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1st piece of as......pork butt.

Caboholic_EggHead
Caboholic_EggHead Posts: 30
in Pork

I have a couple of pork butts to cook.  I've never cooked a pork butt.  I'm thinking about brining one and cooking it in a salt crust.  Yes?  No? Any advantage or disadvantage? 


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Comments

  • SeahawksEGGHead
    SeahawksEGGHead Posts: 289
    I've never brined a butt.  The pork is moist and juicy, flavorful without it.  I've even read to skip the injections.  Pork rub typically is sugar based, and that's worked well for me.  Some light apple of cherry wood works well.  Good luck, looking forward to the pics.
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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    edited October 2014
    For your first butt attempts, stay with the basics. Explore after you get good at normal cooks.  No brine.  No salt crust. Save them for another day.  Brining and salt crusts are methods used to keep meat moist.  Not needed for cooking pork butt on a BGE.  The wonderful thing about smoking pork butt is the combination of the rub and smoke forming the bark - you lose that with the salt crust.  
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • tulocay
    tulocay Posts: 1,737
    No brine, no salt crust. That isn't needed on the egg. 250-275 dome temp until it probes like buttah.
    LBGE, Marietta, GA
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  • Zarcon
    Zarcon Posts: 540
    I agree. No need to do anything but let it cook. This is one that I did a couple of weekends ago and it turned out awesome using apple wood between 250-275 indirect..

    http://www.thebgenest.com/m/photos/view/Boston-Butt-2014-10-21

    (can't get the pic to insert for some reason at work)
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  • Caboholic_EggHead
    Caboholic_EggHead Posts: 30
    8-9lb butt, plate setter legs up, BGE lump, Stubb's BBQ smoking wood chips, drip pan with spiced rum(I wasn't going to drink it) and water, and homemade rub. Loaded the LBGE with lump and got it lit and let it settle in about 300 dome. Didn't touch it for 30-45 minutes and it stayed within 5 degrees. Put the chips, drip pan, and butt in and let it go. Checked temp about 20 minutes in and still 300. I hadn't touched anything, except the bourbon and coke, since I put the meat on. At about the 40 minute mark I walked by and checked the temp and it was 500. I shut both vents and the temp started to drop. When it got down to 350 I opened both vents about a half inch and it hasn't moved off of 350 for close to 45 minutes.
    Was rushing around to get it on the egg and didn't get a before pic.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    My guess would be that there would be too much rendering fat for the crust to stay intact.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Caboholic_EggHead
    Caboholic_EggHead Posts: 30
    Bourbon is gone, IT 193, we're getting close. Oh, and the Royals are up 4-1.image
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