Do You Soak Your Butt

[Midnight Smoke]

I have read some post's that talk about soaking pork butts in apple juice for 24 hours. Is this something that works?

:eek:

[Brauma]

Sounds interesting. Its worth a try.

[Sea Dog]

I have read some post's that talk about soaking pork butts in apple juice for 24 hours. Is this something that works?

:eek:Funny you should ask! I did that a month of so ago and it turned out great! It gave a 'hint' of sweet apple flavor which went well with the pork. In fact, I'll probably do it next time.

8)

[Roo-B-Q'N]

I would think you would get the same effect by spritzing with apple juice after your rubs are set. I am not sure if apples juice has any tenderizing effeects or not.

[Ron_L]

It's worth a try. I use apple juice or cider as part of my brine once in a while, but mostly on pork chops. I'm not sure if plain apple juice would penetrate very far into the meat.

[Bearbonez]

Never tried it that way. I usually inject cider into the pork

[Midnight Smoke]

It's worth a try. I use apple juice or cider as part of my brine once in a while, but mostly on pork chops. I'm not sure if plain apple juice would penetrate very far into the meat.

Is there any benefit to brine a butt? If so what mix would you suggest.

Never tried it that way. I usually inject cider into the pork

Apple cider and how much do you inject? I have never injected anything into my meat. How did it come out?

[bigabyte]

I have tried brining a butt before. I brined it for about 40 hours and it only penetrated about 2 inches into the meat. A couple months back I deboned and quartered some 7 pound butts and brined them for 24 hours and the brine did penetrate all the way through these smaller pieces. The brines were strong, 1 cup salt per gallon of water. So what I would say is unless you soak something for a very long time, you are probably not going to penetrate all the way into a whole butt. I would imagine the same is true of apple juice, perhaps even more so since there is not so much inclination for the meat to reach equilibrium with the apple juice. You may be able to add salt, making it an apple brine to spur the meat to absorb faster, but you still are not likely to get full penetration in only 24 hours. I am sure some meat will pick up the flavor though. I think it sounds like a fun thing to try.

Personally, I think injecting is the best way to go on a butt. You can make a brine (no chunky bits though) and injectg it and let that inject rest with the meat overnight. This can give you quick and full penetration, unlike a brine.

[CaptGrumpy]

Damn. I had my first deletion of my carrer here.
I said Kinky!
I was going to say I give injections in the butt of apple juice and it turns out very moist & tasty. I tried blending some seasoning in and that left little pockets of seasoning throughout but was not bad. I might not have let the butt sit on the sofa long enough before sendining it to the smoker.
Never soaked one but do inject. I also add a little apple juice to the bag when sending some to the freezer.

[Que'inKC]

I guess I haven't mastered the art of injecting...I don't really notice a difference either way...I always just depend on my finishing sauce to give some added flavor to my pork...

[bigabyte]

I guess I should have clarified that if you want to get the benefits of brining in butts, you should inject. Personally, I don't inject anymore either. I think it detracts from the natural flavor of the pork and serves as more of a mask. It can taste dang good, but I am more concerned with making a butt taste good without it nowadays. I find that injecting a brine solution to get the benefit of brining makes it taste a bit hammy.

[Midnight Smoke]

Thanks! I think I will just try the finishing sauce. I found some recipes here on the board.

[icemn62]

I like to inject butts, but after having made one and forgot to inject it, I do not notice that big a difference. I do like the idea of imparting an apple flavor to a pork butt. I was thinking of injecting with apple sauce, but keep thinking too much sugar and it will either burn or give off a funny taste.

[jestridge]

I always inject with salty apple juice , also have brine with apple juice I like the results.

[HB-BBQ]

I have never soak mine before. I do inject AJ or Cider along with some rub mixed in the night before a cook. I inject while it is still in the cryo and feel it helps keep the cider from seeping out.

[Divemaster]

Interesting.... I normally don't brine nor inject... I may have to give it a try next time....

[Ron_L]

Is there any benefit to brine a butt? If so what mix would you suggest.

I think our resident mad scientist :-D did a great job of answering this but I'll chime in... I don't brine butts. The meat is so think it would take too long as Chris pointed out. If you took out the bone and opened up the butt then brining may be OK. I normally inject to get the flavor deep into the meat. I change up my injection but in general it is apple cider (or juice if cider isn't available), salt (not too much since it will stay in the meat) and some of whatever rub I will use.

