My First Smoked Butt

Cack · Nov 8, 2011

My g/f and I just got back from the Bahamas and went to Bi-Lo. They had their Butts on sale, so we picked one (the last one) up. I need to know all the tricks and tips you may have.

We have an injector, so what are some basics we can use to create a flavor to inject? What's the approx temp and cook time I should shoot for?

Ron_L · Nov 8, 2011

Chris Lilly's Pork Shoulder recipe (below) includes a very good injection.

As far as cooking, you can cook a butt at anywhere from 225 to 325 (or even hotter). At 225 you should plan of 90 minutes per pound. If it is done sooner you can hold it in a preheated cooler with towels or newspaper for insulation for a few hours.

Chris Lilly's Six-time World Championship Pork Shoulder

Recipe By : Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson's
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
For the pork shoulder rub
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/3 cup garlic salt
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
-----------
Pork injection
3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
------------
1 whole pork shoulder (approximately 16 pounds)
1 bottle Big Bob Gibson Championship Red Sauce (or substitute your favorite BBQ sauce)

Inject pork shoulder evenly with injection solution. Apply a generous amount of rub onto meat. Pat so the rub will adhere. Place in a smoker and cook with indirect heat for 16 hours on 225˚F. Serve with sauce on the side or paint shoulder with sauce the last 20 minutes of cooking. When done, the pork should pull off the bones easily. The internal temperature of the pork should reach 195˚F.

Jaskew82 · Nov 8, 2011

^^^^ This...

BeaglesBBQ · Nov 8, 2011

i tried this injection this weekend, i found it a little "hammy". maybe i let it sit too long, but id suggest cutting back on the salt a bit

Midnight Smoke · Nov 8, 2011

My simple Pulled Pork.

Start with a minimum 8+ lb Butt; I prefer Bone-In. Slather the Butt with Yellow Mustard and sprinkle heavily with your Rub (This can be done the night before if wanted). Place on counter for about a ½ hour or so before putting into the smoker, (You could Inject at this time). Let your smoker stabilize at your cooking temp and the smoke is running light Blue before putting the meat on. Cook Indirect at 225º-250º Fat cap down, spraying quickly with Apple Juice every hour until the Butt is at 165º.

Spray well with Apple Juice, wrap Butt in foil and place back into Smoker, flip to Fat Cap up at this time. Continue cooking until Butt is at 195º-200º, until the Probe goes in like butter. Remove from Smoker and wrap in old towels and place into a dry cooler for 3-5 hours (less time is Okay but it will be better with a nice long rest), (Butt will still be too hot to handle without gloves). I like to Pull fast but still removing most the Fat before serving, enjoy!

Ron_L · Nov 8, 2011

BeaglesBBQ said:
i tried this injection this weekend, i found it a little "hammy". maybe i let it sit too long, but id suggest cutting back on the salt a bit

How long did you let it sit? Also, was the butt that you used enhanced by the producer?

Ron_L · Nov 8, 2011

{Midnight ☼ Smoke};1843802 said:
Wrap Butt in foil, spray well with Apple Juice and place back into Smoker, flip to Fat Cap up at this time.

I'm assuming that you spray it well with apple juice before foiling

:becky:

Cack · Nov 8, 2011

I need to trim off the fat on the outside before right?

Ron_L · Nov 8, 2011

Cack said:
I need to trim off the fat on the outside before right?

I only trim it if there are very thick sections. Otherwise I leave it. It helps shield the meat from the heat of my pit, which comes from the bottom.

BeaglesBBQ · Nov 8, 2011

Ron_L said:
How long did you let it sit? Also, was the butt that you used enhanced by the producer?

longer then i would have liked, 4 or 5 hours. non-enhanced just boneless. im thinking it was the time it sat. From what i read you inject and put on the smoker pretty quickly?

