do you really need to season a butt?

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AUradar

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I know, stupid question. But I always wondering if I'm really getting anything out of the seasoning of a butt. I know the top layer will have it, but the majority of t meat doesn't seem to have any of hte seasoning flavoring.

am I just doing it wrong?
 
doesn't the seasoning (and i use a base coat of mustard) form the bark?
 
What a lot of people will do (myself included) is to inject their butt with a liquid mixture that will often contain the rub used on the outside of the butt.
 
Mixing the seasoned bark into the meat will definately flavor a good bit of the meat and this is what seperates mine from what I find at restaurants.

You can always add some rub to the pulled pork, but I find the outside meat is plenty enough for my taste.
 
brownkw said:
What a lot of people will do (myself included) is to inject their butt with a liquid mixture that will often contain the rub used on the outside of the butt.
Click to expand...

This is what I normally do, just inject the butt with a little apple juice with a touch of rub mixed in. Tastes great all the time. Heck tastes great when I dont inject anything either, go figure. :thumb:
 
I know of a BBQ place that has been in business since the 1950's. They cook over 30 whole shoulders a night and often sell out of BBQ. They don't put anything on the shoulders before they cook them and the only thing that goes on after they are cooked is what the customer puts on it. I always used salt, pepper, BBQ sauce, and Texas Pete.

People love the stuff.
 
Just like it was said earlier, i inject it. And usually use pretty simple rub i make (standard bbq spices). I do like the idea of adding some seasoning to the meat after...
 
Boshizzle said:
I know of a BBQ place that has been in business since the 1950's. They cook over 30 whole shoulders a night and often sell out of BBQ. They don't put anything on the shoulders before they cook them and the only thing that goes on after they are cooked is what the customer puts on it. I always used salt, pepper, BBQ sauce, and Texas Pete.

People love the stuff.
Click to expand...

There is a place in central Texas somewhere that is similar - they do 20 or 25 briskets a day and just dust with a little salt and pepper before throwing into the smoker
 
aont no rub on wholehog and it tastes just fine
Pork n smoke os all u need......but I do rub a lot f the time.
 
Big_T_BBQ said:
There is a place in central Texas somewhere that is similar - they do 20 or 25 briskets a day and just dust with a little salt and pepper before throwing into the smoker
Click to expand...


This however..is a rub..... Muellers, Taylor, Blacks, Smittys, Kreuz all use salt pepper and for a few, one extra ingredient.

They are not dusted though, they are thoroughly rubbed. They also do significantly more than 25 a day. In the 30's.... all of them.... these places serve very little else.

Back to the question.... a pork but with NO rub at all.... no injection, no slather, nothing.... is an incredible experience.
 
I don't know of a law that states you must use seasoning. Just watch out for the seasoning police.:becky:
 
AUradar

You have discovered a long lost secret.
In the old days, people enjoyed the flavor of the Meat.

I have been to places and ordered BBQ, and all I could taste was whatever they put on, an in, the Meat.

I cook, grill, smoke meat because I enjoy the taste of the Meat.

On a Pork Butt, I use a little Rub and some Seasoned Pepper.

I use Wood Chips for enhance the Smoke Flavor.

It is also good to Inject the Meat with a Water/Juice Mixture Before you cook it.
You can also Mix a little Rub with the Water/Juice Injection Mixture.
Keep It Simple and It Tastes Good.

I believe that whatever you put on the Meat should Enhance, Bring Out, the Natural Flavor of the Meat, Not Mask Its Natural Flavor.

The bottom Line Is, you do it your way.
Please the taste buds of the people you cook for and you'll be doing a great job.
 
i don't inject mine, but like a little mustard and some dizzy pig dizzy dust, some john henry pecan rub (or some simply marvelous) s&p and some sugar in the raw.... it doesn't do much if anything to the inside of the butt, but those bites with the added seasoning sure do mix in will with the rest of the butt.. ymmv.
 
doctorsmoke said:
AUradar

You have discovered a long lost secret.
In the old days, people enjoyed the flavor of the Meat.

I have been to places and ordered BBQ, and all I could taste was whatever they put on, an in, the Meat.

I cook, grill, smoke meat because I enjoy the taste of the Meat.

On a Pork Butt, I use a little Rub and some Seasoned Pepper.

I use Wood Chips for enhance the Smoke Flavor.

It is also good to Inject the Meat with a Water/Juice Mixture Before you cook it.
You can also Mix a little Rub with the Water/Juice Injection Mixture.
Keep It Simple and It Tastes Good.

I believe that whatever you put on the Meat should Enhance, Bring Out, the Natural Flavor of the Meat, Not Mask Its Natural Flavor.

The bottom Line Is, you do it your way.
Please the taste buds of the people you cook for and you'll be doing a great job.
Click to expand...

This seems like a huge contradiction to me. You say you enjoy the flavor of the meat but you rub it and inject it. Enhancing the flavor is still altering it. If you enjoy the flavor of the meat (I don't. I think Pork is bland on it's own.) then you shouldn't need to "enhance" it.

The only meat I have ever had that didn't need some type of flavor enhancer is Sashimi. Everything else needs salt & pepper at a minumum.

Just my opinion.

In answer to the question, rub isn't necessary before cooking but it is desired. You can turn out a tasty product by adding rub, vinegar and/or a glaze when you are pulling it.
 
It all sounds good! I have friend that just uses some cayenne as a rub. Whatever makes you happy!
 
thanks for all hte input guys. I've just wondered about hte rub. I've done brines and the past and they are great. I need to experiment with hte injections.
 
doctorsmoke said:
AUradar

You have discovered a long lost secret.
In the old days, people enjoyed the flavor of the Meat....

I believe that whatever you put on the Meat should Enhance, Bring Out, the Natural Flavor of the Meat, Not Mask Its Natural Flavor.

The bottom Line Is, you do it your way.
Click to expand...

i agree
 
I usually think about how I'm going to serve the meat to determine if I was going to put a rub on. Two weekends ago, I decided that I wanted to try a new sauce and didn't want anything to influence the flavor of the sauce so one of the butts I smoked wasn't rubbed. The other one was rubbed with a spicy rub since I was planning on doing a very light vinegar sauce for it and wanted some added kick on the bark.

injecting or brining is the same. Base it on what you like and how you are going to serve it.
 
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