Everybody's due one Pork Butt question, right? Here's mine.

blasting

As I stand in my happy place, overlooking all that is good (in the meat cooler at Restaurant Depot), I'm wondering if there any tricks to  selecting a good butt?  The one I did yesterday came out fatty - I mean REALLY FATTY.  It came in a two pack, and it's butt buddy came out terrific last week when prepared the same way.

I trimmed the butt, applied rub and put it on with a steady temp, ranging from 240-250 for the whole cook.  When IT reached 165 I foiled.  Pulled it when "probed like buttah" with an IT of 204.  I did not peek other than when I foiled.  The reason I've been foiling lately is that we like a softer bark.  If it matters, it was a 6 pounder after trimming, and it had been frozen for about a week.  The flavor was great, but the large lumps of unrendered fat was off putting.

So, I'm guessing it's probably just the luck of the draw, but if anyone has any Butt Selection Tips, or critiques of my method I'd be all ears.

dstearn

I have done Pork Butts with and without foiling. I prefer low and slow at 225 grate temp. It renders the fat better IMO compared to foiling. I also inject using the simple brine recipe from Chris Lilly. If you FTC the butt after it probes like butter your bark will be less dry and could be a happy compromise.

blasting

Thanks @dstearn .  I will try holding off on the foil until the end.

WeberWho

No foil needed with the egg when low and slow. Do you pre-trim?

badinfluence

@blasting it is luck of the draw when you buy them in quantity. I know exactly what you mean by the fatty inside and no you did NOT cook it wrong. Out of the 200 or 300 butts I have cooked I think I have only gotten 3 that were like that. 

blasting

@WeberWho?   Thanks, yes, I pre-trim.  This was my 3rd one that I've foiled at the 165 mark - they other two turned out great.  This one tasted the same and looked good, just super fatty.  I'm going to skip the foil next time and just FTC at the end to soften up.

@badinfluence thanks for weighing in.  That's good to know

THEBuckeye

No foil 

No trim

225-250

fat-side down

YukonRon

THEBuckeye said:

No foil 

No trim

225-250

fat-side down

And the congregation says "Ahmen."

Thatgrimguy

I look for a really nice well defined money muscle and go from there. 

Ozzie_Isaac

On real fatty ones I trim the center fat out after smoking and before shredding.  Yield suffers, but what I get is better.

Mosca

I put on those high temp rubber gloves and pull by hand, using my fingers to discard big lumps of fat.

rickdic1

Should the butt be allowed to get to room temp before cooking, or do y'all just put it straight on?

lousubcap

@rickdic1-a butt can go straight from the freezer to BGE-just add around an hour to your projected cook time.  No need to warm. 
BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Always cook to finish temp or feel. 

Ozzie_Isaac

rickdic1 said:

Should the butt be allowed to get to room temp before cooking, or do y'all just put it straight on?

Pork will do fine straight on from fridge or freezer.  If you toss it on frozen then in an hour pull to season then put back on.

Beef is best when allowed to warm to room temp.

Hotch

Bone-in and verify that is NOT  "Enhanced" (pumped full of salt water) This can also make for a mushy butt.

Trim most all of the fat cap, any large pockets of fat and any fat that is more than 1/4".

Be sure to check for any nodes if you can.

No foil, go 275-300 indirect. Usually 5-7 hours @ 300 for a 9-10 lb.

Bone pull out cleanly, it's done.

fishlessman

i dont foil but im thinking foil quickens the cook so theres less rendering.  you could either try tenting or a really loose foil so that the steam escapes or basting can help keep the bark soft. also if you want less bark then leave the fat cap on and slip it off before shredding

blasting

Thanks everybody, I appreciate your responses.  

I've picked up a few ways to modify my procedure.  I'm going to look for look for a well defined money muscle (I'll have to look this up).  Instead of foiling in the middle of the cook I'll foil when finished (to soften the bark), and I will pull apart with gloves prior to shredding in order to find any large remaining clumps of fat.

Some mentioned not to trim the fat cap pre cook.  I read in a thread you should trim it to get full bark.  Whats the down side of trimming it? 

badinfluence

There is no downside of not trimming. You will get better bark and a whole lot less far drippings in the drip pan.

theyolksonyou

blasting said:

I read in a thread you should trim it to get full bark.  Whats the down side of trimming it? 

Wait, that's 2 questions!

rickdic1

lousubcap said:

@rickdic1-a butt can go straight from the freezer to BGE-just add around an hour to your projected cook time.  No need to warm. 
BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Always cook to finish temp or feel. 

Thanks to you and Ozzie_isaac

mimauler

In my opinion foiling keeps the butts from rendering some of the fat.  I've tried both ways and have found in my case there is always more fat in the foiled butt. 

RRP

I'm a 330 turbo fan and no foil, and I trim off the fat cap, plus a lot of excess exterior fat. I never cut one open to start with and just deal with the hidden interior globs when I encounter them.