First Injected Pork Butt (Pr0n)

So, I cooked my first Pork Butt on Saturday, using my new injector (from a UK kitchenware store).

Thanks to some great advice from here, I used a variation on Chris Lilly's formula - Reducing the salt by half and replacing half of the Worcestershire sauce with Fish Sauce, for that extra Umami hit!

I wrapped the butt in clingfilm (Saran Wrap) to save mess while injecting (another great tip from here!) and set to work, filling the shoulder with the injection.

I then unwrapped it, patted it dry with kitchen roll, before giving it a good coating of my house Pork rub.



Lit the smoker, brought her up to just over 250F and added some Cherry and Hickory chunks until I got the magic blue smoke.

Butt on - Then went and cracked open a beer (a bit early at 10am but hey, it's the weekend!)

After about an hour, I started spritzing with 5 parts Apple Juice, 1 part Cider Vinegar - and repeated this every 45-60 minutes.

Here she is just approaching 140 internal, about two and a half hour in:



When I liked the look of the colour (155F internal) I wrapped the butt tightly in foil, with a few sprays of the spritz mix.



This is the first time I've wrapped a butt and I was amazed at how quickly and steadily the temperature rose - Maybe because I'm used to sitting out the stall!

Around 8 hours, she hit 195F - So I started testing the blade bone and probing - Felt good at the edges nearest the tubes/MM, but was still a little firm in the middle, so I left her on and kept checking - Took her off the smoker at 201F - About 9 hours



Rested 1 hour in the warmed cooler (I couldn't wait any longer)

The blade bone came out with one pull and the meat pulled beautifully





I 'dressed' the meat with some of the reserved meat juices and a homemade Lexington style sauce, then went for 3 of these, served with pickles and beans



Then I went and had a lie down in front of the TV - A long lie down - With the occasional trip back to the kitchen to pick!

So, 9 hours cook time and 1 hour resting.
I have to say, this was the best Butt I've cooked yet - Good smoke-ring - beautifully moist and tender,sweet but with a great savoury finish, which must be thanks to the injection.

Next time, I'll do a side by side comparison, but I'm pretty sure the injection's the way to go for a greater depth of flavour.

Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice on this great forum!

Now just to decide what to do with the little bit of leftovers I've got - Taquitos, Quesadillas, Pizza, etc, etc.....

Wow, thanks folks - Your comments mean a lot!

Just finished the leftovers in some Nachos with black beans, Jalapeños, roasted red peppers, cheese and Pico de Gallo.

I went for the fish sauce following advice on here - As I hadn't injected before, I've nothing to really compare it to, but I didn't pick up any fishy taste - I think it just increases the savoury "umami" depth of flavour