Pork butt

[brisketboy81]

Planing on smoking a Boston butt this weekend any tips on doing this?

 

[chef willie]

Tons of info available on those. Use the handy dandy search bar & type in pork butt for many threads and techniques. here's a post from Bear just recently that give xlnt step x steps. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140055/boston-butt-pulled-pork-step-by-step/60#post_1036271

 

[larold]

I'd start by inserting peeled garlic gloves in holes made by my trusty knife, then inject some cajun creole butter(comes in bottle

with injector) coat it well with a good dry rub, cover w/ foil, let it sleep overnight in the fridge if possible, let it warm a couple

of hours before smoking, put it on 225, let it go for 7 hours, rotating(depending on what you are using) I use the indirect heat from

my antique Oklahoma Joe, adding smoke after an hour (don't want to hide taste with too much smoke)

About 5 hrs in, pull, double wrap in foil and finish.

 

[Bearcarver]

I'd start by inserting peeled garlic gloves in holes made by my trusty knife, then inject some cajun creole butter(comes in bottle

with injector) coat it well with a good dry rub, cover w/ foil, let it sleep overnight in the fridge if possible, let it warm a couple

of hours before smoking, put it on 225, let it go for 7 hours, rotating(depending on what you are using) I use the indirect heat from

my antique Oklahoma Joe, adding smoke after an hour (don't want to hide taste with too much smoke)

About 5 hrs in, pull, double wrap in foil and finish.

If you're gonna inject, you have to get it from 40* IT to 140* IT, in no longer than 4 hours.

 

[aarondunlap]

Personally, I inject the night before, and let it sit in those juices all night long in the refrigerator.  Apple juice, worcestershire, garlic, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and maybe even a little of your rub spices.

Rub it down the next morning and put it on the smoker till it gets to 200.  Pull it off and cover in foil for an hour or so (usually never lasts that long... it makes your kitchen smell too good).

 

[mdboatbum]

I'd start by inserting peeled garlic gloves in holes made by my trusty knife, then inject some cajun creole butter(comes in bottle

with injector) coat it well with a good dry rub, cover w/ foil, let it sleep overnight in the fridge if possible, let it warm a couple

of hours before smoking, put it on 225, let it go for 7 hours, rotating(depending on what you are using) I use the indirect heat from

my antique Oklahoma Joe, adding smoke after an hour (don't want to hide taste with too much smoke)

About 5 hrs in, pull, double wrap in foil and finish.

From a flavor standpoint your method sounds great. From a food safety standpoint, not so much. As Bear said, if you're injecting its a good idea to get it from 40˚-140˚ within 4 hours. Additionally, your suggestion to "let it warm a couple of hours before smoking" is not only entirely not necessary, but it's dangerous. With something like a filet, that's essentially a solid muscle that hasn't been compromised, this would be fine and beneficial since it helps get the steak to a uniform doneness and it's going to be cooked quickly. With a pork butt, you're going to be taking it to an internal temp of between 145˚ (the minimum for safe pork, though I've never heard on anyone intentionally cooking a pork butt to this temperature) and 205˚. Usually it's on the higher end of that scale. Letting it come to room temperature won't make one bit of difference here. Let's say the internal is 39˚ in the refrigerator. On the counter, it'll go from 39˚ to maybe 60˚ in 2 hours. This won't make one bit of difference to the final flavor or texture of the roast. It will shave off a little bit of time in the smoker, but that time is being spent on the counter anyway. Actually more time is being spent overall because the temp will rise a lot more quickly in a 225˚ smoker than it will in a 72˚ kitchen. All you're really accomplishing is increasing the time the butt is spending in the temperature danger zone. In addition, you've forced surface bacteria into the meat when you've injected and cut holes in it, THEN you've added garlic, which is known to carry botulism spores. Sorry, I really don't mean to sound like a total food safety weenie, but  lot of people look to this forum for advice and when potentially dangerous advice is offered it needs to be pointed out.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. It really is a friendly place with a lot of great info.

 

[larold]

No wonder some of my guest died... just kidding. Thanks for the info. Been doing them for a long time and never thought about

the danger zone. I'll revamp the warm up part. Thanks. Think this is a good place.

 

[mdboatbum]

No wonder some of my guest died... just kidding. Thanks for the info. Been doing them for a long time and never thought about

the danger zone. I'll revamp the warm up part. Thanks. Think this is a good place.

Haha!! Glad you took it in the way it was intended. I really didn't mean to sound unpleasant. The thing about foodborne illness, unlike many other maladies, is it's on the rise. Due in large part to commercial farming and processing, there are WAY more ways to get sick from improperly handled food than there were 20 years ago. Ironically, pork is actually safer than it was in the past for many of the same reasons that other foods are less safe. Industrial farming and controlled feed have all but eradicated trichinosis. However, it's still a good idea to handle pork safely due to other little nasties associated with processing and handling.