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Brining a pork butt

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LoveHandles
LoveHandles Posts: 156
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
My friend told me he brined a port but for 24 hrs. and it turned out great. He also brined one for about 4 hrs and it wasn't as good. Anybody ever brine one of these? I never have. See-Yaa
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  • Lawn Ranger
    Lawn Ranger Posts: 5,467
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    Mike:

    Never have done Butt, however, I've become a big fan of brining loins, chops and birds. I usually do them overnight, although I've done Alton Brown's 2 hour brine on chops several times. I notice he has a butt brine recipe, also.

    Mike
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  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
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    When I used a metal cooker, I brined everything, butts included, in an effort to keep the food moist. With the Egg's superior moisture retention, I usually only brine chicken and turkey. The one time I tried brining a butt (just overnight) I didn't notice much of any improvement, and so never have again.

    You can add spices and herbs to the brine, and the flavors will get into the meat somewhat. For that task, I prefer marinades, because the flavors seem much stronger.

    Likewise, I noticed only a small improvement from injection. That was because much of the fluid seeped right out. I have not yet tried the fishlessman technique of injecting towards the end.
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  • Misippi Egger
    Misippi Egger Posts: 5,095
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    Why complicate one of the easiest and most forgiving cooks on the Egg?

    I think you would get very little improvement using a brine. I often inject prior to cooking, but the improvement with that is barely noticeable - so I mainly use that in comps, where subtle improvements can make a big difference in scoring.

    Since moving to the egg, I've also stopped brining ckn or turkey, unless I want to add a flavor or when cooking a skinless wild turkey breast where additional moisture is needed even on the egg.
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  • WingRider
    WingRider Posts: 326
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    I usually put mine in a mixture of apple cider and lemon juice.
    Not sure if it adds/helps, just a habit I have gotten into.
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  • Fire Walker
    Fire Walker Posts: 241
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    Don't bother you won't be able to tell the difference it's just extra work.
    Firewalker
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    If you check out Alton Brown's episode of Good Eats, "Q", he brines a butt. I want to try it some time, but haven't gotten around to it.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • LoveHandles
    LoveHandles Posts: 156
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    Thanks you guys. I'm just always looking for a way to make our competition meat better. I agree, a butt is really good like it is, and we do inject for competitions, but was just wondering if anybody brined in competitions. Thanks again
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