I bought a couple of pork butts yesterday which had very little fat on the outside, and doesn't appear to have much interior fat either - at least as far as I can tell.
This brought up the question about how much fat is best on a butt to smoke. What are some thoughts on picking out a butt with a lot or a little amount of fat?
With most of the butts i cook, I try to trim most of the exterior fat for better rub application/bark and less removal of fatty pieces during pulling. There's usually more fat inside than what shows along the exterior that will render just fine during the cooking process.
As the guys mentioned above, some folks trim as much as they can for maximum bark opportunity. Depending on what cooker or smoker I am using, I tend to leave a thin layer of the fat cap on to act as a heat shield or barrier (not for rendering purposes).
My family loves the bark, so I trim all the fat off I can. If you want the maximum bark then yes, finding the leanest/most pre-trimmed butts would save you time & $$ There is nothing like a smoky crusty tasty bark mixed into that beautiful pile of meats !!!
Well, the meat is pulled awaiting dinner. Total fat removed ( all from the interior ) was no more than a handful. Dale, you are right about the beauty and quantity of the bark. Yum! BTW the 7 lb butt came to IT of 205 in 4 hrs 50 min.
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