Berkshire Butt

[Ricorocks]

I followed the instructions, for best pulled pork from the free site.

I dry brine-d, 48hrs, 1/2 teaspoon per lbs, Diamond Kosher Salt. My Berkshire was small 3.1#'s

Around 1:30 am, wet the butt & applied approx 1/3c Memphis Dust, (recipe free site)

0430hrs fire up the Grilla (swing mode), hopper 50/50 mix oak/cherry bbqrs delight new pellets. Set temp. 230F

heaviest, smoke was from start to 230F. From then on almost zero smoke!

Used thermpro TS-20. At meat temp 155F stayed for long time, went for a 1 hr walk, 158F, wait an hour & change still 158F. I then pilled the pork & double wrapped with tin foil. Shift Grilla controller to steady temp or mode #1. Still 230F

Noon int. temp 202F. Bone had no resistance, to remove, waited 20-30 min. Till I could handle without burning myself.

Cut up some hunks & attempt to pull using two forks, ain't happening. Had to slice the meat, with knife simulated pulled pork, I have some nice, big slices.

It was good but, I would not drive 30 minutes for another, Berkshire! I do have a 4+ lbs Berk in the freezer.

Question! Is Berkshire raised hogs just tougher, than factory raised hogs, so leaner Berks. Don't pull as well?

Question! Did I just get a tough or bum roast?

Question! Did I do something wrong, so as to avoid next cook. I got one berk & one HEB Butt in the freezer

Question! Next long cook, as Grilla smokes, very little, I'll avoid 'Texas Crutch' & wait or up the temp. Better wait or up temp?

From the free site:

Cole Slaw - outstanding
Texas MOP sauce - outstanding
East Carolina MOP sauce - outstanding pour it in a glass, I'll drink er down.

Also pulled pork (Berkshire or HEP factory farmed), I believe, is rather a "moot", (can't distinguish), when adding, a mop & slaw to the sandwich. Allot going on to, tell the dif, in the two butts. IMO

[Mr. Bones]

FWIW, I'd jus up yer temps, upon reachin th dreaded stall, an power through...solely my ¢2, an worth every nickel...

Ain't never done any Berkshire, so I cain't speak to that, but hunks o protein do tend to vary, an I see no reason why Berks would be excluded from that particular phenomenon...

[mountainsmoker]

First Bershire is no different just more flavorful and usually very tender. Second never salt brine a pork butt and 48 hours will turn any meat to mush. Save your salt brining for tugh cuts of beef. Second how many hours of smoke you need about 2 - 21/2 on that size butt. Don't ever wrap a butt. Since you brined it that is causing your problem. Wrapping also denies you of that beautiful bark that is so necessary on a butt.

Again I can't but keep going to your salt brining that small butt. At 48 hours you totally ruined it. Never brine a butt.

I have just posted a thread on the NC way of doing butts the home of pulled pork. Take a look and see if that will help you. Smoking pork the NC. it has a rub, sauce, and slaw recipe.

[texastweeter]

I always salt butts at least 24 hours, and try for 48. Never had a tough one. As a matter of fact you can usually drop it in a platter and it almost pulls itself!

[Steve B]

I'm with texastweeter on this one. I go a minimum of 24hrs with my dry brining on butts. They always pull real easy. And usually by hand.

[lostclusters]

I have never had dry brinning turn any a
of my meat, pork, beef or poultry, to mush. Nor did it ruin any from long dry brinning.

[Troutman]

From the free part of the site.....salt brining for extended periods in thick roasts like pork butts....

How much salt for steaks, chops, and burgers?

It is really hard to give you an exact amount since salt tolerance and preference is really personal. As a rule of thumb, add what you would add if the food was served to you at the table. Obviously roasts will need more than thick steaks which will need more than thin steaks. Sprinkle a little more on thick parts like the breasts on a turkey. Leave the meat uncovered on a rack in a pan. This is especially important for poultry because we want the skin to dry out a bit. Just be careful that vegetables and other raw foods do not come in contact with raw meat. And don't rinse it off before cooking. After a few hours most of it has gone in and is well past the surface anyhow.

Here's a rule of thumb: Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt per pound of trimmed meat. It's a bit hard to measure so here's how I do it. I use kosher salt which is a larger flake than table salt and it still dissolves easily on the moist meat. Don't use large grain salts like sea salt. They won't dissolve easily. I sprinkle from about 8" above so it is evenly distributed. Do not oversalt, especially on burgers, where too much salt will gel the meat proteins and make for a dense patty. Then back in the fridge. Put it on a wire rack in a pan in the fridge so air will surround the meat. After as little as an hour or two, you're ready to cook. No need to rinse the meat, all the salt gets sucked in.

For roasts

The thicker the cut the longer it takes for the salt to move to the center, so you want to start the process earlier. For bigger cuts of meat like prime rib, the same ratio, about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of meat. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 12 to 48 hours.

Timing

As a rule of thumb, cuts under 1" thick need only an hour or two for the salt to get in, but 2 to 4 hours will give deeper penetration. Thicker cuts like turkey breasts need 4 to 6 hours for the salt to get deep, and thick roasts, 12 to 48 hours.

[Red Man]

Dry brining any cut of meat, tender or tough, for 48 hours won’t ruin it. Obviously it needs to be salted properly.

