Pork Butt Question - Where's My Bark!?

pfunk1013

Hey folks!
This morning I put a 6.5 lb pork butt on my Egg and have left it going for about 8 hours now. This is only my second attempt at a pork butt. The first one I did turned out fantastic, but when I opened the egg to temp this one I was surprised by what I saw! The bark on my last butt was dark and crusty, but this one didn't seem to bark up much at all. I cooked it in the roasting pan the whole time (ordering my indirect setup from CGS next week, I hope.) Is the pan the reason it didn't bark up .. or is this even a problem? Having some family over for dinner tonight, and hoping I haven't screwed up dinner! The pork is at 182 internal now, so I still have a little time to work. Thanks for any input!

-Pfunk







pork2 by pfunk1013, on Flickr

RRP

bark normally comes from a combo of rub and yellow mustard working in connection with the fat tissue - use either?

pfunk1013

Used both, actually. Prepped it the exact same way I did the last one, which is why I was surprised when I opened the lid, lol.

egret

How did you cook the first one? You can't expect too much bark with the butt sitting in a puddle of liquid like that one is. They need circulation all around.......but, indirect circulation!

egret

Did you get your egg at the GA Mountain Eggfest? I see you started here in May of this year.......just curious.

pfunk1013

That's what it is! The first one I had directly on the foil wrapped grate for a while, and then I moved it into a pan. I think I need to up the priority on my rig / stone order. Thanks for the input, folks.

pfunk1013

Nope, mine was a gift from my father. No idea where he got it, though!

Eggscaper

The internal temperature should be 200º
That is when the breakdown of the tissue occurs and you get nice, moist meat.
Then, leaving it in the pan, COULD be the reason u did not get the bark build up; it cooked in its own juices and did not get a bark build up.
As it would have, if you cooked it INDIRECT cooking, so air would move all the way around the butt.
I usually cook my for about 18 hours, at 225º dome temp.

Doug
Dallas, GA.

Bobby-Q

You don't need yellow mustard to form bark. Bark comes form the meat releasing moisture and that mixes with the rub and the then the smoke helps to darken it and the heat crisps it.

The problem with his butt is it sitting in liquid which is keeping it from drying and forming bark.

Mustard doesn't do much as is announced every time someone says "You can't even taste it".

pfunk1013

Gotcha! Thanks guys. Still trying to get the hang of this thing.

brisket30

If you do another one before your indirect setup try putting in on a v-rack that way its not sitting in the drippings.

RRP

Bobby,

Thanks for the correction, as you're the trained chef. IYO if the mustard adds nothing toward the bark then where does it go? Just curious - not arguing!

I have always been of the impression the mustard served the purpose of keeping the rub intact while the cooking was doing the mixture of moisture and fat loss with the rub combined with the smoke and thus became part of the bark.

Ron

Carolina Q

Ron... mustard is for hot dogs. I get great bark on pork butts and have never used mustard.The rub sticks just fine without it.

Mine look like this... every single time. Butt, rub, hickory smoke, 250°.

FlaPoolman

Thats because you use the same pic
So how was prepping 101? :laugh:

Bobby-Q

I have no idea where it goes actually. I just have never used it and have consistently had good bark, unless I had in a moist situation.

My thought on the mustard was if you can't taste it and you can get great bark without, why use it?

Bobby-Q

That's what I'm talking about! Hit it with some vinegar sauce or some vinegar sauce with ketchup in, not knowing which half of the state you are from.

Carolina Q

East. What is ketchup? :laugh:

Carolina Q

That's cause they ALL look like that. No reason to take another pic.

And the only thing I prepped was for my Pearls.

RRP

Thank you for your honest reply. I have never egged a butt that I haven't used mustard as opposed to you never using it! Guess for my own taste I have to try one your way which I will soon!

WessB

Just for the record...I haven't used mustard on anything since roughly the first year of owning an egg..and I was of the understanding that it did help hold the rub but it more importantly helped tenderize in some kind of way..maybe vinegar..I really don't remember anymore....try it both ways and decide for yourself..

RRP

thanks, Wess - will do!

smoky b

Haha!