a mop sauce until it’s ready to serve. An apple cider vinegar and hot pepper sauce for pulled pork is a good mop sauce.

I prefer the dark red color of my pork shoulder because it has tried out better.

Step 7: Serve with cole slaw, pickles, and cornbread.

How Do You Make Pulled Pork Soft?

One excellent method is to wrap the pork loin in several layers of aluminum foil and roast it at a lower temperature so that when it’s finished cooking, there will still be some meat remaining on the bone.

This method works because when you pull the pork loin, the fat will render off the meat and make it very tender.

The key thing to put in mind when making pulled pork is to follow these steps:

1) Take pork loin out of the refrigerator. Allow it to sit at room temperature for up to 8 hours.

2) Preheat the oven and allow it to preheat for 45 minutes. Leave the oven door open during this time. Pork should remain at room temperature until ready for preparation.

3) Mix all the dry seasonings and rub the entire surface of the pork loin with this mixture. Let it stay put at room temperature for 1/2 hour or so.

4) Heat a large pot, with a lid, over med-high heat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pot, along with the onions and garlic.

Cook for about 5 minutes until onions become translucent and garlic becomes fragrant, often stirring so as not to burn.

5) Place pork loin in the pan and brown on all sides in a single layer, turning as needed. Don’t put any of the mixtures over or on the meat. You don’t want to burn anything.

6) When the meat has browned and cooked through to 160 degrees internal temperature, add apple cider vinegar (1/4 cup), Worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons), salt, and pepper to taste.

Blend well with a whisk. Add the liquid smoke and stir well once more. Pour enough of this mixture over the pork loin to cover all the meat.

7) Cover the pan using a heavy lid or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Allow pork to simmer on the stove for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes to break up any chunks of meat that have formed in the pan. Add more liquid smoke if needed.

8) After 1 hour of cooking, your pork should be tender and fall apart easily. Remove the lid or foil and bring to a quick boil. Remove the pot from heat.

9) Let the pork cool in liquid until it reaches room temperature. Refrigerate overnight.

10) The following day, using two forks, shred the meat with your fingers in small pieces while pulling it apart to fit into a bowl or platter coupled with one layer of paper towels to make clean-up easier.

Keep adding paper towels as you shred the meat, being careful not to add too much liquid. You don’t want soupy pulled pork.

Serve with your favorite bbq sauce or a sauce of your creation.

Why Isn’t My Pork Shoulder Shredding?

Your pork shoulder isn’t shredding because it cooked for a short time. The protein fibers in the meat don’t break down until after about forty-five minutes of cooking, and you’ll find the ribs unconnected with a hard layer of gelatinous fat.

If you cook your pork shoulder for four hours or more, it should shred finely when you take it out.

There is nothing wrong with your pork shoulder if it shreds within two hours or so after cooking. You might have pulled it out too early, or you might have a cheap cut of meat.

Either way, there are three basic ways to determine if you have properly cooked your pork shoulder:

1) Internal Temperature:

If you cook meat at the correct temperature, it should be safe to eat. For example, pork shoulder is best cooked when the internal temperature reaches 185°F.

If you can’t measure the temperature of your meat (or if your instant-read thermometer has broken), then you should use another method for determining doneness.

2) Juices:

When you poke your pork shoulder with a fork and see juices run out, it is probably ready to shred.

If it takes longer than two hours to do this, your meat is too “falling off the bone,” You need to slow cook or smoke it a little more.

If you see nothing but fresh juices run out when you poke the meat, you have probably overcooked it, and you should eat it as long as all the juices are clear.

3) Look:

A pork shoulder you have cooked correctly is a bit brown and has a bit of “crust” on the outside. It should be steaming hot and seem completely intact.

The fat should not be hard or slimy (it might be if you cooked it for longer than recommended).

You may completely cook your pork shoulder, but it’s tough because you bought the wrong cut of meat. If it isn’t shredding, try one of these remedies.

How Do You Fix Overcooked Pulled Pork?

