Question about how you all handle fat caps on pork shoulders for pulled pork

I did a comparison last week where I left a thick 1/4 inch cap on one shoulder and trimmed the other to barely anything, and the full fat one came out way juicier even though it took an extra 2 hours to hit temp has anyone else noticed that much of a difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_morgan1mo ago

Oh yeah, the extra fat makes a huge difference, it's like the difference between a good brisket and a dry one. That extra hour or two is totally worth it for the final product, the fat basically bastes the meat as it renders. It reminds me of how people always try to take shortcuts with things like marinating or resting meat, you can't rush the good stuff. Same with the fat cap, trimming too much is just stealing the moisture before it even starts.

reed.ray1mo ago

You ever notice how the same people who trim too much fat off their brisket are the ones who pull steaks off the grill early because they're impatient? Seems like a pattern of wanting results without doing the work. Do you think that mindset carries over to other parts of cooking, or is it just meat prep that gets rushed?