Need info on a pork butt

[TAAHTRUCKING]

Wife just brought a pork butt. How would I smoke it. Do anyone have a receipe for one?
Thanks

[JamesB]

What type of pit are ya using?

Anyhoo... Pork butts are pretty simple to smoke, they just take time... I simply rub'm and stick'm in the pit. I like to smoke'm around 235° - 250° until they give up... takes about 1.5 hrs per lb. till they are about 190° - 200° internal (for pulled pork). Assuming it is a bone-in cut, you'll know it's done when the bone pulls out easily and clean...

James.

[gordo]

Think James just about covered it...One thing I do is score the meat with about 1" deep cuts, to get the rub deeper into the meat, also think it has more bark area and cooks somewhat quicker..read many inject the butts with juice, fab p, or other stuff...

[rstcso]

Use Chris Lilly's Butt injection recipe.

3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (I use dark brown)
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire

The All-Star BBQ Showdown winners used it. I've used it several times and I can't pull it fast enough. Four kids fingers keep getting in the way.

[TexLaw]

If you ever wind up with a boneless pork butt, just separate the pieces and toss them in whatever rub or slather you like. You can just cook them in those chunks and they come out great. You do have to pay a little more attention, as the smaller chunks will be done before the larger ones.

It's fun to pass out the chunks. As you would expect, there's a lot of bark there, and you get to pull each one yourself, right there at the table. We call them "pork rocks." :D


TL

[droller]

Use Chris Lilly's Butt injection recipe.

3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (I use dark brown)
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire

The All-Star BBQ Showdown winners used it. I've used it several times and I can't pull it fast enough. Four kids fingers keep getting in the way.

Think I'll try this. For how many pounds of pork butt will this be suitable?

[Michiana Mark]

rstco, having a good meat clever nearby should help keep those kid's fingers out of the way. Otherwise you may have to make an example out of one of them, so they all get the message.

[TAAHTRUCKING]

Im out of my tx rub. Whats a receipe for a rub I can make. do I need to put musterd on first then the rub?

[TB]

There are bunches of recipes for rub. Here's a "not-quite-ready-for-publishing-on-no-bulletin board" recipe of mine:

Loren’s Rub
1 small handful salt
1 small handful sugar
½ small handful brown sugar
paprika 1 T (Tablespoon)
garlic powder 1 T
1 or 2 T coriander seed toasted and ground
cumin 1 T
chili powder 1 T

mix or grind together

and mustard? Yeah, or worster sauce.

[david brace]

EDIT I made a mistake without my glasses...THIS BELOW is a recipe for a mild seasoning mix...sorry...the RUB is in the next window of mine...


TAAH...here's one I used before I got Bills rub...I thought it was pretty good.

2T salt
1t fresh ground black pepper
1t lemon pepper
1t cayenne pepper
1t chili powder
1t dry mustard
1t dark brown sugar
1/2 t garlic powder
pinch cinnamon

combine all ingredients (d'uhhhhh)

DB

[david brace]

BBQ DRY RUB recipes...

4T cumin
4T thyme
4T garlic powder
4T ground black pepper
2T cayenne pepper
2T salt
2T curry powder
1T onion powder

I have not used this on ribs because I think it's pretty strong. But I used it on prime rib and pork shoulder.

-OR-

BBQ DRY RUB

3T salt
3T dark brown sugar
1T ground black pepper
1T powdered citric acid
1 and 1/2t lemon pepper
1 and 1/2t garlic powder
1t cumin
1t chili powder
1/2t onion powder
1/2t dry mustard

DB

[rstcso]

Think I'll try this. For how many pounds of pork butt will this be suitable?

I don't remember. I usually cook 4 or more at a time so make up a larger batch. I inject all it will hold, them use Bill's rub.

[TAAHTRUCKING]

TB I"m trying your recipe on the pulled pork. I have a 8lp butt I rub it good with the rub. I put it in the smoker at noon so i 'll let it sit till 6:00 then I will foil it till 8:00. Is this about right?

[TB]

I don't always foil butts, but when I do, I do it when the meat reaches 160F. I then take it off the pit at 190F to 200F (blade bone pulls out easily and clean) and pour off the juices (I refrigerate them to separate the fat), re-wrap and let it rest for a while. If I need to hold it for a couple of hours or so, I put it in a dry cooler.

As far as time, 8 hours sounds quick for a butt. An estimate is what was posted before, about 1.5 hrs/lb but it can vary a good deal from that either way.
TB

[TexLaw]

I've never kept much of a record, but I think butts have varied more on cooking times than anything else I've cooked (when it comes to time per pound). Brisket is close, but I think butts take the trophy. I don't have any reason why, and like I said, I don't have any records to substatiate my statement. Just thought I would toss that out there, though. :D


TL

[TB]

I agree TL. As far as why....maybe fat content? Brisket's fat is mostly external, but butt has a bunch inside. I rally don't know, though.

[TexLaw]

I agree TL. As far as why....maybe fat content? Brisket's fat is mostly external, but butt has a bunch inside. I rally don't know, though.

I would expect it has more to do with connective tissue than fat content. Fat heats up fairly quickly (more quickly that water, actually), but that connective tissue takes a good while to gelatinize. If I were to find out that butts vary quite it a bit in toughness and connective tissue content, I wouldn't be at all surprised.

Briskets don't vary so much, though. They're all tough to start with. :wink:


TL

[droller]

Haven't done a brisket yet. Do they go through the same plateau thing that pork butts go through? Wonder if the amount of internal fat/connective tissue has something to do with how long the temp remains on a plateau?

[TexLaw]

Briskets most certainly go through that plateau, and the connective tissue has everything to do with it. The plateau is there because the collagen (a protein in the connective tissue) undergoes a reaction with moisture and other stuff to form gelatin. That reaction takes energy, so while the reaction is going on, the meat absorbs energy without its temperature increasing. You don't notice a plateau with more tender cuts of meat because the gelatinizing reaction is less significant due to less connective tissue.

The amount of fat has something to do with it, as rendering also absorbs energy without increasing temperature. However, it's pretty insignificant when compared to gelatinization. Rendering and moisture evaporation are, at least, part of the reason you sometimes see temperatures drop a little during a plateau. Evaporation probably moreso than rendering.


TL

[droller]

TL, your plateau comments explain a lot. I've know for years that my oven cooked turkeys seemed to "stop cooking" according to the thermometer placed in the thigh. Then, that last 20* rise in temp always came on very fast--really had to watch during the last 1/4 of the cooking time to keep from getting a dried out turkey. Even though a "lean" meat, my guess is that turkey nevertheless also goes through a plateau of its own. I just never really understood what was happening.

Very interesting!