Cave Tools Meat Claws

Did you know that pulled pork doesn't actually come from the pig in bite size pieces? Believe it or not, it actually has to be pulled. Who knew? Pulled pork generally comes from large shoulder roast. These roasts often weight 8-10 lbs and have to be meticulously "pulled", separating meat from fat and bone by hand.

If you smoke shoulders with any regularity, you know that this can be a messy, time consuming, and even painful job. I've smoked countless pork shoulders over the last 10 years. Until recently, every one of them has been pulled by hand. I've burned my fingers more times than I can count. Thankfully, that won't be the case anymore.

Cave Tools, makers of a wide array of BBQ tools and accessories, has a product that makes the entire process quicker, cleaner, safer and easier. Cave Tools Meat Claws are a highly specialized tool made specifically for shredding smokin' hot pork.

Looking like an accessory to an X Men Halloween costume, the Meat Claws are cast of hard plastic and have six relatively sharp prongs? blades? They're just big enough for my hands, but not too big for little hands. The tiny hands doing the shredding in the image below belong to my four year old daughter.

 

 

I recently smoked a shoulder overnight and pulled it from the smoker early in the morning. Since I had the claws, I didn't need to wait for the meat to cool. Cave Tools' Meat Claws made really quick work of the 8 pound roast. It went from complete roast to what you see above in the span of 60 seconds. It couldn't have been quicker or easier. It was easy enough that I let my little girl finish the job.

 

The claws made it very easy to separate the fat leaving just the tasty, smokey meat behind. Conservatively, I'd say it cut the shredding time by 60-80%. Additionally, my hands weren't burnt or covered in grease when I finished.

 

These meat claws are admittedly limited in function. Aside from shredding pork, there isn't anything else that I can realistically see myself using them for. That being said, they're remarkably effective for their single purpose. Even if you only make pulled pork once or twice each year, they're probably worth the nominal investment.

 

Cave Tools Meat Claws can be purchased directly from their website or via Amazon.com.

 

Rating: (4/5)