Wrap the overcooked pulled pork in tinfoil and put it in the refrigerator overnight to let the pork and juices settle

• Cover the meat in sauce and stir in, chill again,
• Cover with more sauce and wrap tightly
• Finish cooking by baking uncovered at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.

However, wrapping it beforehand makes it easier to eat and ensures that it doesn’t dry out too much.

If you want to add a crunchy layer, you can use some crushed potato chips on top. This is a fairly common process of turning overcooked pork into succulent succacakes.

This comes in handy when cooking a massive amount of meat. Just cook it low and slow until it’s falling apart, but not quite.

Wrap that bad boy up, pop it in the fridge overnight, and finish cooking the next day.

You can keep the pork warm for hours and serve it to your guests without worrying about them getting too hungry or demanding a refund because your food is cold.

Can One Overcook Pulled Pork In A Slow Cooker?

Yes, You can. In fact, the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

If you have cooked your meat for too long and it starts to lose its moisture and burst open on the outside (usually from cooking it too low), grab a spoon and scoop out some of the fat that has accumulated around the meat before it goes bad.

The sugar in this fat will caramelize into a rich sauce as soon as it hits the heat.

Add a little more heat if the meat still seems too dry. Please return it to the slow cooker, add more fat, chicken stock, or water, and increase your cooking time a little.

In just a few hours, you’ll have something that looks like this:

You can cook pulled pork until it is fork tender, but don’t overcook it.

If you cook pork longer than 8 hours or so, ideally below 4, it will turn dry and tough instead of becoming succulent and juicy.

Do You Find Pulled Pork Healthy?

Yes! Minimally processed, lean, fully cooked pork eaten in moderation can provide certain benefits when added to your diet.

It’s low in calories, contains an abundance of protein and other vital nutrients, facilitates weight loss for those looking to trim down, and is an excellent source of iron.

Pork also boasts a health-promoting fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which prevents depression, among others.

And if that’s not enough, pork is a great source of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, which contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue;

Zinc, which promotes healthy cell growth; calcium, which assists in bone building; protein, which contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass; and vitamins B12 and B6, which aid in the production of red blood cells.

If you’re seeking a lean, healthy protein source for your diet, pork is a good choice; however, minimize full-fat cuts of pork (which are high in saturated fat) in favor of lower-fat choices like lean sirloin, tenderloin, and leg cuts.

These options will provide a healthier blend of fatty acids and have fewer calories than their full-fat counterparts.

How Do You Get The Fat Out Of Pulled Pork?

First, spread it out in a single layer on a sheet pan.

Then, place a cast-iron skillet on top of the pork and put it in an oven to the highest temperature. After about 10 minutes, the pork will get brown and thoroughly warm.

Remove from heat, and flip over, so it’s now facing up in your baking pan. Remove the skillet and allow for excess fat to drip away.

Please return to the oven for another five minutes before finishing with a few sprinkles of salt and pepper on top of each slab of pulled pork when it comes out of the oven.

Then serve on a fresh, soft bun with your choice of condiments.

This is when you want to stir up some barbecue sauce and drizzle it on the pulled pork. Now, you can prepare any of your favorite pulled pork sandwiches.

You will have cooked some very tender and moist meat using this slow-cooking method.

I think serving with a side of beans and rolls would be best.

Yield: 1 loin or three small to medium-sized slabs of pulled pork (regular or mini)

One teaspoon of ground black pepper (optional)

While the pork is cooking, prepare a mixture of your favorite barbecue sauce, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Add some Worcestershire sauce if you know you want some added flavor.

In a small container, mix your favorite barbecue sauce mixture. (I like to make mine on the spicy side!)

When you have roasted and pulled the meat, toss it with the barbecue mixture before serving.

Serves 6-8 people.

Conclusion

Pulled pork is a classic dish an amateur can make in just a few hours. It is an affordable, simple and satisfying meal for the whole family.

The method is brilliant for cooking pork in your slow cooker at home.

It will yield tender meat every time, especially when you use your slow cooker with low-and-slow settings to ensure that the meat cooks for enough time to leave it doneness.