Trying my first butt tomorrow. I have had one guy tell me to brine it, and another say not to. Have seen some great posts on this site and don't remember any brining. What is it brine or no brine?
bone in butt.
I done a butt load of butss and have never brine one.
Like you I don't remember seeing anyone brine a butt.
A butt has enough fat and collagen in it to keep it moist
during smoking/cooking. That is what you are trying to do
break down the fat/collagen.
It will be good. Good luck.
Thank you. I didn't. Think so but I had a butcher tell me today to brine it. Sounded kind of weird thanks for the help.
I've brined butts using a molasses brine. It's from an Alton Brown recipe.
The brined butts are marginally moister and seem to cook a little faster, but I don't do it much anymore.
interesting, my brine is mostly cup of sea salt and 20 ounces of log cabin syrup. add enough water to make a little under a gallon. sometimes throw some thyme or rosemary and garlic powder in there with a little soy. I told the butcher that my brine was a maple syrup one maybe thats why he said to brine it. Im not gonna brine it though. Gonna inject it. and smoke it and eat it.
;D
Don't know what happened to my reply. Injecting a Butt is a lot of fun, cause you can bring in the flavors that you think were lacking on the last one. I have had some winners, but due to my own personal brining with beer, not too much got recorded. I have learned to apply the rub, wrap in plastic, inject and wrap again. I got squirted too many times. The injection will blend with the rub.
up at 6 this morning to get the butt in the obs. Rubbed and injected last night. Smoking like a baby by 6:45. Seven pound bone in butt. Hoping for about 10 hrs. It's so funny, Sitting in the garage with a cup of coffee at about 7:00 am watching the smoke drift out into the air is so relaxing. Beautiful Northwest Indiana morning. Getting hungry already!
Who needs fancy travel plans, hotels, big campers, or the like. You got all the pleasures in life right before you! If life could only be this simple.
Quote from: breches on February 19, 2011, 07:11:37 AM
Who needs fancy travel plans, hotels, big campers, or the like. You got all the pleasures in life right before you! If life could only be this simple.
It is just ask all of the retired guys on here they will tell you!! I aint one of them not for a long time.
It's 10:00 butt has been in since around 7:00. 30 degrees outside bradley is holding steady at 225 temp slider is about 90%. I haven't seen any temp fluctuations with my obs always holds a temp steady. Wondering how much I should baste or mop the butt. Smoking for 4.5 hrs. After smoke is done I will rotate and start basting. Used a injection of apple juice, white vinegar, salt, sugar, and accent. Will use the leftover as a basting juice. First butt, getting pretty excited. My wife asked me why I was spending so much time with the smoker lately. She said that I could probably use that time helping her clean up around the house.......... Better go stare at the smoker for a half hour or so. hee hee
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 19, 2011, 08:06:51 AM
My wife asked me why I was spending so much time with the smoker lately. Said that I could probably use that time helping her clean up around the house.......... Better go stare at the smoker for a half hour or so. hee hee
Good God Man don't let her find out how easy it is to use the smoker!!! It will ruin it for the rest of us. It is very very hard to control the temp and smoke when dealing with a smoker. It takes continuous observation and adjusting to ensure the proper outcome.
This may be just me but I don't baste,mop or slather at all. I just let it do it's thing till done. Good luck on the butt, the one in the smoker and the one your wife would like you to get off of. :D :D :D
I'm with Q. I don't mop either for two reasons. 1. I don't think it requires it and 2. every time you open the door to baste, you lose the heat in the Bradley and greatly extend your cooking time.
The important thing is to do it the way you want to do it and for God's sake don't you DARE tell your wife how easy it is! :D
Well I have a new favorite. Hello my new name is buttman. The butt was so delicious, my wife and kids scarfed it down. Gave some to the folks next door, rave reviews. In the obs for about 10.5 hours. FTC for hour and a half, couldn't wait any longer. Man it was so good. Next time I will completely remove all the bark, chop it up and mix it in. Love the butt. Such an economical cut of meat too. My 7 pounder was like 12 bucks and made a nice wad of pulled pork. I was amazed at how easy the bone pulled out of the butt too. That sounds a little wierd.
