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Pork Butts Rubbed w/ Peach Preserves and Apple Butter (and Some Pizza Pics)

After salivating over @YukonRon and @maso's adventures with using preserves, which you can see here and here, respectively, I thought I'd give it a go.  After buying a two-pack of boneless butts at Costco, I thought I'd slather one butt in peach preserves, and one in apple butter, using these pairings:



Pretty standard procedure:
  1. Rub with prepared mustard.
  2. Apply rub.
  3. Slather with preserves or butter.
Prepped for the Egg, they looked like this:



I used apple wood chunks for smoking, and an Egg Genius to keep the Egg at ~225ºF. For the lump, I used Fogo, which I only use for smoking, since it's expensive, but usually has really big chunks of lump that are good for long cooks.  I filled out the rest with BGE Oak & Hickory Lump Charcoal. Even though I used the Genius, I still took a few minutes to:

  1. Arrange the charcoal by chunk size, putting the larger chunks around the starter.
  2. Make sure that all of the ventilation holes in the firebox were unobstructed.
  3. Make sure the firebox was full.
(I note this for folks who might be new to the Egg. It makes a lot of difference in temperature control, I've found.)

Since I've been working nights, I put the butts on around 2300, figuring they'd be close to done by the following afternoon. I've never done a smoke for that long, so I was a bit nervous. There was no reason to be, it turned out, since I could've put them on closer to noon the previous day and they'd have been done around 1000-noon the next day. As it was I crutched 'em with some heated apple juice around 1500 the next afternoon. Weirdly, the larger one made it to 200ºF in another 90 minutes, while the smaller one I finally pulled off at 2200. (My guests and family were already full from eating the first one, so no one was waiting for the second.)  Here they are before wrapping them in butcher paper and foil:



Though they hadn't been brined, both turned out really well.  Both had great flavor and were moist and tender. Here's the shredded peach preserve-slathered one. Forgot to take the picture until after a couple of folks had descended on it:



Here's the second one after I shredded it:



Since using apple butter was an unknown quantity, I was more nervous about it than the other, but it turned out well, and I'd use it again.  Since those aren't the prettiest photos, here are some pictures of pizzas I baked on the Egg last week:



Enjoy, I hope.

Comments

  • Archcam
    Archcam Posts: 21
    Question for the veteran smokers (no, not that kind): do you truss the boneless butts or just use them as-is?
  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 6,545
    Looks fantastic 
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    Archcam said:
    Question for the veteran smokers (no, not that kind): do you truss the boneless butts or just use them as-is?
    I leave as-is.  I just make sure that any "flap" is tucked in to the main body of the cut and not hanging out on its own.  I also am lazy when it comes to that stuff.
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • DainW
    DainW Posts: 159
    Man that looks good. I’ve tried the peach preserve recipe for the pork butt before and it tastes great. How did the apple butter compare?
  • DainW
    DainW Posts: 159
    Also good looking pies!
  • dmchicago
    dmchicago Posts: 4,516
    Strong Egg Game!
    Philly - Kansas City - Houston - Cincinnati - Dallas - Houston - Memphis - Austin - Chicago - Austin

    Large BGE. OONI 16, TOTO Washlet S550e (Now with enhanced Motherly Hugs!)

    "If I wanted my balls washed, I'd go to the golf course!"
    Dennis - Austin,TX
  • Archcam
    Archcam Posts: 21
    DainW said:
    Man that looks good. I’ve tried the peach preserve recipe for the pork butt before and it tastes great. How did the apple butter compare?
    The apple butter was surprisingly good. I'd definitely use it again.
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    kl8ton said:
    Archcam said:
    Question for the veteran smokers (no, not that kind): do you truss the boneless butts or just use them as-is?
    I leave as-is.  I just make sure that any "flap" is tucked in to the main body of the cut and not hanging out on its own.  I also am lazy when it comes to that stuff.
    I put it on as is, and pull off when the bone shakes free. I use a pizza peel, because minimal effort, supports my devotion to sloth.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    very nice - i like the detail in your post !!
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    Apple Butter . . . totally new concept
    Thanks for posting
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap