OT: Boston Butt for the 10000th time

[Uncle Ruckus]

Bought a new gas smoker. Let's see them recipe's. I've always been a soak in Dale's overnight and cook over open-flame on super high heat kind of guy, so I thought I'd give this smoking a try.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

I've done them a bunch of different ways. One was a Cuban style if I recall it right. Will see if I can lay hands on the recipe.

 

[aTotal360]

Brine it overnight. Rinse it off. Then rub regular yellow mustard on it. Then sprinkle your favorite rub on it. Make your own rub if you can. Store bought ones tend to be loaded with salt. If you do use a rub with a lot of salt, spritz it with apple juice every 30 mins. That will tame some of the saltiness and add flavor.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Not a recipe, but just to get you thinking about methods. I've done butt three times in my new electric smoker, all at 235 degrees. That doesn't seem to be high enough to get through the stall. I literally cooked one of them 12 hours and the last 4-6 hours it never moved, aiming for 200-205 internal temperature. I think I was stuck at about 180. Next time I think I will cook at 250.

I didn't brine. Did the mustard and rub, then refrigerated wrapped in plastic wrap for 12 hours or so. At a certain point, 165 degrees maybe)?), I foil wrapped it. Then the crawl to 180 and the neverending stall. Good news is it still ate great.

 

[fishwater99]

Did you soak overnight in Dales and a bottle of Blue Moon. Crank your Green Egg to 600 degrees and cook for 2 hours?


thanks

 

[scdog1]

You brine? I never thought of that...what kind?

I just did an injection with diluted liquid hickory smoke and thought it was awesome but I think I like the brine idea better. Did you just do water, S&P?

 

[CochiseCowbell]

I just did an injection with diluted liquid hickory smoke...

Wait, what? I generally only read these threads & refrain from posting for I am far from an expert. Cochise, Sr casts a long shadow there. But, "liquid smoke?" I just found out this existed like 3 years ago. I was under the impression that grilling & this abomination were antitheses. Though, I could be way off.

 

[scdog1]

I was just looking to try something different, maybe it was all the water in the dilution mix, but it came out very moist and the flavor was great (used Pecan chunks, always do the mustard on the outside, with a brown sugar/pepper/salt type of rub).

 

[fishwater99]

If you inject don't use liquid smoke. Use apple juice and apple cider vinegar with some rub mixed in.

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

When I read the title, I thought you were referring to Mullen's Marathon.

Now back to your regularly schedule smoker topic.

 

[aTotal360]

Kosher salt and some sugar. I don't measure anything. I'm yet to do a dry brine like someone mentioned.

 

[Lettucexxxx]

Brine it overnight. Rinse it off. Then rub regular yellow mustard on it. Then sprinkle your favorite rub on it. Make your own rub if you can. Store bought ones tend to be loaded with salt. If you do use a rub with a lot of salt, spritz it with apple juice every 30 mins. That will tame some of the saltiness and add flavor.

This is it

 

[Digging dog]

Another trick with the mustard (not Boston butt). Take skin on bass filets and coat meat side with mustard. Put it back in the fridge to let mustard dry a little. Batter and fry. You can thank me later.

 

[Tin Cup Cowboy]

Everyone is going to give you a recipe that is "the right way/only way to cook any BBQ". Take those recipes, search the internet and try them all. Find what you like - cook to your taste, not what someone says is the "relentless effort" way of BBQ.

Do that and you'll find you make damn good BBQ/food every time you cook.

 

[CochiseCowbell]

^^ Clearly doesn't own a colander. Tin Cup lacks the "strain" needed.***

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Agreed

If he had an Idea about cooking, he'd offer a suggestion or two...

Other than... hey get in there and cook me some damn supper.


Ha ha , I just kid.
---------------------
I've gotten lazy, Now I normally cook my Boston Butts in my Green Egg Crock Pot.

 

[bbqbully]

Certified professional BBQ judge here. Seriously. For the love of all things smoked, throw the liquid smoke in the trash and walk away quickly. You got good advice on here. Same things the pros use. 1. Brine. Adds flavor and moisture. I like the basic salt and sugar but you can put whatever tastes good to you in there and that brings me to. 2. Find what you like. Everybody's taste in 'que is different. Find what you like and stick with it. 3. The mustard trick is spot on. Gives the rub something to stick to and the vinegar in it helps tenderize the meat. Have fun with it. That's the main thing.

 

[RingN2012]

I second the brine, yellow mustard, rub method. I wrap it in foil at 165 internal temp and take it off at 195.
I brined my first last weekend. It is definitely worth the extra trouble. It was the moistest butt I have ever done (no homo) and everybody was raving over it
I shall brine from now on

 

[DerHntr]

If you inject don't use liquid smoke. Use apple juice and apple cider vinegar with some rub mixed in.

EXACTLY

 

[Tin Cup Cowboy]

We actually own FOUR colanders in my household. Two plastic and two metal. Not to mention, a salad spinner good sir.

 

[Crazy Cotton]

You need a thermometer. Better yet, two

You really, really need to be able to monitor internal temp of the butt. About 165, most people wrap to get over the stall, and pull it off at 195-205. Butts cook at different rates depending on brine, size, ambient temp, and several other variables. If you want to be consistent, you have to be able to hit your temp marks. The other thermometer is to monitor the chamber of the smoker. I cooked with a gas smoker for a while, and those things tend to run a bit hot, and as the butt cooks, the temp will go up. You want to monitor that thing so you can adjust over the cooking process to keep it around 250 deg, and that dial gauge on the door isn't going to be much help.

I have a two probe remote thermometer so I can see both butt and smoker temp while I'm inside drinking beer and watching football. Amazon, around 50 bucks.

