A Different Approach to Pork Butt on the BGE: call for ideas!

rtbarry

I'm a fairly experienced egger (and wood fire cook). I've done a ton of butts (and chickens, and steaks, blah blah blah) on the egg and they're fantastic, especially as technique has evolved over time. But my go-to approaches are always similar: low and slow, applewood or hickory or cherry for upfront smoke, fruit juice injection, classic BBQ rub, texas crutch, etc. I know "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"... but I want to stretch a little. Wanna help?

I'd like to break out of the classic American BBQ box. The egg is essentially a very versatile oven that holds moisture and temperature pretty well if set up right. People cook butts low&slow all over the world and have totally different tastes/access to flavors. My philosophy, even with BBQ, is "if you cooked it right, it don't need no stinkin sauce!"

Things I'm thinking of trying:

Italian Herbed Profile (Rosemary, Garlic, Fennel Root, Tomato, etc)

Spanish or Basque Style (Paprika, Smokey Chiles, Onion and Cumin, etc)

Moroccan Style (Cinnamon, Cumin, Onions and Tomato, etc)

I figured I'd make a rub out of the primary ingredients, and still inject with some sort of liquid that's on-theme. Still hit it with wood smoke up-front. Then fresh seasonings and veggies during the crutch for last couple hours. Prolly 12 hours at 225 for 6-8lb bone-in. But I'll pull when internal hits 200 (this has never failed me).

Any great experiences on the Egg with totally different approaches? If not, I'm charging into this and I'll report back!

AstoriaEggHead

I'll be watching this post for ideas, won't offer any as it seems you got it a bit more under control than I do

UrbanForestTurnings

Love your philosophy. I do my ribs ,chickens and wings dry. Not saying I dont inject or marinate. Let the Q speak for itself.

SmokeyPitt

I like your ideas so far.  Another one to consider is mojo pork.  There are a few recipes out there.  If you google Naked whiz mojo pork you will find one.  I posted the link but I got the "your comment must be approved" message.  If you haven't been to the naked whiz side it is great...and safe for work . 

Tjcoley

Porketta.  Lots of recipes out there, many using oregano and fennel.  Here's a simple one I've done in the past.

3-4 pound boneless pork roast
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine

Make slits in pork and insert the garlic at different places.
Roll pork in ground pepper
Wrap and refrigerate overnight
Place in covered roasting pan (DO) with wine and oil
Cook at 375 for 2 - 2/12 hours until done.
Let cool slightly
Shred and serve, with horseradish
Meat will be spicy

rtbarry

Cool idea. Love porchetta. Usually a lot of work.

"Boneless Pork Roast"... are you using a pork loin? Or a boneless butt?

Tjcoley said:

Porketta.  Lots of recipes out there, many using oregano and fennel.  Here's a simple one I've done in the past.

3-4 pound boneless pork roast
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine

Make slits in pork and insert the garlic at different places.
Roll pork in ground pepper
Wrap and refrigerate overnight
Place in covered roasting pan (DO) with wine and oil
Cook at 375 for 2 - 2/12 hours until done.
Let cool slightly
Shred and serve, with horseradish
Meat will be spicy

Tjcoley

I use a boneless butt - rolled and tied.  A lot moister than a loin.

rtbarry

Good, that's what I was hoping.

Tjcoley said:

I use a boneless butt - rolled and tied.  A lot moister than a loin.

jtcBoynton

I would go with a mojo marinade for Cuban style pulled pork or a Bavarian spice rub for a German pork roast.  Just lump, no extra smoke.  

Bavarian rub would include brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay, and sage.

lousubcap

Giving this a go since @SmokeyPitt-couldn't get the forum gods to let it pass...here's the link to the mojo pork recipe he mentioned: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/mojopork.htm Let's see if this works-

And I have done this a few times-always a winner.

Carolina Q

I want to try Cuban style as with La Caja China though I don't see how the egg would make it taste the same. No smoke with LCC.

Lots of videos on utube.

I like your style!

rtbarry

Oh man, the German thing could be awesome.

jtcBoynton said:

Bavarian rub would include brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay, and sage.

rtbarry

Update! Did the Italian style approach and it worked out great.

plumbfir01

brunswick stew with the pork! easy and really delicious. It also makes plenty of leftovers 

theyolksonyou

plumbfir01 said:

brunswick stew with the pork! easy and really delicious. It also makes plenty of leftovers 

or taquitos, or enchiladas, or egg rolls, or street tacos, or more sammies..... Left over pulled pork is awesome and it freezes well.

Ragtop99

There a number of recipes for Bo Ssam.  

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1136584/bo-ssaem-korean-style-pork-butt

Here's one from the NYT.  Just ignore the oven part and use the egg in its place.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12197-momofukus-bo-ssam

500

(Pandemic Thread Rehash): I'm rehashing this thread, because I'm in the same mood as the OP.  I bought two Boston Butts on sale.  Froze one for traditional BBQ at a later date.  Want to change it up for this one I plan on smoking this Saturday.  I've went down many interweb rabbit holes, looking at videos and recipes for Puerto Rican and Dominican-style Pernil, Mexican-style Cochinita Pibil, and Italian-style Porchetta.  I know that since this is Boston Butt, and not a Picnic Roast or a pork loin wrapped with a pork belly, that it won't be truly authentic, but I'm playing with the hand I'm dealt.  Haven't decided yet, so I'm open to suggestions with recipes and techniques.  Thanks.  

