Questions on Gaskets and Boston Butts

Tim Fowler · August 2010

Howdy folks,

I finally had to replace my gasket and was thinking about what to do with the unused portion. It always grated on my nerves to be smoking something and see smoke escaping through the gap between the egg and daisy wheel, so I used my leftover gasket to seal this gap. I was just wondering if anyone else had done this, and their thoughts/opinions on whether or not it made any difference. My take on it is it has to make some difference, but whether or not it is noticable in the final product is questionable. At least I don't feel like I'm wasting smoke so much

Also, last nights butt got me wondering...I've never gotten complete penetration of brine and smoke throughout a butt and I was wondering if anyone had ever cut a butt up into smaller portions before brining and smoking in order to allow better penetration of the brine and smoke. The butt, at least by me, gets pulled anyway, so I don't see where the size of it while cooking really matters.

Any ideas that might help my wandering and wondering mind are appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

gdenby · August 2010

Somebody, perhaps Grandpas Grub, posted a shot of a roll of foil circling the inside of the Daisy so as to get a maximum air seal. A good seal always helps for fine control. For myself, the accumulated crud usually works to form a better seal. Its good enough that sometimes I can hardly pull the daisy off the top!

The smaller the sections of the butt, the more likely they are to dry out before the connective tissue breaks down. Its easier to get tender and moist product from a big butt, say 8 pounds, than a 4 pound portion. Likewise, if you are cooking "country ribs," which are just slices of butt, you will get dry and tough if done lo-n-slo.

Along with brining, try injecting. Fishlessman has recommended injection late in the cook.

Something I tried, which didn't work very well, but might be worth another try is to take a mass of "country ribs," brine them, rub them, and then mash them back into a ball. The time I tried that, I had about 4 pounds of meat. The mass seemed to cook much more unevenly than a chunk the same size, and it ended up rather dry. The rub flavor was intense, to say the least.

Celtic Wolf · August 2010

Yes people have done the gasket trick.

A brine that fully penetrates the meat is called a cure. At that point you no longer have Pork, you have HAM.

As for the smoke it never really penetrates. It lays on the surface. What penetrates are the nitrites and Nitrates. This is what causes that "Smoke Ring". Even then it doesn't usually go past 3/8 to a 1/2 inch. Unless you cured till you have ham.

Tim Fowler · August 2010

Interesting. Hadn't really thought about it becoming a cure once it fully penetrates. I need to learn more about curing versus brining. What would a butt that had been cured taste like compared to brined. I assume you would still be able to shred it for sandwiches, so would it essentially taste like shredded ham?

As for the smoke. I knew about the ring, what I guess my question was trying to ask is, if the butt were cut up smaller, the ring would penetrate all of the meat, rather than only the outer edge, and what effect this would have on the meat. I agree that it might dry the meat out. I'm just thinking about different things to do to a butt. I probably shouldn't leave that hanging, butt I will.

Didn't really think I was the first person to use the leftover gasket, just wondering about other peoples thoughts on the usefullness of it.

Thanks for the replies,
Tim

Celtic Wolf · August 2010

It will only penetrate the outer surface unless you cut it so small the outer surfaces arer with-in a half inch.

A cured Pork Butt would taste like HAM..

Questions on Gaskets and Boston Butts

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