# Dry brining butts?



## mummel (Jun 2, 2015)

Do you guys salt your pork butts 24 hours before and just leave them in the fridge uncovered?


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## tropics (Jun 2, 2015)

Do you mean Dry Rub?


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jun 2, 2015)

If we're talking just smoking a butt for pulled pork I season mine while the smoker is warming up. In fact that what I do with most meat I smoke anymore.


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## mummel (Jun 2, 2015)

No not the rub, but dry brining with Kosher salt say 24 hours before and leaving the meat in the fridge uncovered.  Meathead had an article about it.  But it did not specifically mention butts.  Does anyone do this?


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## cliffcarter (Jun 2, 2015)

He's called "Meathead" for a reason IMHO. A dry rub is a dry marinade so if he wants to call coating meat with salt a dry brine so be it.

Amazing Ribs is not the place it once was now that he's sold it.


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## tropics (Jun 2, 2015)

mummel said:


> No not the rub, but dry brining with Kosher salt say 24 hours before and leaving the meat in the fridge uncovered.  Meathead had an article about it.  But it did not specifically mention butts.  Does anyone do this?


Try this google brine it it water and salt


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## dirtsailor2003 (Jun 2, 2015)

You can pack meats in salt and cook them. I do this with prime rib, chicken and I assume you could do it with a pork roast to. Typically do this in my Dutch oven. First step is to season or marinate or both. Lay a good 1" layer of Rick salt in the bottom of a Dutch oven. Place the meat in the DO. Surround and cover with salt. Cook. Break off salt crust, brush loose salt off meat sleep cr and serve.


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## atomicsmoke (Jun 2, 2015)

Packing meat in salt for 24h will make it too salty for regular smoking/cooking. And will suck a lot of moisture out of the meat.

This method is used for drying meats to be consumed uncooked (longer salt time than 24h).


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## mummel (Jun 2, 2015)

atomicsmoke said:


> Packing meat in salt for 24h will make it too salty for regular smoking/cooking. And will suck a lot of moisture out of the meat.
> 
> This method is used for drying meats to be consumed uncooked (longer salt time than 24h).


I dont know guys.  Dry brining appears across multiple publications:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html

Apparently it makes the meat moister, acts as a flavor enhancer and gives its a nice crust.  I thought it would be discussed more on SMF????


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## mummel (Jun 2, 2015)

tropics said:


> Try this google brine it it water and salt


This is a dry brine, just using Kosher salt, no water.


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## mummel (Jun 2, 2015)

cliffcarter said:


> He's called "Meathead" for a reason IMHO. A dry rub is a dry marinade so if he wants to call coating meat with salt a dry brine so be it.
> 
> Amazing Ribs is not the place it once was now that he's sold it.


The articles were written way before he sold the company.  Sounds like you have some prior beef with the guy haha.


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## daveomak (Jun 2, 2015)

If I were to dry brine a pork butt, I would weigh the butt and add 2-21/2% salt by weight to insure it wasn't too salty....   I do that with all meats...    no need to rinse or soak...     you can wrap in plastic, tight, and leave in refer for several days...   you can add seasonings too....  just make sure they are "no salt" seasonings.....   and make sure they are not enhanced....    enhancing can have salt in it....


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## atomicsmoke (Jun 2, 2015)

mummel said:


> I dont know guys.  Dry brining appears across multiple publications:
> http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/11/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving.html
> 
> Apparently it makes the meat moister, acts as a flavor enhancer and gives its a nice crust.  I thought it would be discussed more on SMF????


I understood something else (salt box kind of setup). The amount of salt in the link you posted won't make the meat too salty. Dry brining is very popular here for fish. Turkey? I only did wet brines ...dry brine would work on butts. Not sure about the benefit though. A butt cooked to temp is moist and tender without brining.


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## mdboatbum (Jun 3, 2015)

Yes, you absolutely can dry brine a butt. The idea is that the salt on the surface coaxes moisture out of the meat, which then mixes with the salt and goes back into the meat. This then denatures some of the proteins creating a "sponge" that will more effectively hold onto the meat's natural juices. A lot of people prefer dry brining poultry because, unlike wet brining, it doesn't introduce any additional moisture, which some say can cause delicate meat like chicken to become soggy. 
I think the best thing for you to do would be to try it and see if you like the results. I've never done it for a pork butt, but I have with chicken and turkey and I'm kind of on the fence whether I like wet or dry brining more. They both produce moister, more flavorful meat, but they're just different. The dry brine seems to give a more velvety texture and concentrated flavor, while the wet brine leads to just over the top moist and tender meat. Both are great and I honestly don't have a favorite.


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## jirod (Jun 3, 2015)

I have dry brined steaks before (an hour per inch of thickness).  I think it helped make them more tender, and didn't dry them out at all.  They were a little saltier even though I rinsed them off and didn't add anymore salt before/after cooking.  Not too salty to eat, just more than normal (which I'm fine with).

I have never tried to dry brine a large piece of meat like that.  With butts I usually do pulled pork, and have never had an issue with them not being tender and juicy.


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