Brine Pork Butt??

N

NCSU-Q

Guest
I am a newbie to the competition scene... right now only doing one each year.
Local MBN event in the amateur division, but was looking for an edge to step up my butts.

Does anyone brine their butts in competiton?

I have tried injecting, and honestly see marginal if any improvement vs. when I just rub and smoke.

Saw a recent Good Eats where Alton Brown brined his in H2O/Salt/Molasses for 12-15 hours. Has anyone had success with something like this?

Thanks in advance for the input.
 
That might be good, problem is you don't have 12-15 hrs advance time at a comp. Look at injecting the butts.

NCSU-Q said:
I am a newbie to the competition scene... right now only doing one each year.
Local MBN event in the amateur division, but was looking for an edge to step up my butts.

Does anyone brine their butts in competiton?

I have tried injecting, and honestly see marginal if any improvement vs. when I just rub and smoke.

Saw a recent Good Eats where Alton Brown brined his in H2O/Salt/Molasses for 12-15 hours. Has anyone had success with something like this?

Thanks in advance for the input.
Click to expand...
 
I will have about 15 hours from arrival/meat check until I have to start smoking the butts.

I recently tried the injection from Myron's book. Great book, and some other good results from his recipes, just not much additional punch from the injection.
 
NCSU-Q said:
Does anyone brine their butts in competiton?.
Click to expand...

I don't see the purpose. Brining works well for smaller/thinner cuts of meat, not so well on larger cuts. Might see a benefit if you butterfly your pork butts. I always brine my pork chops and ribs.

NCSU-Q said:
I have tried injecting, and honestly see marginal if any improvement vs. when I just rub and smoke..
Click to expand...

Go purchase some Butcher BBQ or Kosmo's Pork injection and give it another try. I will never cook another butt without injecting it with something. Maybe I wouldn't on my Berkshire pork!
 
So those of you that brine pork butts do you also brine/marinate your briskets? If so, why.

Are you saying that the marinate/brine is penetrating deep into the meat? Or are you using it to only flavor the first 1/4 inch of the meat.

Maybe I am missing something!

troy
 
I tested using Cosmos Pork Soak but there is not enough time as has already been stated. I suggest testing with Butchers Injection....it is pretty good.
 
bearnakedbbq said:
So those of you that brine pork butts do you also brine/marinate your briskets? If so, why.

Are you saying that the marinate/brine is penetrating deep into the meat? Or are you using it to only flavor the first 1/4 inch of the meat.

Maybe I am missing something!

troy
Click to expand...

no you are not missing out on anything, when it comes to competing, you have to inject. simple time problem.
 
Agree about the time line at comps... at least we don't. I guess if you were the first person for meat inspection you might get close to the brining time. We are lazy and get there whenever, so injecting is our standard. We need to do a side by side with brine and injecting at home and see if there is a difference.
 
We inject our brine. It allows for a much quicker penetration of the brine into the meat. We also submerge the meat in the brine. We also make the brine around 5 days before the comp and let our flavors completely infuse into the brine then strain it.
 
bearnakedbbq said:
So those of you that brine pork butts do you also brine/marinate your briskets? If so, why.

Are you saying that the marinate/brine is penetrating deep into the meat? Or are you using it to only flavor the first 1/4 inch of the meat.

Maybe I am missing something!

troy
Click to expand...

Remember that a marinade and a brine are different. The main goal of a Marinade is to put flavors into the meat, but usually only 1/4 inch. The main goal of a brine is to add moisture (with diffusion and osmosis), but you can also add some flavor. And brines are known to be better for leaner cuts of meat (Chicken, fish, turkey and pork).

I do brine at comps. But I am that guy who gets there when meat inspection starts. I brine, then go away. My brine is strong, so I don't take it over 8 hours.

I don't brine briskets. More fatty, thicker meat.

Hope this helps!
 
i think too many new competitors are trying to buck the trend too much. i know i did.

butchers works.
kosmos works.
SOW works.
FAB works.

make it simple on yourself and use one. :becky:
 
We recommend Kosmo's Q pork injection. We have great results with it. Like to get at least 4 hours of rest after injected.
 
We brine when the timeline permits, got calls in last 5 competitions. Had been injecting prior and not getting any calls. Do what works for you.
 
Any little bit you can do to make the flavor better is worth it in a competition in my opinion. Why not brine and inject? The injection get's deep into the meat and brining gives the outside 1/4" flavor. You could also brine the pork in your injection. The possibilities are only limited by you. The way I see it, no one paid the amount of money they did and travel as far as they did to lose. Why not pull out all the stops to increase your chances?
 
Thanks for all of the input guys. I will probably try a side by side this weekend...
Brine one for 12 hours (since that is all I will have time for at the comp.), & wrap one in saran wrap and inject it and let it sit for the same 12 hours.
Rinse & rub both at the same time, same rub, smoke 'em and see what happens.
 
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