Fat cap: On or off?

Do you take the fat cap off or leave it?

  • Fat cap off

    Votes: 43 29.7%

  • Fat cap on

    Votes: 56 38.6%

  • Leave on but trim down

    Votes: 46 31.7%
  • Total voters
    145
Jaskew82

Jaskew82

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Just curious what everyone does with the fat cap on their pork butts.

I tend to leave it on and just trim it down to 1/8" thick or so. I am beginning to wonder if I shouldn't just trim it all off since butts have so much connective tissue and fat through-out.

What do you do?
 
I trim it all off. More surface area for bark. There is enough fat throughout the shoulder for me, to keep my shoulders moist. Just my 2 cents.
 
I'll trim a picnic but on a Boston butt I just leave it.
 
I leave mine on but trim it a little so it acts as a buffer from the radiant heat off of my tuning plates. I figure that there's plenty of bark from the other 5 sides of the butt. Once it all get's mixed together, that little bit of bark from that one side the fat is on is minimal IMO.
 
I leave it on. Put it fat cap down on the grate, and peel it off as one piece when i go to pull the butt.
 
Most of the fat cap stays stuck to the grate when I do butts. I don't trim or season the fat cap.
 
I trim off any very thick parts just to reduce the amount of grease in the cooker drip pan at the end of the cook. I use the fat cap as shield from the heat source.
 
i used to leave it on. boy, that was some tasty cracklin stuck to the grate. but now i trim it all off.
 
Interesting cross section of responses. Guess I will have to cook a bunch and decide how I like it. :wink:
 
On a pork shoulder I trim NOTHING. This applies to both the picnic and the butt cut.

While there is enough connective tissues and such to render internally, I have found through trial and error that a thick fat cap (and in the case of the picnic) a layer of skin will do two things for you.

1. Act as heat shield.

2. (most important) Act as a barrier keeping the fat and juices inside the meat where you want it.

I have tried trimming to a 1/4", I've tried trimming it all off, and I have tried with full fat cap. (and everything in between)

Leave it on. Yes it may reduce the amount of bark a little, but the benefits outweigh the negatives.
 
SirPorkaLot said:
On a pork shoulder I trim NOTHING. This applies to both the picnic and the butt cut.

While there is enough connective tissues and such to render internally, I have found through trial and error that a thick fat cap (and in the case of the picnic) a layer of skin will do two things for you.

1. Act as heat shield.

2. (most important) Act as a barrier keeping the fat and juices inside the meat where you want it.

I have tried trimming to a 1/4", I've tried trimming it all off, and I have tried with full fat cap. (and everything in between)

Leave it on. Yes it may reduce the amount of bark a little, but the benefits outweigh the negatives.
Click to expand...

Well how the heck am I gonna make my pork rinds without trimming the picnic?:mmph::mrgreen:
 
bigjonsBBQ said:
I trim it all off. More surface area for bark. There is enough fat throughout the shoulder for me, to keep my shoulders moist. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Me four :biggrin: :biggrin:

pwa
 
Leave it on, fat cap up. Foil at 165, then put fat cap down. When you go to pull the meat, the fat cap will be on the bottom.
 
If you're talkin about a picnic roast with all the skin. I remove it all for more bark.

Butts, I trim 'em down a hair.
 
I trim it all off. I did a blind taste test with people at work, and didn't tell anyone what was different. 4 out of 5 people picked the but that was cooked without a fat cap. They said that it tasted more pork like. Personally I think that it was the extra bark that made it taste better.
 
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