# Brining a butt?!?!?!



## dougbennett (May 28, 2008)

So I'm watching the Food Network's BBQ show tonight, and the guy's doing Boston butt. And the first thing he does is brine it. I thought brining was mostly for yardbirds. Anyone here ever brined a butt? Does it make a difference?


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## pineywoods (May 28, 2008)

I don't brine butts or briskets but guess to each his own


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## smokin out the neighbors (May 28, 2008)

I never brined a butt, but the Food Network also told me to smoke ribs for 2 hours in a smoker. Maybe they did it a 350*?


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## travcoman45 (May 28, 2008)

Brine it ifin yer lookin fer a ham type taste.  I would not brine it myself.   Beginin ta dout the food network some, seems they are gettin alot of no it all no nothins on there.   Just my two coppers worth.


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## dougbennett (May 28, 2008)

.. whose advice I'm not keen on to begin with. He's probably never been near anything but a Big Green Egg anyway! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			







Plus, brining with molasses, water and sugar just doesn't SEEM right to me. But I 'cue by instinct and experience, not recipe books and TV shows...


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## lght (May 29, 2008)

I've never brined a butt before, but I do what I call a steam brine in my smoker for butt and they come out great.

Basically I use 1 Webber chimney of coals in my basket and put about 1/2 pan of hot heavily salted water (I use the good sea salt) directly on the coals.  I usually make a small circle in the coals so the pan fits nice and snug.  I also put some fresh herbs in the water from the garden depending on how I feel that day.  Parsley, cilantro, oregano, rosemary or thyme.  Once the water gets boiling it sort of steams the meat for about an hour or so putting in a slight hint of the herbs, but more importantly adding moisture back to the meat in preparation for the long smoke yet to come.  Since the meat doesn't sit in the water it doesn't give it a salty ham taste, but does give it that extra hint of flavor and moisture.


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## walking dude (May 29, 2008)

FOLKS.........i brine ALL the time, and it does NOT  come out like ham. ask smokebuzz. he put it in his top 5 ever butts he's tasted.  i also inject with my brine. try it just once..........i have been advocating brining butts on here for a LONG time. i will never ever do a butt withOUT brining.


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## carpetride (May 29, 2008)

Would you mine sharing your brine recipe?


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## walking dude (May 29, 2008)

1/2 jar molasses.....non sulphur kind
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs Kosher salt
1 Tbs freshly ground c u m i n
heat above ingrediants till sugar disovles
put into a large container
add two trays of ice
let come to room temp
Add meat
Add cold water until meat is covered

i also now inject with this same brine.........i also use this brine on my chicken and turkeys


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## smokebuzz (May 29, 2008)

Yes, Dudes brine does work, not enuff salt to "cure" and give the hammy texture and flavors. as a inject, it would work well and does in his case. i prefer to inject something like it. the only reason i dont brine butts, is so i can pi$$ with him over it.

Try it!


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## ronp (May 29, 2008)

The same with Bon Appetit. They screwed with the temps in my recipe, or maybe I hijacked 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 it to keep the competion at bay It was a long time ago.


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## bbqgoddess (May 29, 2008)

This is great to know, I have been afraid to brine, and I did my first turkey this past weekend and I won't do another turkey without it from now on..I did not know you could use it on a butt....can't wait to try it now..thx for the recipe too..


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## bbq bubba (May 29, 2008)

Do what ya want, but it's not called a brine...more like a marinade.


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## gridirongriller (May 29, 2008)

I'm not in a position to read the rest of the replies tonight, but Alton Brown's pulled pork episode is awesome.  No matter how I cook a butt I use the brine and it turns out awesome very time.  Water...pickling salt...molasses...and then I add what I like.  AWESOME!  You can't go wrong brining a butt.  It is the best insurance policy.


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## lght (May 29, 2008)

I agree typically a "brine" calls for at least 1 full cup of salt. That's why I was a bit confused when you said you always brine your butt. 

Here is a sample of a standard brine that I would probably never use on a butt.

CLICK HERE FOR LINK


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## sumosmoke (May 29, 2008)

I'm always up for an experiment if it involves firing up the smoker! Have never brined my butts before smoking them but am intrigued. Will have to try your recipe, Steve. 

If you brine it, would you still use finishing sauce


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## walking dude (May 29, 2008)

i TOTALLY disagree.......it depends on how much salt each individual WANTS to use.........there is NO set brine recipe............i have found that a full cup, sometimes, in some meats, is WAY to salty...........to state that it MUST use a full cup of salt is misleading, to say the least...........


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## walking dude (May 29, 2008)

yes sumo........i do use slofla's finishing sauce.........i don't add it to add moisture........i add it to add flavor of a DIFFERENT sort...........thats what is great about this site........to be able to try different takes on so called..ESTABLISHED recipes, and make them better, to each of our own individuals tastes and requirements............nothing should be wrote in stone.........to think/believe so, is just being stagnant........imho.........


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## lght (May 29, 2008)

That's why I said TYPICALLY as not ALL recipes call for a full cup just most of them.


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## ronp (May 30, 2008)

All the recipes I have seen were 1 cup salt, per gallon. You should use kosher salt or sea salt. I don't think it's the amount of salt, but brining time that makes the difference.

JMHO though, I'm still learnin'


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## bhille42 (May 30, 2008)

I don't understand why everyone seems to be making a big deal about this.  We all know people do some pretty strange things when it comes to BBQ.  I think that's just party of the beauty of it.  It's all about experimenting and coming up with new and better techniques.  If it works for ya, Brine on!


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## richtee (May 30, 2008)

I think you may be thinking of CURING Trav... A'la Buckboard bacon. I'd imagine if you cured a butt and smoked it to pull point instead of slice like the BBB, you'd have pretty close to pulled ham. 

Incidentally, I once tried to get a home cured ham to pull. Din't work VERY well, but it was tasty. Ended up mainly chopping it.


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