Ron_L · Nov 8, 2011

I doubt that 4-5 hours would cause that. I normally let butts and briskets sit for 4 hours after injecting and don't get a hammy taste. But, it's always possible

Cack · Nov 8, 2011

Ron_L said:
I only trim it if there are very thick sections. Otherwise I leave it. It helps shield the meat from the heat of my pit, which comes from the bottom.

Ok thanks. I'll have to check it out once I start injecting.

Midnight Smoke · Nov 8, 2011

Ron_L said:
I'm assuming that you spray it well with apple juice before foiling :becky:

Spray well with Apple Juice, wrap Butt in foil and place back into Smoker, flip to Fat Cap up at this time.

Picky, Picky, :wink: Fixed that one Ron. I dunno, AJ spritzed foil could be a winner too.

Cack · Nov 8, 2011

I should have waited till Phriday to ask this. Now I want to cook tonight.

Cook · Nov 8, 2011

{Midnight ☼ Smoke};1843802 said:
My simple Pulled Pork.

Start with a minimum 8+ lb Butt; I prefer Bone-In. Slather the Butt with Yellow Mustard and sprinkle heavily with your Rub (This can be done the night before if wanted). Place on counter for about a ½ hour or so before putting into the smoker, (You could Inject at this time). Let your smoker stabilize at your cooking temp and the smoke is running light Blue before putting the meat on. Cook Indirect at 225º-250º Fat cap down, spraying quickly with Apple Juice every hour until the Butt is at 165º.

Spray well with Apple Juice, wrap Butt in foil and place back into Smoker, flip to Fat Cap up at this time. Continue cooking until Butt is at 195º-200º, until the Probe goes in like butter. Remove from Smoker and wrap in old towels and place into a dry cooler for 3-5 hours (less time is Okay but it will be better with a nice long rest), (Butt will still be too hot to handle without gloves). I like to Pull fast but still removing most the Fat before serving, enjoy!

LOL..."Simple" you say.

My Simple Pulled Pork...

One butt...whatever size you want. Take it out of fridge and season it with salt. Don't form a shell of salt, but don't be scared of it either. Immediately plact it on a waiting smoker that's chugging along anywhere from 200-350. Check it when you think it might be getting close to ready. Pull it when it probes tender. Pull or chop, mix with a little vinegar/pepper sauce & salt to taste. If it's not "greasy", I chop the fat cap up to a pulp and mix it in.

Now THAT is simple. LOL

gtr · Nov 8, 2011

Cack said:
I should have waited till Phriday to ask this. Now I want to cook tonight.

Easy. Cook tonight and Phriday. :thumb:

Cack · Nov 9, 2011

What inside temp should I shoot for?

tortaboy · Nov 9, 2011

{Midnight ☼ Smoke};1843960 said:
Spray well with Apple Juice, wrap Butt in foil and place back into Smoker, flip to Fat Cap up at this time.

Picky, Picky, :wink: Fixed that one Ron. I dunno, AJ spritzed foil could be a winner too.

Can you taste the apple flavor from the juice when you eat the final product, or is it just to pretty up the outside?

Cack · Nov 9, 2011

tortaboy said:
Can you taste the apple flavor from the juice when you eat the final product, or is it just to pretty up the outside?

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the Apple Juice is mostly to help keep the meat juicy and not dry up.

Ron_L · Nov 9, 2011

Cack said:
What inside temp should I shoot for?

Well, you're really not looking for a specific temp. Each piece of meat is unique and will be done at a different temp. You're looking for a certain feel. It takes a little bit to get right, but in general you're looking for your probe to slide into the meat easily, with little resistance, similar to it sliding into warm butter. This can happen at 185, or not until 210. I generally start checking at 190 and check periodically from there.

tortaboy said:
Can you taste the apple flavor from the juice when you eat the final product, or is it just to pretty up the outside?

I can taste it a little bit on the bark, but not inside. It just helps the bark form, but I've given up on spritzing. The heat lost from opening the pit and spritzing wasn't worth the benefit to me, but lots of guys spritz with great success.

My First Smoked Butt

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somebody shut me the fark up.

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