I want a long pork shoulder cook to get it tender but remain sliceable. Is 131f for 48hr ideal?
I’d say that might come out “pretty in pink”. I’d probably go 140f for the same duration. Still sliceable but not falling apart. It will be interesting to hear from others on this. What’s your seasoning?
I really like the serious eats website. Maybe this can help you
145F for 18-24hours for sliceable pork
Let’s get back to some basics here.
The temperature is up to you (as long as your’re outside the danger zone) and should be set to the doneness you like for your meat. 131F is perfectly ok. Medium rare pork is perfectly fine. It’s how I like mine. But, because you’re cooking for more than yourself, most people still get a little nervous around pork that is that pink. 140F is considered a good temperature to give you some blush in your pork while not freaking the uninitiated out too bad. 150F will remove all traces of pink.
Remember temperature selection sets your degree of doneness.
Time will determine your texture. You want a nice roast slice. So, I certainly wouldn’t be going over 48-54 hours. I recently did a hand/picnic of wild pork for 48 hours and got a beautifully carving slice that was deliciously tender and moist. For domestic pork I’d probably look at dropping that back towards 36-40 hours unless it was a free range porker. Commercially raised pork doesn’t do much, where as free range has had a lot of wandering around in between the feedings. Free range I’d look at 40-48 hrs.
Best suggestion is to keep an eye on your cook and give it a pinch test at various times along the way to see how it’s progressing. If you like the way it feels, stop the cook. If you think it can do with a bit longer, pop it back in for some more swimming practice.
1 Like
Thanks Ember, All, I’ll be back later with feedback.
All good advice there. My experience suggests that if you want pulled pork, the connective tissue breaks down better at higher temps therefore not as long a cook but you will get a delightful moist gelatinous pulled at 145 for a long as you want. If however you want meaty steak then lower temp as suggested.
Serious eats is my go-to for recipes and how to just because Kenji hits all the times and temps, with pics, so you can decide.
Sue
Here is a great group on facebook for sous vide. They will answer your questions to the letter right away. A Great group to join.
Results are in, I tried 145f for 24 and 36 hours. 24hr is the winner. Kudos to serious eats.
1 Like