[Bearbonez]

Is there any benefit to brine a butt? If so what mix would you suggest.



Apple cider and how much do you inject? I have never injected anything into my meat. How did it come out?

I'd say about 6-8 oz for a 6-7 lbs butt. I love the flavor it adds, also allows it to steam from the inside making for even less effort when it comes time to pull. I also will use Dr. Pepper for injecting, and have recently tried green apple flavor Jone's Pure Cane Sugar soda, which rocked.

[Bearbonez]

I have tried brining a butt before. I brined it for about 40 hours and it only penetrated about 2 inches into the meat. A couple months back I deboned and quartered some 7 pound butts and brined them for 24 hours and the brine did penetrate all the way through these smaller pieces. The brines were strong, 1 cup salt per gallon of water. So what I would say is unless you soak something for a very long time, you are probably not going to penetrate all the way into a whole butt. I would imagine the same is true of apple juice, perhaps even more so since there is not so much inclination for the meat to reach equilibrium with the apple juice. You may be able to add salt, making it an apple brine to spur the meat to absorb faster, but you still are not likely to get full penetration in only 24 hours. I am sure some meat will pick up the flavor though. I think it sounds like a fun thing to try.

Personally, I think injecting is the best way to go on a butt. You can make a brine (no chunky bits though) and injectg it and let that inject rest with the meat overnight. This can give you quick and full penetration, unlike a brine.
The other problem with brining pork (smaller cuts) is that the brine is essentially a liquid cure, and if the brine does penetrate well into the meat. After it is smoked, it will end tasting like ham no matter what the cut is...which is great if you are curing and smoking a ham.

[big brother smoke]

Yes I do, soak my Butts in a brine solution. However, they are boneless! Never had a problem with them tasting like ham!

[Rookie'48]

I have only tried brining on poultry & pork loins. Got good results with both, so I guess I got lucky. Beef & pork usually get injected with AJ / JD mixed with cinnamon & brown sugar.

[CMALANGA]

I don't soak it but (no pun intended) I do inject it to get the flavors to the middle of the butt. I've had good results following the Big Bob Gibson injection recipe on Dr. BBQ's web page.

[CajunSmoker]

I don't soak it but (no pun intended) I do inject it to get the flavors to the middle of the butt. I've had good results following the Big Bob Gibson injection recipe on Dr. BBQ's web page.

The last dozen or so butts I've cooked were with the Chris Lilly injection and rub. I think it's great. Here's the recipe.




* Exported from MasterCook *

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.

[nmayeux]

I usually do an overnight marinade using an italian dressing based marinade. However, I do use apple cider vinegar when making the dressing, and have chopped up old apples and added to the mix. I believe that apples and pork are the perfect combination. Think Keri's beans!

I do use an bourbon/apple juice mop when cooking. I believe 1 part bourbon, and three parts apple juice/cider. Tastes wonderful, and helps quiet the kids down.

[Pitbull]

The last dozen or so butts I've cooked were with the Chris Lilly injection and rub. I think it's great. Here's the recipe.




* Exported from MasterCook *

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.

I've done this several times and it's good. My only recommendation would be to cut back on the salt in the injection; maybe by half. It was way too salty for my taste. Doing it with the rub only isn't bad either.

[Pipin' Pig]

I tried that Stub's Pork Marinade as an injection that someone mentioned on the board last week. It was pretty good and in a pinch it will certainly do.

[ZBQ]

I inject with a version of Dr. BBQ's Big Time Pork Injection from his first book.

I use fresh unfiltered apple cider instead of apple juice.

The juice in the foil combines with the flavor of the rub and comes out really tasty.
I defat the juice in a gravy separator and then pour it over the butt after I'm done pulling.
Really tasty and adds moisture back into the butt.

[backporchbbq]

I have never soak mine before. I do inject AJ or Cider along with some rub mixed in the night before a cook. I inject while it is still in the cryo and feel it helps keep the cider from seeping out.

I was told that injecting it with apple juice is ok. However injecting it with apple cider breaks the meat down. what is your opinion on that?

[scottyd]

Why no I have never soaked my butt. Soaked butts are for the soggy bottom boys. or Girls. No butt soaken going on here. I do rub my butt a few times. With sugar and spice and everything nice. oh yeah and at the end just a touch of Honey.