Pork Butt, tried something new

[Joetee]

Tried something new, to me anyway.

I've been wanting to smoke a pork butt lately but I wanted to see if they're was a different way that I haven't tried. I searched through a few forums and internet sites. I keep seeing this method come up.

I haven't been real crazy about my pork butt in the past. So, I'll give this a try.

I trimmed, salted, the night before as usual.
I got my stick burner (LSG), fired up and running about 270°. Applied my rub real good.
I smoked the butt for 5 hours which was when the bark was looking real good.

Here is my new method that I learned from others including people from this forum.

I got a 2 inch deep pan. Placed a little water in the bottom. Placed a rack in to keep the meat out of the water and juices. Put the meat on the rack. Covered tightly with foil. Continued to cook at 275 until inside temp was right at 203°.
Removed pan from pit and let it set untouched until sides were ready. About an hour or so.

Opened it up, poured all the liquid into a grease separator. Then pulled all the pork. Added a little of the juice to the meat. Added a little BBQ sauce. Mixed it all up.

This was the best pulled pork I have ever eaten.

Placed some meat on the bun, added more sauce, added onion and pickle.

This is going to be my new go to.

Note:
I would have used apple juice instead of water but didn't have any.
After a while I took the pan from the pit to the house and continued cooking in the oven.
Oh and the bark was still pretty good.

[HawkerXP]

Sounds like a winner to me!

[smokin fool]

I do along the same lines
At 180ish inside temp in a foil pan or tin foil I add an dark beer like Kilkenny or Guinness cover and back on the smoker till 200.
Pull the butt back out and back on the smoker till 203.
Put the juices from the foil in a slow cooker, add 1 can root beer, 1 bottle BBQ sauce and the pork once pulled.
Always a winner.

[rickgregory]

So, to be clear, the juices you mean are the pork butt drippings combined with the water underneath the butt? This sounds... tasty.

[Joetee]

Yes this is correct.

[Polarbear777]

I do similar sometimes but I don’t separate the juices, I just mix it all in when pulling.

saving the juices definitely helps. Dry is no fun.

[Mr. Bones]

yup.^^^+1

[jfmorris]

Same here - I don't separate anything, but if I wrap after the cook before pulling the pork, any juice in the foil gets added back after pulling.

[Polarbear777]

[Mr. Bones]

Welcome to Th Pan Clan, Amigo!!!!

[Tomaron]

Sounds amazing. For those of us with a rather leaky, fire management is a slight pain, cheap offset, any reason why I couldn't wrap it this way and finish it in the oven?

[Joetee]

No reason at all. You only get smoke while it is unwrapped or covered. The oven doesn't change anything after it's covered except makes it easier.

[smokin fool]

JOE tee nailed it, no shame at all finishing in the oven
Do what you gotta do

[Mr. Bones]

Oven works jus fine, do it whenever th need arises, all bout scheduling, an sleep management...

Wouldn' steer ya wrong, mate...

Reckon ya can review my work, hereabouts...

Always open to any questions, etc.

Long story short: Cover th pan..into oven...

Poof! Bob's yer Uncle...

[Rocinante]

Sure looks good. My daughter likes the instant hot cider in the cooler months. I save several of the packets for when I need apple juice,but there's none in the fridge. A couple tablespoons of that in a cup of water and you got some decent emergency apple juice for braising.

[dwlivesay]

When we switched over to a gas oven, I swallowed my pride and now I do my fair share of finishing up cooks in the oven. Our electric oven did a terrible job of holding low temps, gas seems to hold lower temps much better. Once you start finishing up in an oven, you quickly become a member of the pan clan.

[crazytown3]

BTUs are BTUs, as I've heard someone say (Harry Soo).

[dwlivesay]

I agree crazytown3 but I read somewhere that electric ovens have temp fluctuations at low heat. So I dropped a thermoworks smoke probe in the electric oven during a pork butt cook and the temps ranged from 200 to 285. My kettle kept steadier temps than that so I just finished cooks on the kettle. My gas oven is much steadier with maybe a 10 degree fluctuation +/-, so I've used that to finish cooks.

[Tomaron]

Granted I am on a RangeMaster so I might be slightly spoilt oven wise, but I moved both the ambient probe and the Pork Shoulder last time I cooked and had no issues what so ever keeping a steady temperature.