[mountainsmoker]

Troutman that is fine for beef. No one is ever going to do it in NC for there butts, or in KC on there ribs. I will never do it on my turkey that I buy from the grocer since it is already brined. I think you are putting out false info on turkeys because most people buy them at the grocery.

Brining is a method to TENDERIZE MEAT, I say again a method to TENDERIZE MEAT. Let's see you do a whole hog. Or in Texas a half beef. Let's get real here. brining can be beneficial on large chunks of meat over 14-18 lbs.

Some meats don't need it some do. With the lousy commodity pork chops in the grocery I brine them. I also brine my chicken But only a couple of hours each.

Your 48 hours just ruined a beautiful piece of Berkshire pork butt when a member did it your way. Pork does not need brining. it has enough fat and collagen that keeps it tender.

[mountainsmoker]

Backroadmeats curing your meats are the same as I do and is not the same as dry brining a piece of meat for cooking on the grill or smoker. Let's get real. I do a lot of bacon and ham also totally different from brining meat.

texastweeter most of them are already at 15%

[texastweeter]

mountainsmoker around here there are plenty of grocery store turkeys with varying sodium and injection content. Low as 5, with15 on the high end. That's not counting the nonenhanced versions. I think it may be due to demographics.

[lostclusters]

@moutainsmoker your view of salt tenderizing meat has no scientific basis imho. Salt is for moisture retention and seasoning. This has been scientifically test by Dr. Blonder in the book and over on the free side on brinning.

[Red Man]

My thought on what went wrong would be possibly a bad meat temp probe or a temp reading in the wrong place, such as fat or too close to the edge. Was the meat probe tender?

[HawkerXP]

That is what I was wondering.

[Troutman]

Look new guy I’m just quoting Meathead and Dr. Blonder. Those are direct quotes from their article on the free side of the site. No one has a problem with you not wanting to dry brine, it’s certainly your choice. I don’t dry brine poultry or seafood even though there are people who do. Just don’t turn your opinion into fact and give someone advice as if it were. You will not ruin a large pork butt by dry brining for up to 48 hours, that’s simply not true.

[mountainsmoker]

Troutman I know I read those also and I totally disagree. It is totally not needed in pork. except for the parts that have no fat like the loin. Come to NC and learn how butts are done in WNC or whole hogs are done in ENC. I started cooking butts WNC style in the 90's and since I only live a few hours from the heart of WNC I get to every so often.

[Ahumadora]

Troutman agree with with you. I am pitmaster at an event next Saturday for 800 at the US embassy. I have given the catering explicit instructions to dry brine the pork shoulder and brisket 2 days in advance. They are thick pieces of meat and the salt will take a long time to absorb /pentrate. There is a mountain of great info on this site that is backed by scientific research.

[Backroadmeats]

Ya can't argue with results!! And you sir have proven results!!

[HouseHomey]

Yes sir!

[texastweeter]

Berkshire is a great breed never had the problem. My process is as follows. Dry brine and inject 24-48 hours in advance. Day of, light the pit using hickory and get to 225°. Slather butt in mustard, hit with my red dirt rub. Into the pit. Start checking butt at 165° until bark is set, and the color I desire is achieved. Once there, crutch in foil, or pan and top with foil. Take to 208• in thickest part AWAY FROM bone. Cambria until it hits about 150°. Remove from foil or pan. Bone should pull easily out clean, and roast should be so tender it pulls easily, almost falls apart, but bark is still good and set. Serve with my hogsauce.

[mountainsmoker]

Okay It appears you guys know how to make a mushy butt. If you want a real pork butt visit western NC, no brining, an excellent rub and no mop. Pulled pork or smoked pord was developed in NC. Come live here and you will forget all about brining and formulas.

[Bkhuna]

Dont go there😁

[Scout789]

Not mentioning any names, but some people know a lot of things that just aren't true.

[Potkettleblack]

Rico:
1- in swing mode, your Grilla should periodically produce a lot of visible smoke, and then make a good amount of very thin blue smoke the rest of the time. If it’s not huffing smoke every twenty minutes or so, something is wrong with your swing.


2- I don’t wrap. I just dial it to 275 and power through.

3- Berkshire is noted for marbling and tenderness. (And small thin ribs... not often discussed). Might’ve been a bum steer (bum hog?). It’s an agricultural product, so there is some variation. Was the meat moist? The PP I did for work the other day wanted to pull as I was taking it off the grill.

to the briney debate: Modern commodity pork is pre-brined. If you’re buying Hormel, IBP or any of the large pork producers shoulders, there isn’t a need to brine, as they’re 11% injected brine. Might be thinner than the brine you want, so a bit of surface salt might work well. That’s what I do for work.

[holehogg]

I learnt everything I know about smoking meat from this site and have cooked plenty butts per the advice on the site and I dry brine for min 24 hours. I have never had a mushy butt or a tough one for that matter. I smoke pork belly at least twice a week and they are also dry brined for 24 hours and always come out so tender.
I can only comment on my results using this method and mention the positive feedback I recieve.

[Ahumadora]

Spanish hams are covered in salt for days to cure. I guess that's why they eat them with straws and soup spoons...

[mountainsmoker]

Yep Ahumadora, we have hams like that here also, it is called salt curing not brining and is especially well known in Tennessee. Benton's is the most famous and supplies restaurants around the country with his hams and bacon. You can look him up on the web.