Do you ever brine your pork butt?

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light-it-up

Fire Starter
Original poster
Jun 19, 2010
43
10
Not so much for moisture, but for flavor...I've made several of them and I always find that there's plenty of flavor out toward the smoke ring, but not much toward the center.

I've used more smoke, less smoke, and usually buy the meat from Costco.

Should I brine or am I doing something wrong? And if yes on the brine- does anyone have a good recipe?

Thanks!
 
I don't brine pork butts, only poultry.

For the brine to really make a difference in the flavor of the pork you would have to leave it in the brine for a long time.

You might think about injecting, or just using a finishing sauce, of which you will find several on this site.

Here is mine:

3 Quarts of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 cup Ketchup (Catsup)

5 oz. Worsty sauce

10 oz. French's yellow mustard

3/4 cup salt (I use sea salt but regular iodized is fine) - I also usually cut back on the salt

1/4 cup fresh ground black pepper

1/2 oz crushed red pepper

4 oz of your favorite hot sauce (I cut back on the red pepper and hot sauce depending on the audience and it doesn't affect flavor)

Mix all ingredients in a large pot and bring it to a boil.  Once it boils it is ready for use as a mop or for canning.  

Makes about 1 gallon, which is enough to mop a 70 pound pig.

Good luck,

Bill
 
I brine Pork Loins but as Bill pointed out Brine takes Time, typically 1/4 inch of penetration per day with Brine Cures and 1/8 inch per with Dry Cures. Injection is fast and effective with an overnight rest...BUT...With injection you must have your Ducks in an Row. Clean equipment, a washed Butt and a smoker that will stay steady and not fail getting the meat to 140*F in 4 hours...JJ
 
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I brine Pork Loins but as Bill pointed out Brine takes Time, typically 1/4 to 1/2 inch of penetration per day. Injection is fast and effective with an overnight rest...BUT...With injection you must have your Ducks in an Row. Clean equipment, a washed Butt and a smoker that will stay steady and not fail getting the meat to 140*F in 4 hours...JJ
What temp do you smoke at to get it to 140 in 4 hours? 225?
 
The past 3 times I've brined and I'll never go back to not brining. Each time I've gone longer in the brine, and I think I've settled on a 4 or 5 day brine. I've got a wild pig ham that went into the brine Tuesday night, and it will hit the smoker on Sunday. I've been using the Here Piggy Piggy Brine recipe and really like it.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/here-piggy-piggy-brine
This is what I did....there is just no comparison when you properly brine a boston butt
 
What temp do you smoke at to get it to 140 in 4 hours? 225?
Yes. 225*F is considered the min safe smoking temp for any meat that has had the surface broken and does not contain Cure. That would be boned out, ground, injected, punched full of Garlic or Factory Enhanced....JJ
 
OK, I'm giving the brine a try...went in yesterday afternoon. I did a variation on the Piggy Brine (thanks Baja!), left out the red pepper and the heat and added honey to it...I'll put the heat back in with a finishing sauce on the side. I'm also starting with a de-boned cut, it's butterflied out so the brine can get up and around the meat easy. Will report back!
 
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