Mustard on my Butt

I think you'll get what you want without the foiling... 225 for a 6.5# butt should take about 12 hours... once it's done (200 internal), just foil it up and take it out (place in cooler, if you want) and it will stay hot for a while. Enjoy.

Hi Popajack!

One thought on the "flavor" issue. The thicker the cut of meat, the less flavor you will get with the "inside" meat.

Rubs and marinades only penetrate to a depth of 5mm. So, for ribs, if you rub each side, you will get lots of flavor. But, for large roasts, you will get very little flavor deep inside the meat. That is why with a butt you want to be sure to mix your bark with your inside meat.

One way to get more flavor is to inject. I think this is so much easier than brining..especially since you do not need that extra mositure in a butt.

Also, on a butt, you want to trim all the outside fat...2 reasons, rubs will not penetrate thru it and there is plenty of internal fat to keep it moist.

One last thought on the timing. I HATE having to put something on the smoker at 3am. So, I have started cooking my butts for 22 hours. Now, I use only 8-9 lbers. that take 16-18 hours to cook anyway. Once they reach 200� internal, I will wrap in foil, kill my fire and place back in the pit until serving time. I have now tried this several times and they have been absolutely perfect..PLUS, almost all the fat has rendered out....the first 2 I measured and only 1/2 cup of fat was left.

This method gives much more leeway on when I put the meat on. For a 7pm meal I can put the thing on at 9pm the night before.

Hope these thought help a little.

Hi Stogie: I like the 22 hour idea. Two ?'s. Where do you find 8-9#'ers ? Our Sams Club has the two pack cryovacs and the biggest i've seen is 14#. Also, you mention that they take16-18 hours. Are you then holding in foil/pit for the balance of the 22 hours?
Thanks. GottaQ

Hi, back again. The Butt was awesome! It had a very nice bark to it. The flavor and tenderness were excellent. I cooked it for 14 1/2 hours and it still only got up to 180�, and I turned up the heat to 250 for the last 4 hours. I had to take it out then so I foiled it and put it in a towel and a cooler and took it where it needed to be. It was very tender when I shredded it for the pulled pork sandwiches. Everybody raved about it. Next time I will just put it in about 10 pm the nite before and not worry about it.

Hey Stogie, what do you inject with? I am definitely interested in all the flavor I can get. Can you give me some pointers. I have brined chickens before with awesome results but I have never done any pork. Popajack

In reply to Poppa (whom I notice is "getting around" these days), if your butt is sore a mustard plaster is a good thing! Jokes! I called to bitch. We cannot buy a piece of meat (allright, rarely) over 3-4 pounds here. No wonder I eat game! This is Alaska, for crissakes, a town of 1200 should be able to buy quality meat, what?

I want a Butt like Yours!

GottaQ...

I get my butts from a hog farmer. Usually they are fresh off the pig, BUT, when she is out...she has a pretty small operation....then she will order it from a meat wholesaler. The cryovacs are always around 16-19 pounds.

You are correct about not cooking the entire time....and I think there may be some confusion on this point....Once the meat hits 200�, I will foil and then place back in the smoker and close all the vents. This effectively stops the cooking, BUT is still warm enough to hold for several hours. The WSM is pretty efficient in this manner and I am sure some additional cooking is done, but for the most part, it is used to hold the meat.

I have also never had a problem with a nice thick bark. Though the foiling will soiften it up a bit, it is still there and I mix it in with the inside meat.

I guess the whole point of this experiment is...you cannot overcook a pork butt!! To a certain point! So, for me, it makes sense to have the best of all worlds.....sleep and fresh butt!!

Popajack...

Here is the injection I have used in the past. Be sure to powderize any rub that you use..this will facilitate dissolving. I use my burr grinder or a mortar and pestle will work as well. If you have a rub that won't dissolve, be prepared to have "streaks" of solid rub throughout the meat.

Pork Injection Marinade

4 cups Apple juice or cider
1 cup Cider vinegar
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Pork rub
1/2 cup Corn syrup

PREPARATION:
Inject into pork butts at the rate of 1 ounce per pound of meat.

Use as a drizzle on ribs before foiling.

I used Stogie's injection on a whole hog and a case of butts for a SuperBowl catering, it worked very well, in fact I liked it a lot.
We did add a couple of ingredients but that's the cooks choice, right?
Jim

Hey Jim!

I am honored that you gave this stuff a try! Even happier that you enjoyed it! LOL

I did get this from one of the teams I cook with at MIM events....so not really "mine"..but I will be glad to take full credit! LOL

Have a great weekend, Jim!

Stogie
That's good to hear so I don't have worry about affending by changing the recipe?
You have a great one also, and keep up the good work.
Jim

Thanks for the recipe Stogie, It sounds mouth watering and I will try it on my next Butt. Popajack

Hey Stogie, thanks for the info. I've got a version of the same injectable. I think the worchester is one of "those" ingredients that really makes a difference. I use it in my brine a lot.

I agree. I like butts either plain or injected, but I'm not a pork briner myself.

Thanks for the info. I'm working on my update to Pork Butt 101 and I'll add your injection and comments (with credit of course).

Smokin'