Choosing The Right Pork Butt(Shoulder)
Smoking a pork butt is not difficult to do when using the right methods to achieve great flavor. When choosing a pork butt(shoulder) for smoking, you need to determine how many people you are going to be serving. Are you going to be slicing or pulling? We are going to be pulling the pork at this time. Even if you are only going to be feeding six to seven people, you can still smoke a pork butt that is 9 pounds or larger.
Choosing a larger pork butt will allow you to have leftovers for a later date. Just place the remainder in the right size freezer bag. This allows you to have a quick meal at a later date.
Frequently Asked Question
Is a pork butt hard to smoke?
If you are using charcoal or pellets, the answer is no! The best way to smoke a pork butt is to put it in a smoker at 225F. At this setting, it normally takes 45 minutes per pound, check the internal temperature toward the end of the cooking time for doneness. Your digital thermometer will have the setting for pork.
Importance Of A Fat Cap
You will want a pork butt that has a good fat cap on it. If you do not know what a fat cap is here is a simple explanation, I needed someone to explain it to me when I first started to smoke meats. The fat cap is the side of the pork butt that has a layer of fat on it, you do not want one that is more than a 1/4 inch thick. If the fat cap is more than a 1/4 inch thick then trim it to the desired thickness.
You will want to make sure that the rest of the shoulder has good marbling to it. Marbling is where you have ribbons of fat throughout the meat. You will find that a pork butt(shoulder) has a bone in it. It may or may not go all the way through. This will help to make sure the meat is tender.
Use Of Marinades
Some people marinate their pork butt to make it more tender. You can use a wet marinade or a dry rub, depending on the flavor you are going for. Some marinades will require that you inject them into the meat as well as soak.
Other people use a dry rub to enhance the flavor of the pork butt. I, personally, like the dry rub method myself. I seem to get better results. Using a marinade is one of personal choice, that is totally up to you. The more experience you have the more you will want to develop your marinade or dry rub.
Simply put, you know your tastes better than anyone else. By developing your rub, you can help your nutritional needs better( lower sodium for example).
Why You Want To Preheat Your Grill(smoker)
You need to know what your grill or smoker is capable of doing before you begin. Look at how it is set up and decide if it can ha
Preheating your grill(smoker) is very important for the best results. I, generally, preheat my smoker to 250F and get my grill toppers to the same temperature. This will help with a more even cooking time and helps to reduce the butt from sticking.
Allow 10 to 20 minutes of preheat time. Once you have reached your desired temperature put your pork butt on the grill(smoker). Check on your wood, charcoal, or pellet grill from time to time for a temperature check.
Now, if you are using a gas or pellet grill for smoking they have baskets you can use to put wood chips in to smoke your select meat. It does not matter which method you use as long as you soak your chips or wood chunks for smoking. The longer you soak the better the smoke. I generally soak mine overnight to get the best smoke results.
Smoking A Pork Butt For Incredible Flavor
Now you have the preheating out of the way, place your pork butt on the cool end of the grill/smoker. The most important reason is so you do not overcook your pork butt. Placing your pork butt on indirect heat allows the smoke to penetrate deep into the meat and give it the flavor you are looking for.
It helps prevent overcooking. Another thing you can do is put a pan underneath the pork butt with aromatic juices, for example, apple cider, apple juice, orange juice, or just plain water. This will help keep moisture in the air and also helps the smoke penetrate even deeper.
Just use a disposable aluminum pan that is about 4 inches deep and fill halfway on the cooler end of the grill. The outer part of the pork butt will get darker during the cooking process until black. There is no need to worry that is just part of the process. It develops what is called bark.
Smoking A Pork Butt For Best Results In Flavor
Timing your smoking for best results can be tricky if you are new to smoking meats. Typically, when smoking you want to allow 45 minutes per pound. This works out quite well since it cuts down on the guesswork about how long you should have your pork butt smoking.
Another way to determine if the pork shoulder is thoroughly smoked is by taking the internal temperature by inserting a thermometer and checking the temperature. I have found that on a pork shoulder the best temperature is 170F just before removing it from the grill(smoker).
When Smoking A Pork Butt Let It Rest For Flavor
Resting the pork butt(or any meat) is very important to the overall tenderness. The cooking process is still going on when you remove something from the grill or smoker. Resting the meat for at least 30 minutes, allow the meat to complete the cooking process, and allow the juices to remain in the meat.
If you cut or pull the pork butt before letting it rest, you will be losing a great deal of the flavor by allowing the juices to run out. The pork butt will still be slightly hot when slicing or pulling at first then will gradually begin to cool as you continue to pull or cut.
Tasting the results by showing a bit of patience is spectacular. Those who end up tasting your pulled pork will ask you why you have not done this before now and PLEASE DO THIS AGAIN. You will be in high demand for having developed your smoking skills to a higher level.
Turning A Pork Butt Into Pulled Pork
After you have let your pork butt rest for at least 30 minutes, you can begin to pull the pork butt. What is pulling? Pulling a pork butt is when you take either your fingers or bear claws and shred the meat into slivers, removing the meat from the bone.
This is not to be confused with chopped pork. Chopped uses a knife and you chop the meat into small pieces or cubes. That is not the same as pulled. Pulled is coarser but with great flavor.
Smoking A Pork Butt May Need Some Paired Side-Dishes
What do you use for sides with pulled pork? Sides are every bit as important as the main meat. I have found that grilled corn on the cob is amazing and you can do it in several ways.
One way is to put it in aluminum foil with butter and seasonings(my favorite seasoning is chipotle chili powder sprinkled on the corn).
Make your potato wedges on the grill, grilled asparagus, grilled squash, or zucchini. The list goes on.
How do you determine the right side? The main thing about sides is that you want them to complement the meat and not detract from one another.
You want to choose sides that will enhance the overall experience. You need to be certain that the majority of your guests will enjoy the sides as much as the meat.
Some people prefer to eat pulled pork as a sandwich. They may want the sides to be finger food, home fries, potato chips, corn chips, etc.
If someone is having pulled pork as a sandwich, they will generally want some type of sauce to put on it, barbeque sauce, hot sauce, or their favorite sauce.
What Type Of Drink?
Some people like iced tea as a beverage and others like beer. Whatever your drink of choice of drink is, you will find that you are drinking less because the flavor of the pulled pork is truly remarkable. Your friends and family will be talking about this for months while they anxiously await your next smoking endeavor.
Hand Sanitizer And Napkins
You will want to keep some hand sanitizer available for everyone. This is true if you are eating in a place where there is no water. This will help keep the hands and faces clean.
You will want plenty of napkins on hand for everyone to use. Regardless, of whether you plate the pulled pork or have it in a sandwich, you are sure to have a spectacular event.
Smoking A Pork Butt Creates Sensational Pulled Pork
It may be your first time smoking a pork shoulder(butt) to make pulled pork or your 1000th time, either way, you should enjoy the time and effort that was taken to prepare such a wonderful meal.
There are many ways to enjoy such a delicious meal. You can have it as a sandwich, by itself, in a wrap, or even as a snack. The traditional way is in a sandwich but your imagination can create so many other ways to enjoy this dish.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy pulled pork is to put it in the middle of a baked potato. Other people will use pulled pork as part of a salad. As I stated earlier, the limit to what you can do with pulled pork is limited by your imagination.
Smoking A Pork Butt
Low And Slow Smoked Pulled Pork
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