The only really hard part about making good bbq is temp control, and the only way to get it right consistently, unless you've done it 100s of times under a multitude of conditions, is with an accurate thermometer.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

I coat all my fish filets that I will be frying in mustard then batter with a yellow cornmeal-flour mixture

 

[Dawg1979]

deer meat the same way. pound it, cover in mustard, roll in flour/seasoning, fry. best **** you eva ate

 

[rem101]

Rebel Butcher Shop in Flowood has a great rub if you don't want to make your own.

 

[Col. Forbin]

I cook mine in an electric smoker at 235 as well. It has taken me 13-14 hrs to hit temp and the stall does last forever.

 

[BiscuitEater]

You need a thermometer. Better yet, two.

A really good, reliable thermometer is the best advice yet.

Also, HIGHLY recommend 'Amazing Ribs' on the webs .. http://amazingribs.com/

They have great tested recipes, product reviews (including thermometers), and the best information on the science of outdoor cooking, brining, grilling, smoking, +

 

[birdawg]

A butt takes 17-19 hours on my BGE at 250. The stall lasts forever it seems. I live at elevation though, about 5500 ft (lower water boiling point ~ 201F). It's really annoying bc I feel like it's drying out the butts.

I bought an electric smoker over the weekend. My thought was that with less dry air moving through for combustion that it will retain more moisture in the electric smoker. We'll see in a couple weeks.

Plan on still using the BGE for steaks and shorter cooks that dont have stalls.

 

[fishwater99]

Rebel Butcher Shop in Flowood has a great rub if you don't want to make your own.

Sure does and have won a BBQ contest using it.

 

[Palmettodog]

Buy you an Orion. Slap it up and rub it down with some rub, light charcoal, walk away and come back 4 hours later. Perfect butt, falling apart.

 

[Dawgbite]

My two cents and you might get your money's worth. I don't brine and don't always inject but when I do I mix a little rub in wth apple cider vinegar. Cover with mustard and apply butt rub, I like Famous Daves Butt Rub because it isn't too salty yet still has great flavor. I cook at 235-250 until an internal temp of 150-160, then wrap in foil. If using electric, smoke early because once it cooks a developes a bark, smoke will no longer penetrate the meat. I increase temp to 275-285 to get over the stall. If serving from the grill, I cook to an internal temp of 205. If it's going to be later before we eat it, I pull at 195 and put it in a small cooler to sweat. A good remote meat/ grill thermometer is your best friend cooking slow. Shred meat with Bear Claws and add a little BBQ sauce mixture cut about half with apple cider vinegar. Now I'm hungry!

 

[xxxWalkTheDawg]

http://howtobbqright.com/pulledporkrecipesimple/

 

[BulldogBlitz]

In process of moving so no recipe ready. Look up brines that include pineapple and orange juice. Hispanic brine basically. I thought it was Cuban but it isn't falling out of my books that I can get to.

 

[diggidydog]

Brining is key to all things smoked...

I second t ihe brine, yellow mustard, rub method. I wrap it in foil at 165 internal temp and take it off at 195.
I brined my first last weekend. It is definitely worth the extra trouble. It was the moistest butt I have ever done (no homo) and everybody was raving over it
I shall brine from now on

Ribs, chicken, butts, brisket, whatever, and rubbing down with mustard is legit. For the brine, just google it and fine a recipe that sounds good to you and go with it. Key is planning ahead.

 

[PiedmontDawg]

been using this method for last few years and swear by it: *Warning* it's not a 8-12 all smoke recipe

For 8-10 LB butt: Homemade rub at least 12 hours overnight (rub includes kosher salt, brown and white sugar, paprika, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, mustard, a touch of cocoa, etc.)

-250-300 uncovered for 3-4 hours using hickory chips, check temperature
- add more rub, wrap in foil after turning fat cap up, pour 1/2 bottle of beverage (I use Cheerwine) over and wrap tightly. Transfer to oven for 2-3 hours at 250-300 and check temp.

Use remaining Cheerwine to make bbq sauce.

 

[AssEndDawg]

BGE cooker here. Some of the same: brine, yellow mustard and rub. I put a drip pan below and pour in some beer. Cook between 225 and 250 grill temp until you hit an internal meat temp of 165. I don't foil wrap but I do drop the heat to 200 at this point. Prepare to wait a loooong time. Between 165 and 185 the internal fat melts and this is what makes it moist, adds taste and makes it fall apart. So, the longer you can keep it in this range the better the meat will be. This part can be really frustrating because the heat will rise up and then fall as each pocket of fat renders. As soon as I hit 185 I go back up to my 225-250 grill temp range and bring the meat up to 200 to 210 internal. Pull it off the grill, let it sit for a little while, and shred that thing up.

BTW, I don't do injections anymore. I've tried it both ways a hundred times and I'll be damned if I can tell the difference. I think all the fat melting pushes everything else out of the way.

 

[johnson86-1]

Not a recipe, but just to get you thinking about methods. I've done butt three times in my new electric smoker, all at 235 degrees. That doesn't seem to be high enough to get through the stall. I literally cooked one of them 12 hours and the last 4-6 hours it never moved, aiming for 200-205 internal temperature. I think I was stuck at about 180. Next time I think I will cook at 250.

I didn't brine. Did the mustard and rub, then refrigerated wrapped in plastic wrap for 12 hours or so. At a certain point, 165 degrees maybe)?), I foil wrapped it. Then the crawl to 180 and the neverending stall. Good news is it still ate great.

I might would try with a different thermometer. I cook at 235 and even without wrapping in foil I get through the stall in under 12 hours. If I wrap in foil, I get through in 4-6.