Crusty Butt

Unknown · July 2003

I have seen others mention cooking pork shoulders direct in order to get a better crust, but I wonder about the need for a drip pan? And is it possible to get a good crust cooking a shoulder indirect? All mine have turned out pretty soft on the outside.

nikkig · July 2003

gonzobbq,
We always cook ours over a drip pan. To get a good crust, rub with cheap yellow mustard. We like to rub it and season the night before, but have done them prior to putting them on the grill. Have not noticed a difference either way. The one time we did not use mustard, we had a softer bark.[p]~nikki

stike · July 2003

gonzobbq,
i do mine at 220. picnic shoulder. usually comes with skin ON, which i trim off, leaving the fat.[p]the skin was too tough the first time i left it on.[p]i DO get a crust, just enough so that when i pull the pork i have 1.) something to pick from and eat and 2.)it doesn't get too obtrusive in the sandwich[p]if you want a good crust, make sure there's a good amount of fat, and you could always help it along by playing around with the rub. i put a LITTLE turbinado sugar in mine, not too much so i don't get a black lump at the end.[p]and, as the meat is coming up to temp, you could always kick the egg open to about 350-375 dome temp at the end to make a nice crust with the hhigher heat.[p]just thinkin...

Nature Boy · July 2003

gonzobbq,
Like Stike says, kicking your temp up at the end really makes a difference. Both in texture and flavor. I wouldn't go as high as 375, but 300-325 works nicely for me. 20 or 30 minutes at this temp works wonders.[p]Beers!
Chris[p]

stike · July 2003

Nature Boy,
i'd follow chris's temp, because i do NOT bump the temp up at the end, and was suggesting a higher temp only. if chris says 300-325, i won't get in the way...

Nature Boy · July 2003

stike,
LOL. This is just what I do. Surely is not written in stone.[p]375 sounds kinda high, but since I have not done that I am not sure of the results. Sometimes the best way to learn is to try the extremes and see what happens!! [p]I don't think I would try 375 with a drip pan full of pork fat, but it could be worth experimenting with! As long as it doesn't burn the sugar.[p]Try kicking the heat up next time. At our first (and only) competition last year, there were some early morning temp issues (in the pouring rain) and the butts and briskets got a little behind schedule. I decided to bump the temps up to 275 to move things along, but in all the excitement the temp got away from me up to 325 for a while. By the time I noticed they had turned really dark and I thought I had ruined them.[p]Even after the turn-ins I thought our ribs and chicken would do much better that the butts and brisket. Well, it was the other way around. We took 7th in brisket and pork, and fared much worse with chicken and ribs! I still attribute some of the success to the accident.[p]Cheers!
Chris

smokeypete · July 2003

gonzobbq, i was just wondering... why is a crust desirable on the roast? it seems a waste of tender juicy pork.

stike · July 2003

Nature Boy,
how'd you know they turned dark? you didn't... (ba da da dum... >scary music<) OPEN the egg during the cook, didja?[p]oooo for shame! for shame!

stike · July 2003

sheesh...
not what i typed....[p]i meant "you didn't open the bge during the cook, didja?"[p][p]

Nature Boy · July 2003

stike,
Could you repeat that??? Smiley thingy[p]Maybe that was the secret! The cookers were opened a bunch that night/morning.[p]Cheers
Chris

Crusty Butt

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