# Butterflied Pork Butt (or Pork Butt Butt)



## tallbm (Jul 3, 2019)

Well a few weekends ago I did 2 pork butts at 17.5 pounds total.
I butterflied them so that the pork butts were more like butts hahaha.

The reason I did this was to:

get more seasoning on the meat for flavor
get more bark because there was now more surface area
get more smoke flavor and penetration
The results were butt-iful  

Here's the Q-View and then a little write-up after:












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*What I Did*
I split these butts from the meat side upwards towards the fat side and to the bone basically, but kept them intact with the fat being one piece on the top.
I seasoned all over and inside the split.
I spread the split pieces apart so they could get smoke and heat and placed them on my crisper basket rack that way.

*The Outcome*
I produced the most flavorful pulled pork I have ever eaten!!!!
I got greater amount of bark (not more pronounced bark, just more of the same level of bark).  I had better seasoning coverage.  I had greater and deeper smoke flavor and penetration.

Also I cut down the smoking time by about 5 hours, though this was not a goal of mine but was nice to know.
I smoke at 275F and roll unwrapped the whole time which gives me just a hair over an hour a pound.  So 17.5 pounds of meat at 275F is usually 17.5-18.25 hours.  I cut down roughly 28% or better of my cooking time.

Without the butterfly technique I produce great pulled pork.  I shake my seasoning (S,Px2,O,G +Paprika) into my pulled pork to give it the extra flavor that it is missing since seasoning and smoke can't penetrate so deep into a giant hunk of meat.
I did the same thing but this time I didn't have to shake nearly as much AND the flavor was way better to begin with.

*Conclusion*
This is one little trick put my pulled pork over the top from great to amazing!
I imagine that just splitting the butts in half would do the same but I thought keeping the fat layer together on top would help and also I thought trapping some smoke for a longer period of time in the butt's butt crack might give me deeper smoke flavor hahaha.

I hope this info helps people understand roughly how much time they can cut down a pork butt smoke by and also encourage them to try my main tricks (4 now vs 3) to create amazing pulled pork because I rarely find good pulled pork anywhere :)

*4 Main Tricks*

Smoke at 275F because the pork butt doesn't care and who needs to wait longer than necessary
Smoke/Cook unwrapped entire time with no spritzing or fooling around with the meat, to get great bark and flavor
Shake a good simple seasoning/rub into the pulled meat and mix in and do so until flavor is bursting
Split the pork butt from the meat side up to the bone and season all in there. Place the pork butt spread open to get more bark and smoke flavor in the meat.  Shorten the smoke even further.  This trick basically improves the benefits gained from #1-3
I hope this info helps!


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## chilerelleno (Jul 3, 2019)

Oh Hell Yeah!
Looking very tasty indeed, nice cook.
*Like!*


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## tallbm (Jul 3, 2019)

chilerelleno said:


> Oh Hell Yeah!
> Looking very tasty indeed, nice cook.
> *Like!*



Yeah one of the nice things about these butts was that almost every bit had a piece of bark with it.  
I'm not some super enamored bark guy that wants a mouthful of crust and bark chewing, but I do like the flavor of bark.

Having bark in every bite was very very very pleasant.  Part of the reason the flavor was sooooo much better than having a giant chunk of meat where the bark is much smaller fraction of the food you eat :)


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## Braz (Jul 3, 2019)

Bookmarking this one for my next P/P cook.

Called "Buttcrack BBQ" on my bookmark list.


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## tallbm (Jul 3, 2019)

Braz said:


> Bookmarking this one for my next P/P cook.
> 
> Called "Buttcrack BBQ" on my bookmark list.



Hahahaha good name!  I can totally see it catching on as the Buttcrack Butt approach


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## Fueling Around (Jul 3, 2019)

Great job tallbm
I'm a bark lover. Depending on the eating audience, I may cut up larger cuts and even section rib racks to get more bark and crust.



Braz said:


> ...
> Called "Buttcrack BBQ" on my bookmark list.


I would have called it _split tail _but after living in 6 states (including Indiana) I learned many expressions have a local definition that differs from my intention.


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## zwiller (Jul 4, 2019)

I was planning to do a write up for same type of method of splitting a butt.  Shortening the smoke, more bark, more flavor.  Smoking trifecta!  Butts here are like 8lbs so not sure how to break down yet.


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## tallbm (Jul 4, 2019)

Fueling Around said:


> Great job tallbm
> I'm a bark lover. Depending on the eating audience, I may cut up larger cuts and even section rib racks to get more bark and crust.
> 
> I would have called it _split tail _but after living in 6 states (including Indiana) I learned many expressions have a local definition that differs from my intention.