The Cen-Tex Smoker

all those are awesome. I really enjoyed the Bo Saam I did from the Momofuku cookbook. The sauces were just killer. Probably not doing much to narrow down your list but this one deserves consideration as well.

edit to add a link:

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1224828/bo-saam-korean-pulled-pork-without-the-dong-pics/p1

looks like several other people tried it and liked it too. Simple cook but stellar results. Those sauces tho...

danv23

SmokeyPitt said:

I like your ideas so far.  Another one to consider is mojo pork.  There are a few recipes out there.  If you google Naked whiz mojo pork you will find one.  I posted the link but I got the "your comment must be approved" message.  If you haven't been to the naked whiz side it is great...and safe for work . 

I inject mine with Goya Mojo marinade. It's fantastic!

saluki2007

I did the recipe centex shared and it was killer. Highly recommend that. Another idea is doing a Hawaiian style butt. I made a post several years ago of the one I did. I’ll see if I can find it. 

ColtsFan

Thanks for the reminder! I bookmarked the Bo Ssam thread and forgot all about it 

JohnInCarolina

ColtsFan said:

Thanks for the reminder! I bookmarked the Bo Saam thread and forgot all about it 

You’ve got to do it.  It’s great, and the Bo Ssam sauce really complements the pork.

500

For the Bo Ssam recipe. Sounds killer. 

https://mykoreankitchen.com/bo-ssam/

500

And another way; Schweinebraten; a German Pork Roast. 

Theophan

I've done ribs a few times with a totally non-BBQ-style flavor and it was a really nice change -- this was the first time:  https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1213792/tuscan-style-spare-ribs

fishlessman

another version, lechon asado. heres wdan's recipe, ive done it several times and its good, the mojo sauce needs more lime added when serving and some red pepperflakes wouldnt hurt. for the marinade 20 cloves garlic atleast

Pork, Butt, Lechon Asado, Mojo, WDAN, Cuban

As I mentioned during the December holidays, I did a low 'n slow pork butt called Lechon Asado for New Years' Eve. Oh yeah, baby! If you are looking for yet another excuse to do L&S pork butt, but want it different than traditional Carolina pull, try this! My guests loved it and I actually liked it too (I'm my own worst critic).While this is a Cuban Christmas Eve roast-a-whole-pig thing, I approximated it by doing a 9.5 lb pork butt on the egg.


INGREDIENTS:
Marinade (do it for 24 hrs)
12-15 Cloves as many as you're willing to mince) cloves garlic
1 Tbs kosher salt
2 tsp cumin (ground)
2 tsp oregano (dried)
1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbs olive oil
It would be best if you can do this in a food processor and get it to turn out like a thick salad dressing...I was lazy and just hand-blended it all in a bowl...but it seemed to work just fine.
After 12- 24 hrs of marinating, egg the pig indirectly at a dome temp of 250-ish until meat internal temp is 200 -- just like you're doing a pull. My 9.5 lb butt needed a little over 20 hrs. I used some peach wood in the lump intead of doing my normal hic
The meat had a decidedly different flavor than the normal fair and was further differentiated by the Mojo sauce:
MOJO SAUCE
1 cup olive oil
12 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
ground black pepper to taste (~1 tsp)




Procedure:
1 Simmer all this in a sauce pan for about 20 minutes or so. Serve as a side dip for the pork.
2 Embellishments:
3 The meat is different than traditional pull, but not overwhelmingly so. The mojo does it right, but as someone mentioned when I first posted my intention of doing this cook, traditional Carolina vinegar sauce would be absolutely outstanding with this meat (refer to legendary Elder Ward documentation).
4 If you're looking for a different kind of pull, try this! The Cuban thing was a smash hit at my Anglo house. Black beans and rice were a perfect complement, not to mention the music!

SonVolt

SonVolt said:

Recreated a signature Pork Shoulder dish from a popular restaurant in Chattanooga TN called Alleia. I followed the recipe exact except using the BGE instead of the "wood fired oven".

(scroll down) 
https://cityscopefoodanddrink.com/food-drink/kitchen-tips-tricks/

The biggest "holy sh*t" moment for me was mixing equal parts of the de-fatted pork Jus with Balsamic vinegar and reducing it down before adding a relatively large amount of brown sugar. The sauce was insane... and the dish as a whole was was amazing. 

Seared over lump (no wood/smoke) then wrapped tightly in foil with garlic cloves, rosemary stems and tablespoon of red pepper flakes until pull tender. 


At this point you can FTC or even pop it in the fridge until the next day. You want it somewhat cool so you can slice it into servings and glaze without it falling apart.


Defat the Jus from the foil, mix with equal parts Balsalmic, reduce by half, then add .5 parts brown sugar. 


Thick and luscious sauce! Amazing. 


When ready to eat, slice roast into chunks, spoon sauce oven and pop in a 400F oven basting until heated through and you get a nice dark mahogany glaze. 


Braise some red cabbage in red wine vinegar.


Roasts some turnips (or potatoes). 


Start assembling the dish...


Serve the garlic used in the initial cook on the side as a condiment...


Voila! Roast Pork served over braised red cabbage and roasted Turnips. 

500

All these ideas sound awesome.  

JohnInCarolina

@SonVolt - that looks incredible.  

HeavyG

JohnInCarolina said:

@SonVolt - that looks incredible.  

Caused me to fill my drool bucket... twice.

Teefus

Penzeys Bavarian seasoning: ground mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and sage. Add your own salt to taste. It’s a great rustic seasoning for pork that plays nice with smoke and creates a savory bark. We’ve used it a lot. It’s excellent on butts, loin roasts, and ribs. When you just need something different.