Score one for Rich! Way to go man. Sounds like you knocked it out of the park. You only made one error that I can see. You gave some to the folks next door. From now on when they smell that smoke rolling they will be standing at the front door looking for their part! :D :D :D
Just kidding, nice job and way cool to share with the neighbors.
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 21, 2011, 10:06:15 AM
I was amazed at how easy the bone pulled out of the butt too. That sounds a little wierd.
Anywhere else but here it would be weird!! Well done. Now to take it to the next level with some yellow sauce or vaunted vinegar sauce from over on the recipe site. Or better yet make you a batch of Bacon Jam and smear some o'that on your buns. ;D ;D
Welcome to the Addiction My Friend!!!
Yes one day I will get a bone in shoulder roast and then I can pull the bone from the butt too. :o ;D ;D But for know I settle for boneless which isn't quite as much fun to describe. :D :D :D
Way to go Rich! Yes, you now have the addiction.
You'll know the wife has caught the consumption side of the bug when you the get used to the rhythm, start looking too relaxed and out of concern she starts asking if the butt is okay .. when will it be done .. how is looking, etc. Then you have it made! ;)
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on February 19, 2011, 08:13:00 AM
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 19, 2011, 08:06:51 AM
My wife asked me why I was spending so much time with the smoker lately. Said that I could probably use that time helping her clean up around the house.......... Better go stare at the smoker for a half hour or so. hee hee
Good God Man don't let her find out how easy it is to use the smoker!!! It will ruin it for the rest of us. It is very very hard to control the temp and smoke when dealing with a smoker. It takes continuous observation and adjusting to ensure the proper outcome.
Should I?
Quote from: Caneyscud on February 22, 2011, 12:52:22 PM
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on February 19, 2011, 08:13:00 AM
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 19, 2011, 08:06:51 AM
My wife asked me why I was spending so much time with the smoker lately. Said that I could probably use that time helping her clean up around the house.......... Better go stare at the smoker for a half hour or so. hee hee
Good God Man don't let her find out how easy it is to use the smoker!!! It will ruin it for the rest of us. It is very very hard to control the temp and smoke when dealing with a smoker. It takes continuous observation and adjusting to ensure the proper outcome.
Should I?
Swear him in Sarge!
Swear me in, swear me in
All u guys talking about butts has me thinking I've got to try it again. My first was not that great - although everybody else liked it. Don't know why, it just seemed like a lot of work for an average meal.
I've since been out to a local restaurant with Quarlow and Ross P and I ordered some butt and really enjoyed it. As Qaurlow stated in an earlier post, pulled pork isn't that popular up here in the Northwest so we don't get to experience it very often. I reallly don't know/haven't tasted a good Pulled Pork.
Stay tuned.
I'm going to research it a bit before I try it. Can anybody steer me to a post for a butt for two?
Quote from: slamdunk on February 22, 2011, 07:27:11 PM
I'm going to research it a bit before I try it. Can anybody steer me to a post for a butt for two?
Here's a
link to my favorite butt (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=20797.msg254200#msg254200) thus far.
For starting I would suggest 4 hours of smoke, either hickory or oak (I used 5, but then I like smoke). If you have less than a full butt (~ 9 lbs bone-in) you might even cut it back to 3 hours. If you want a light smoke consider a different wood choice, like apple.
I like to trim all the surface fat or fat cap. For a rub, a good starting point is the
Renowned Mr. Brown (http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17367.0). I like to season with the rub about 12-24 hours before the start of cooking, wrap in plastic and refrigerate. Take the butt out and let temper at room temp for about 2 hours, then slather, apply more rub and start the cook.
If you slather I highly recommend the molasses route. This increases the surface sugar and gives a really nice bark. If you don't want to use molasses plain old cheap yellow mustard (CYM) works well also.
If you use mustard then I would recommend increasing the sugar in the rub. Another good rub option with a higher sugar content is
Alton Brown's 8:3:1:1 dry rub (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/who-loves-ya-baby-back-recipe/index.html)
Cook naked shooting for a cooking temp of 225 °F to an IT of 195 °F, then FTC for 2-4 hours. I rotate once after the smoking period. Expect about 1.5 hrs per pound, but a small boneless butt may take less time per pound, and a bigger bone-in butt (or a stubborn one) may take more.
