Cooking butts for the whole fam damily on the 4th

[Angryfish]

A little help please
As I have mentioned, I am cooking two butts for the family on the 4th. I purchased them at Costco and they are boneless.
fzxdoc has suggested that I cut them in half so as to get more bark. I like that idea, though I have never used that technique.
How exactly should I proceed with that? Is there a correct way to do that? Do I need to tie them like a roast then hang all four in the PBC?
And what about injecting? Will that increase the cook time? What with? It’s too late to get the butcher injection stuff so can I just use apple cider and brown sugar?
Thanks

Ken

[Huskee]

Personally I don't inject pork butts- there's so much fat in them and so much else going on I personally find it to be a waste of time and money. But that's me, you certainly can if you want to try it. Or my advice if you for sure want to try it- inject one and not the other and try them side by side to prove to yourself if it's worth it or not.

As far as cutting them, I always recommend cutting butts in half, boneless or bone-in, you will love the extra flavor that extra surface areas gets you! With boneless I found just flopping them in the smoker just right so gravity holds it together is often good enough, no tying needed, but again, you certainly can tie them.

Just think of how you'll be eating that pulled pork- on a bun, with sauce, maybe with coleslaw if that's your thing- will you really notice if it were injected, or tied perfectly? Likely not. Keeping it simple is often a good approach.

EDIT: I missed the PBC part. I'd grate them if they're boneless and you're for sure using the PBC. Thanks for highlighting that Draznnl

[Draznnl]

Yep, Huskee got it right. I’d cut the butts in half for more bark. I wouldn’t bother tying them. I’ve never injected a pork butt, but that’s me. As for how to hang them in the PBC, I dunno, never used one. I’d follow fzxdoc ‘s advice. She is, after all, queen of the PBC.

[TripleB]

Smoking butts on a PBC is the way I do my pulled pork. I also place them on the grate rather than hang. I’ve gotten two butts on the grates, but never four. Not sure all four would fit and we’re talking the 30 gal PBC, right?

[Angryfish]

Two bits cut in half=four pieces

[ecowper]

Cut em in half, and trim up all the visible surface fat. You want bark and surface fat doesn't help with that. There is plenty of fat throughout those two pork butts that you don't need what's on the outside. Then dry brine them with 1/2 tsp of Morton's per pound. Get the salt all over and into the nooks and crannies. Let them dry brine for 24 hours prior to cooking. Right before you cook, get your rub on and work it into to all those nooks and crannies, too. If you can fit 4 1/2 butts on the PBC grate, that's the way to go.

[Angryfish]

Yes, I always dry brine when I can.

[WayneT]

If those are Swift boneless butts, they are typically packaged two per, according to Swift, which is unlike a Swiftee.

[fzxdoc]

Angryfish , I always hang pork butts on the PBC until they reach 160°, and then move them to the grate. By then they're smaller and fit better. I don't wrap butts.

I like to start with hanging PBs in the PBC because I like the idea of the pieces getting cooked in the round with the fat dripping right into the fire--not that fat doesn't drip from the grate method as well, but I have this image of self-basting as they hang in my mind's eye that I can't seem to shake off.

When moving the butts to the grate, with wrapped firebricks or whatever you can come up with for spacers, you can add another grate on top. I've done this for chuckies and pastrami after they're wrapped.

As I mentioned on your other topic, cutting the butts in half, trying to keep them about the same size is pretty easy. Just slice and go. Follow seams as you slice if you can, but if you can't it's not a big deal. It's not a beauty contest. It's more important that the pieces are close in size; the bone-in piece usually takes 15-30 min longer to cook, for me at least.

Once they're sliced, I manhandle them a bit as I put on the rub, checking to see if there are any dangly bits or parts that I might not trust to hang without an extra hook or a silicone food band (or kitchen twine) helping out. No need to get fancy with trussing--just use a food-grade silicone band or two or kitchen twine to secure the spots that concern you. Double hooking is also a good idea. It never hurts to add an extra hook, serially hooked into the first one.

I don't inject pork butts, because I feel they don't need it, but plenty of heavy-hitters here on The Pit do, so you do you, as they used to say.

Before dry brining, be sure to check that they haven't been pre-salted at the processing plant. I bought some Smithfield butts once that were pre-seasoned. Almost didn't notice it until it was too late. Whew! That was close!

And most importantly of all, enjoy the cook!

Kathryn

[Angryfish]

Thank you fzxdoc
So to be clear, I am hanging 4 halves double hooked and cooking through the stall.
Do you recommend removing them from the hooks and putting on the grates at some point, or just keep them double hooked through out?
Thanks,
Ken

[ecowper]

I think I see where Kathryn is recommending hang until 160F approx and them move to the grate

[fzxdoc]

Yup, Angryfish , you remove the pork butt halves from the hooks at about 160° and place them on the grate for safety's sake.
You continue to cook to 170-180° when the bark should be set.
Wrap (or don't wrap--your choice), and take them all the way to probe tenderness at 195-202ish.
Then cambro them (or not, again your choice) for an hour or more before pulling.

Kathryn

[bbq_esq]

I have used bamboo skewers to secure a boneless butt into a solid mass but with pulled pork it’s probably not necessary. I don’t think injecting is necessary. Plenty of moisture.

[texastweeter]

I inject, it DOES lengthen cooking time though. Have done side by sides myself and we hands down (all 6 in my immediate faimily) prefer the injected. I encourage you to try the same, side by side; now seems like the perfect time. I inject pork shoulders with home made chicken stock, apple juice, salt, sugar, phosphates, accent, apple cider vinegar, and worsh-yer-sister sauce.

[Santamarina]

Cut that shoulder in half so you have the most uniform pieces. I don’t inject, as many have said, because there’s plenty of fat in the cut anyway. But on that note…when trimming boneless butts be sure to not trim too much interior fat. It’s very easy to over-trim where the bone used to be…and that will lead to a drier butt.

Pork butts in my pit never get wrapped. I want them looking like a meteorite when they come off the pit. If they haven’t been trimmed too much they’ll have an amazing bark and still be moist and delicious when pulled.

[Henrik]

As per usual, rock solid advice from talented pit masters. Gotta love this forum!

I don’t inject either. There really is no need, unless doing a comp cook.

If (and just if) you have the slightest concern about juiciness _after_ you pull them off the PBC, the wrap and hold is a winner. I always wrap my butts in alu foil, into the faux cambro for 1-3 hours. It always improves the butts, regardless, and should be part of any pit master’s standard arsenal.

[Angryfish]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and advice!
Happy Independence Day to us all!

[fzxdoc]

So?????

K.

[Angryfish]

Thank you for asking.
It turned out great.
I decided to keep them whole because I wasn’t too sure about 4 pieces fitting on the grill grates for finishing. I cooked until the bark was set, then for the sake of time I removed them from the hooks and wrapped them.
Everyone said it was wonderful.
thanks again for your help.

[mrichie1229]

Glad to hear it Angryfish!