First Pork Butt

[Ricorocks]

Ist thanks for all the excellent advice re my first brisket, fabulous:

Little party & pulled pork sliders. I'm picking up in the morning in Austin TX, Berkshire pork shoulder:

Should this be "brined" first? 12 or more hours?

I did print out, from the free site recipe for pulled pork.

I've pretty much settled on using "Memphis Dust", should "Mustard" rub be applied then dust, or "Mustard" not needed?

My plan is: Pecan/Cherry (50/50), Grilla smoker, 225F, approx stall temp (guess) 160F, dbl wrap tin foil, & shoot for 200F.
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Short version:

Starting from free site recipe:

brine yes/no
Mustard yes/no
Pecan/Cherry blend yes no? Or

Thanks Guys

[Donw]

My 2 cents: Dry Brine - Yes. Mustard not needed but I use it so I can gauge my distribution and thickness of the rub, and it sticks really well. Pecan/Cherry is a good mixture but pork can handle a wide range of woods so do some experiments to see which ones you personally like. Good luck.

[AverageJoe]

I agree with Donw with a yes on the dry brine the night before. I personally have never used mustard, but I know that a lot of people do just to help with the rub sticking. So I will go with a yes to help your rub stick. Yes on your choice of woods. I am a fan of apple wood as well. You will have to share pictures of this cook and the flavor profile. I have never had Berkshire pork but I want to get some though. Expand the pallet.

[Sweaty Paul]

Dry brining is a game changer and I highly recommend it. Mustard or oil as a binder is good. Mustard doesn't add any flavor. When you apply your rub give it some time to tack up and get settled before you turn the butt and do the other side.

[Troutman]

Dry brine = yes, always
Mustard = good binder, will never taste it, your call
Wood = I like cherry/apple combo

Good luck! Show us the results!!

[Santamarina]

Dry brine - yes!
Mustard - I never do. I’ll use a small splash of avocado oil then liberally rub a slightly modified MMD (it’s my favorite pork rub).
Wood - I cook everything with oak, but fruitwood also works nice with pork.
As for wrapping...wrapping at the stall will help you finish the cook faster, but will limit smoke and bark formation. I don’t wrap until near the end, if at all. I want that thing coming off the pit looking like a meteorite. My pork shoulders typically spend 14-16 hours in the pit and come out black as night and absolutely delicious.

[pjlstrat]

Dry Brine is a YES!!
I do not use Mustard.
I am a huge Memphis dust Fan. To copy a Franks RedHot commercial "I put that &*$% on everything!
I like Applewood for Pork.

[Uncle Bob]

Last weekend I did two shoulders just a few miles north of you. To continue the theme, I did the dry brine for 24ish hours, modest dust with Memphis dust (no mustard, just followed rinse and pat dry). Once the bark formed I sprinkled with apple juice each hour. 8 pounder took 14 hrs, no crutch, 9 took 16. Only wrapped to hold til service. And yes, pork loves the sweet smoke of apple and/or cherry.

Mine were probe and mouth tender at 195ish.

[Scout789]

Dude, you're a Texan. Mesquite is the name of the game!
All kidding aside, it is hard to mess up a pork butt. Just make sure to get it to the desired temp. Definitely dry brine, it is worth tthe effort.