Pork Butt on the PBC -- to score the fat cap or not?

[jfmorris]

My butts never have a very thick fat cap, and it renders while it cooks - I tend to keep it towards the heat (up on the kettle since higher is hotter). It mostly renders and gets pulled with the meat.

[Michael_in_TX]

All in all, I think the scoring helped, at least a little. It did get some more of the rub in there.

[Jerod Broussard]

Most of my Smithies have a thin cap, especially on one end. I still score since the surface left after trimming gives more of a pseudo bark. The butts from the local grocer around the corner have enough fat to make bacon so I increase the line count.

[Michael_in_TX]

Urk, life got away from me. (Forgot first week of classes is this week! Eeek! Students all descending on my network with new phones...HALP!)

Sadly, my 8 lb pork butt (Smithfield) had little cap. I scored it anyway. I'll report back.

[Mark V]

Maybe it depends on the smoker or the person. I have had good luck without scoring, and cap up or down I never cared,
and with Bud or Bourbon. Never worried about me or the butt drying out.

[Dadof3Illinois]

There’s usually a thin layer of meat between the layers of fat that will crisp up nicely. Malcoms video intrigued me enough to try it and those little bits were crazy good. I cooked mine on a Weber kettle and did a nice apple glaze at the end!! Will definitely do it more often now.

[bbqLuv]

Fat cap down in my pellet grill. So no need for me to score. But I have seen that done on youtube and cooked fat cap up.
The scoring was said to help render the fat. Either way, it pairs well with PBR.

[Sweaty Paul]

Usually I remove it, therefore, I'd favor scoring if you are going to leave it on. However, full-disclosure, I don't have a PBC and use a pellet grill.

[Polarbear777]

I think I’d vote for either trimming it close like I usually do or scoring it.

or remove it, render and mix in when pulling.

[Starsky]

I usually cook mine fat cap down, but this last time I did it fat cap up and I scored it. Think I like it that way best

[kill2grill]

Score it - gives your salt a chance to penetrate depending on how deep your score, and having some tasty rub on top and in between on the fat makes for some tasty goodness at the end. Also tend to do this when cooking pork belly.

[Steve B]

Interesting take Jerod. Never thought of that. But also never had a big enough fat cap on any of my pork butts to do that.

Mainly I trim them down to the meat to get the dry brining and rub to penetrate and stick. In that order a day apart.

[HawkerXP]

I dug through some past cook pictures and do see a fat cap. sorry for doubting you.

[HawkerXP]

Fat cap on a butt? Or are you talking picnic? I don't see anything on butts around here I would call a fat cap. A picnic usually have some skin with a layer of fat....

[Jerod Broussard]

I like to score it, nice little rendered nuggets of goodness when you pull.