Butt seriously, folks...

EGGcellent_Smithers

Got my LBGE in September, and after simple grills and a Thanksgiving turkeys, decided it was time for my first pork butt.

Bought a 14# butt at Costco, decided to do the smaller half, so probably about 6#. Rubbed with yellow mustard and Dizzy Pig Dizzy Dust, covered in fridge overnight. Put on the BGE at 9am, with 3 chunks of apple wood for flavor (family does not care for smoky taste).



Cooked without peaking until 3pm, at which time the thin whitish smoke that had been coming out the top stopped. Panicked that maybe I had run out of lump, so checked quickly -- I think it was just that the apple wood chunks had combusted completely, leaving only lump. Temp at that point was ~170, so I let it ride.

At 4:25pm, meat temp hit 201, so pulled, and FTC'd until about 6pm. 



Pulled it at 6pm, was very tender and had good smoke flavor. 



Family's only complaint was that the meat was a bit fatty. I did not trim at all before cooking, and removed only the most obvious external fat after the cook. Overall very pleased.

Do you guys trim the fat? Or perhaps I need to buy from a better place than Costco to avoid so much fat? An internet search also pulled up possible doing a center cut pork roast as a leaner alternative. Any thoughts?

Have really learned a ton on this Forum, BTW.  Thanks!

six_egg

I never trim myself. I do same rub also. I just take it out of the package, wash it off dry it a bit, mustard and DP DD. I use a apple hickory combo of chunks. I cook mine to 160 wrap in foil. I then cook until 205 and then wrap in towel put in cool for 1 hour.

fishlessman

i have my best luck with no fat cap, cooked around 235 dome, 14 hours for a 7 pounder. i dont get much fat in a butt , but a picnic shoulder i slip the fat out as i pull

Photo Egg

Looks great...
I never trim before I cook but I do score the thick fat.
I normally pick most of the fat and non meat out as I am pulling. 
I could never do this if I had to pull 5 or 6 for a party but when it's just for me I pull it very lean.
I don't cook to temp but more for pull back from the bone and tender probe with poker. Wrap in foil and let rest for at least an hour if I have time.
Yours looks perfect to me...

pgprescott

Fat is flavor and moisture. I remove any real bad stuff when pulling, but usually not much at all. Your product looks absolutely great from here. Not sure what to tell you. It is pork butt after all. I'd be proud of that.