Thanks!  Yeah all kinds of expressions could be used for sure.  While doing the write up I had to be careful not to accidentally word things that sounded dirty hahaha. 



zwiller said:


> I was planning to do a write up for same type of method of splitting a butt.  Shortening the smoke, more bark, more flavor.  Smoking trifecta!  Butts here are like 8lbs so not sure how to break down yet.



I had the images saved for 2 weeks now and just got around to posting it.  Looks like I beat you to the punch.  When you post your smoke I look forward to reading about it.  Our info and experience seems to be the same.
I try to find 10 pound butts here but most are in the 7-9 pound range.  I'm guessing the monster sized ones end up in the old south on the east coast :)


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## zwiller (Jul 5, 2019)

I am actually happy you beat me to it since this proves it works so I don't have to worry about it when I do it.     I'd do it for more bark alone, but more bark AND 1hr/lb is just killer.  Definitely calling this the Buttcrack method.


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## gmc2003 (Jul 5, 2019)

I'll definitely give this a go on my next butt smoke. Way to think outside the box. 

Point for sure
Chris


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2019)

Looks Great, Tall !!
Nice Job!
Like.

Bear


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## tallbm (Jul 5, 2019)

Thanks guys!

The Buttcrack method is far from "rocket surgery" and that little tweak gives so much more flavor and benefit :)


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## dj mishima (Sep 23, 2020)

Hey buddy!  I just picked up 2 pork butts today to smoke this weekend.  This will be my 3rd and 4th time smoking shoulder.  So, I forgot how the bone is oriented in the cut of meat.  Which direction should I be making the cut?  I have only made pulled pork this way so I plan to keep doing it.  But, it's hard for me to see from your photos which way it was butterflied.


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## Millberry (Apr 27, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Well a few weekends ago I did 2 pork butts at 17.5 pounds total.
> I butterflied them so that the pork butts were more like butts hahaha.
> 
> The reason I did this was to:
> ...


What is the final internal temperature?    200?  205?


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## Bearcarver (Apr 27, 2022)

dj mishima said:


> Hey buddy!  I just picked up 2 pork butts today to smoke this weekend.  This will be my 3rd and 4th time smoking shoulder.  So, I forgot how the bone is oriented in the cut of meat.  Which direction should I be making the cut?  I have only made pulled pork this way so I plan to keep doing it.  But, it's hard for me to see from your photos which way it was butterflied.



How's this, DJ?


Bear


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## tallbm (Apr 27, 2022)

dj mishima said:


> Hey buddy!  I just picked up 2 pork butts today to smoke this weekend.  This will be my 3rd and 4th time smoking shoulder.  So, I forgot how the bone is oriented in the cut of meat.  Which direction should I be making the cut?  I have only made pulled pork this way so I plan to keep doing it.  But, it's hard for me to see from your photos which way it was butterflied.


Hey 

 dj mishima
 , wow I never saw your message.
Basically set the fat side down.  Then cut from the top (meat side) down until you hit the bone.  Either way works.  Just go with which makes the most sense.  The bone will stop you and just make sure you cut so you can spread it well :)



Millberry said:


> What is the final internal temperature?    200?  205?


I check my pork butts for tenderness at an IT of 203-205F by stabbing all over with a wooden kabob skewer.  When it goes in with no resistance all over then it is ready :)


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## Millberry (Apr 28, 2022)

tallbm said:


> Hey
> 
> dj mishima
> , wow I never saw your message.
> ...


thanks so much


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## Millberry (Apr 28, 2022)

Bearcarver said:


> How's this, DJ?
> 
> 
> Bear



my old buddy-Bear....how ya doing fellow.


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## tx smoker (Apr 29, 2022)

That is some amazing looking pork right there. Very well done!!



tallbm said:


> I produced the most flavorful pulled pork I have ever eaten!!!!


This is one of the many things I love about the people in the forum. Try something new....think outside the box....get creative...and continually improve what we all love to do. Cannot thank you enough for sharing this.

Robert


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## tallbm (Apr 29, 2022)

tx smoker said:


> That is some amazing looking pork right there. Very well done!!
> 
> 
> This is one of the many things I love about the people in the forum. Try something new....think outside the box....get creative...and continually improve what we all love to do. Cannot thank you enough for sharing this.
> ...


Thanks!
I'm always looking to improve where I can :)


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