Brine Butt?

Unknown

I'm printing out all the recipes I can find on pork butt, and notice that some of them recommend brining. I've brined turkey before, but never any other kind of meat. Is this the best way to insure a very tender piece of pork?

Nature Boy

Howdy Bear Country Woman,
The best way to ensure a very tender piece of pork is to cook it nice and slow and render out the fat and melt the collagen without drying out the meat. Brining might get you some extra flavor and a little saltiness into the meat, but personally I don't think it will be any more tender. My favorite way to get flavor into the pork is to inject it.[p]If you decide to inject, just yell and we can give you some ideas what to squirt in there.[p]Cheers!
Chris

Borders

Fire away Chris. What do you like to inject with? I've tried mojo and that's it. Thanks,
Scott

RhumAndJerk

Bear Country Woman,
I brined a butt once and then cooked it like pulled pork. The resultant meat tasted more like pulled ham than pulled pork. I won’t do it again. If want ham, I’ll cook a ham. If I want pulled pork, I’ll cook the fresh pork.[p]Try slow cooking fresh pork that has not been frozen with some hickory chunks. As JSlot says, hickory smoke and Pork is a match made in heaven. Most people are not aware of what pork cooked correctly actually tastes like and most are surprised when they do taste it.[p]As an experiment, try smoking a naked rack of ribs. In other words, just use some salt and pepper and then smoke them in the egg. Once you do this, you will then have a base by which to compare flavors against.[p]Hope this helps,
RhumAndJerk[p]

Nature Boy

Borders,
I often use a version sorta like Stogie posted years back.[p]2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup whatsdischere sauce
1/4 cup turbinado sugar (Stogie uses Corn Syrup)
2 tbsp of the rub you used on the butt (ground fine in a coffee grinder)[p]Heat through to dissolve sugar and infuse flavors. Strain, cool and inject as much as it'll hold.[p]Pineapple juice is fun to play with as well.[p]What is your mojo injection like? What's in it?
Cheers mang
Chris

Borders

Nature Boy, Here in Tampa, mojo is available in all grocery stores along with the Spanish/Cuban foods and spices. Goya is popular. It's a mixture of lime, orange, garlic, onion and pepper I'd guess.[p]I brined my Thanksgiving turkey with a brine that had a quart of mojo in it with nice results. [p]Here's a link mang and thanks for your recipe,
Scott

[ul][li]mojo[/ul]

Unknown

Nature Boy,[p]Whatsdischere sauce - do I dare ask what that is? [p]I injected with just plain apple juice, and it's marinating in the fridge under Elder Ward's rub. How can you get that much juice inside an 8.5 lb. butt? [p]I don't have turbinado sugar, and not sure I can get it here - for future use. Plain sugar? Inject it with this before I cook, even though I've already done apple juice? Oops. I already used all the rub. Guess I'll keep this recipe for the next one.

Nature Boy

Bear Country Woman,
Sorry. Whatsdischere sauce is Worcestershire....West Virginia pronounciation ;-)[p]I think I can usually pump a pint or more into an 8 pound butt. Turbinado is also called "Sugar in the Raw". You could also use brown sugar, regular sugar, honey....or like Stogie....corn syrup.[p]Have fun
Chris[p]

Woody54

Bear Country Woman,[p]worcestershire (SP?) sauce[p]I always use a similar recipe to Nature Boy's and it works great[p]Woody54

Unknown

Bear Country Woman,
I will never brine a butt again.

BGEJeff

Bear Country Woman,[p]Brined one time per Alton Brown, found it to be a waste of time and material.[p]Jeff