Trimming fat cap off pork butt before smoking

[CandySueQ]

I'm a max trimmer! I take off gristle, all visible silver skin, that pocket of fat opposite the bone side that has the gland in it and most visible fat. This gives me max bark and less yuck stuff to pull out when pulling pork. Last couple of cooks I've played with leaving the fat cap on the bottom, cutting cubes in it like in Thom Emery photo and cooking fat side up. I'm shooting for pork butt fat burnt ends. After fat cubes have "set" butt is flipped to other side to get some bark. Right before the wrap, cubes are cut away from the butt, additional seasoning added then toasted up to get the "burn" all around.

First time I did this, was a large success, but the cubes were at their peak 2 hours before turn in. They don't hold well. 2nd time I hit the timeline better and got a 2nd in pork! BUT -- I mixed the burnt ends in with barky pork cubes so they didn't look like a different sample for judges to take.

[Thom Emery]

For clarity sake
the method I’m using is for larger cooks
when cooking for 2 or 20 or 200 or 2000
our methods will change

😃👍

[Santamarina]

I leave ~1/4” of the fat cap. As long as you aren’t removing the fat post-cook the bark is still there! I always trim to what I’m going to keep when I pull.