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Pork Butt or Shoulder

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    Pork Butt or Shoulder

    Greetings to all! New to the website! does anyone have a great step step or tutorial to make a great pork butt. I just made one and it was tender but lacked flavor. Thanks

    #2
    Are you making pulled pork? The free side of Amazing Ribs has full instructions https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...ed-pork-recipe.

    Comment


      #3
      I'm not sure what "flavor" you are looking for. When you say "pork butt" here, it is assumed you mean for pulled pork unless you specify otherwise. Pulled pork should taste mainly liked pork, with smoker and am more or less crunchy bark with caramelized flavors from the meat, fat and rub; not much else. You should dry brine for as long as you can (48 hours or more) unless the butt was pre-brined/injected when it was processed and packaged. Brining will get the salt into the interior of the meat and somewhat enhanced the natural flavor. Again, what were you hoping to achieve as far as flavor is concerned?

      David

      Oh, and Merry Christmas!

      Comment


      • marshall
        marshall commented
        Editing a comment
        Briners beware of double salt jeopardy!
        Rubs are a great way to add flavor to meat. Brines are also a great way to add flavor as well as moisture. Rubs often contain a lot of salt. You can use both a rub and a brine, but beware of double salt jeopardy. If you use a brine and then a rub, you should make your own rub mix and leave the salt out of the blend. A salty rub on top of brined meat can make the meat unbearably salty. Never brine meat that is labeled "enhanced" or "flavor enhanced" or "sel

      • jszaagman
        jszaagman commented
        Editing a comment
        Thanks for the help David. When you talk about dry brining are you referring to 1/2 tablespoon of salt per pound? I am new to the dry brining. Any assistance you could could would be appreciated!

        Happy Holidays!

        JZ

      • Dewesq55
        Dewesq55 commented
        Editing a comment
        jszaagman - Yes, except it's ½ TEASPOON of kosher salt (of table salt use less) per pound. For a thick piece of meat, do it a couple of days in advance of cooking if possible to give it time to penetrate to the center of the meat.

      #4
      Give this a try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K83EnW2bX8o

      Comment


      • Michael_in_TX
        Michael_in_TX commented
        Editing a comment
        Can't go wrong with one of Malcom's recipes!

      #5
      Welcome to The Pit.

      What did you cook on, and at what temp. Also did you use a rub,and what fuel did you use, (and did you add any wood chips or chunks).

      I trim excess fat and dry brine for two or three days. Before it goes on the kettle, I rub with Meathead's Memphis Dust, (MMD). Then I add either hickory or oak chunks to the coals and smoke around 250° to 275°, but anywhere between 225° and 300° is acceptable.

      If it's a large butt, I cut in half so that it will cook quicker with the added advantage of more bark.

      Comment


      • HawkerXP
        HawkerXP commented
        Editing a comment
        Agree!

      • jszaagman
        jszaagman commented
        Editing a comment
        Thanks Ron! I cooked a pork shoulder at 250 in a pellets smoker using hickory and cherry. What process do you do to dry brine? I am new to the brining process!

        Happy Holidays Ron!

        JZ

      • RonB
        RonB commented
        Editing a comment
        jszaagman - I think it's a half tsp of kosher salt per lb, but I don't normally measure, so I'm hoping someone will either confirm or correct me. And just sprinkle it evenly over the whole thing.

      #6
      Here would be my thoughts
      1, Dry brine the night before and add you rub before putting the meat on or just rub it with a rub that contains salt the night before.
      2. Stabilize your cooker at 225 and put a chunk of wood on your small fire.
      3. Put the meat on and smoke until the internal temp Is 200-203. Expect the cook to take about 12 hours.
      4. Double wrap the meat in foil and let it rest in an ice chest with old towels for at least 2 hours.
      5. Unwrap the meat, pull and enjoy!

      Comment


        #7
        Flavor on a pork butt/shoulder depends on the rub and smoke you use. I like a a mix smoke of apple and oak on my meat, more oak than apple.. Meathead Memphis Rub.is a good place to start then develop your one to your taste. Don't forget to salt brine overnight if using Meathead's rub.
        Last edited by mountainsmoker; December 24, 2019, 10:30 AM.

        Comment


          #8
          dry brine and pump with an injection that has salt, phosphates, sugar, and flavor 48 hours in advance
          coat with mustard and add salt free rub just before going on pit
          smoke at 225° over hickory until bark is FULLY set
          crutch and take to 208° IT
          wrap in foil and hold in cooler/cambrio 4 hours
          pull
          if you must sauce use a hot vinegar style sauce
          add to bun with slaw, pickles, white onion
          get fat

          Comment


            #9
            I have found that flavor really is enhanced by the moistness of the butt when you pull it. If it is moist and hits the pulling temp, the flavors abound. If it starts to dry out, it really loses it’s flavor. I can’t count on all my toes and fingers how many times I have gone beyond that sweet spot. That’s where a good sauce on the side comes in. When I am cooking for myself, I am pretty much spot on. When I am cooking for groups of people the pork will have varying degrees of doneness. I almost always have a back-up sauce I mix in. The sauces have changed over the years but what hasn’t is the viscosity. I like to have a liquid sauce for pouring over the top and if people want a BBQ sauce I put it on the side. My pouring sauce always has a bit of olive oil in it because I feel it coats the butt well.
            Last edited by tbob4; December 24, 2019, 05:11 PM.

            Comment


            • texastweeter
              texastweeter commented
              Editing a comment
              olive oil coats the butt well...."It rubs the lotion on its skin...or else it gets the hose again!"

            • jszaagman
              jszaagman commented
              Editing a comment
              Thank you for the input. Do you have any sauce recipes to recommend? I want to start making my own.

              Happy Holidays!

              JZ

            • tbob4
              tbob4 commented
              Editing a comment
              jszaagman - Here is one variation: For a single butt, I mix the following: 1/8 cup of olive oil, a half cup of sour orange juice, 1/4 cup of finely diced onions, 1 Tablespoon of garlic, 1 Tablespoon of the rub I used for the butt. In the summer, I don't use the rub, I use diced chilis I grow in the garden. This is for a big butt. When I hit the stall, I put it in a very big dutch oven with the butt. A pan with foil works just as well. I start pulling in stages while it is cooking.

            #10
            All of the above is great info! Welcome to the Pit!

            Comment


              #11
              Memphis Meat Dust! Lots of it.

              Comment


              • smokin fool
                smokin fool commented
                Editing a comment
                10-4. For good measure I give her a coupla shakes of Hogwaller too

              #12
              If you are satisfied with the flavor of your rub, you can cheat and sprinkle some of it onto the meat after you have shredded it. Just sprinkle lightly and then mix it in thoroughly.

              Comment


              • jszaagman
                jszaagman commented
                Editing a comment
                Thanks Steve!

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