I like to pull by hand wearing a pair of disposable food gloves. When you come to bark that resists shredding into small pieces, set it aside. When all is pulled chop the bark pile finely and mix in evenly with the pulled pork. Then I like to season the whole thing with
Vaunted Vinegar sauce (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?124-Vaunted-Vinegar-Sauce-For-Pulled-Pork) using 1 cup of sauce per 5 lbs of pulled pork. At that level it is a mild seasoning that compliments the richness of the pork very well.
Expect a final yield of about 50-55 % of your raw meat weight.
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 22, 2011, 04:09:05 PM
Swear me in, swear me in
Here ya go!
There is now sirens and red lights going off. My newly designed and recently installed "EASY" alert system is working flawlessly. Rest assured I am committed! (ok, I left that one open for all ya'll (remember that's plural)). That other sound you just heard was the arming of the IBD (Intergalactic Bradley Dreadnaught). It is always prepared at a moment's notice to protect our ocean of plentitude, our intimate halcyonic macrocosm of barbecue.!!!!
We were all newbies once, so we know the enchantment, the inclination and temptation of divulging your adroit application of your smoking enlightenment. So before you go off bragging and telling everyone how simple it is - remember the Bradley Pledge.
Loose Lips Sink Ships!
Now everybody don't moan at the same time - those that have been forum members for a time knows what is coming next.
Drum roll please -----Time to break out THE pledge.
Never ever forget the Bradley Pledge - Do NOT be guilty are letting out too much information that in the wrong hands could be detrimental to the enjoyment of our journey to smoking nirvana! Others have said that in the wrong hands, the release of that information could tend to curtail the consumption of adult beverages.
Raise your right hand, step on your left toe, close both eyes and read after me:
The pledge -- "We pledge, under the penalty of having our Bradley melt into nothingness, never to tell our OR especially anyone else's adoring and admiring family (particularly significant others) and friends, the SECRET (the ease) of Bradley Smoking. We further Pledge to use our Bradleys as often as possible so as to never let our family and friends be without smoked delicacies. There are just some things that should not be smoked and until we find out what they are, we Pledge to smoke everything we can catch, drag to the smoker, wrap in bacon, and fit into our Bradleys."
Now go about you merry day, but let that little thing in the back of your mind - that little nagging thing called a conscience take over before you utter any word about how easy this is to any rug rats or wife's of the female persuasion, or anybody else, except us, your forum buddies and anybody whom you might be trying to convert to a Bradley Smoker!
AND as Hal has reminded us in the past -
When you begin a smoke...
Always run your finger in one of those greasy smoker crevices (that you never really clean good). Dab your face and arms a bit.
"This is war. Act like it.
Awrighten."
Quote from: slamdunk on February 22, 2011, 07:27:11 PM
All u guys talking about butts has me thinking I've got to try it again. My first was not that great - although everybody else liked it. Don't know why, it just seemed like a lot of work for an average meal.
They don't have to be a lot of work - just a lot of time. BLSH has you a great route to a great butt - and I am intrigued with the molasses slather. Unfortunately, however, I live in the middle of Butt Country! Most of the butts at the grand BBQ joints around are simple affairs with added sauce. Salt/Pepper and slap in the smoker until done. Some cook higher and faster than others. Generally served on a bun or on cornbread with some sweet tomato based sauce or some vinegary sauce. It is amazing how little smoke flavor you sometimes get at these joints. As for me, I'm from beef country, so don't have a history going back to my teens cooking pulled pork as I have with beef. And for whatever reason, I never seem to get the judges what they want. I think they like a sweeter treatment of pork than what I do. I usually only apply salt and pepper just before putting in the smoker. My wife is from West TN, so she grew up with pulled pork, and that's the way she wants it, and she wears the pants in my family! I will however, pour as much smoke as I can on it. The bark to meat ratio is quite small with a butt - so to make up for that, I want a good strong and smoky bark. I've got another couple of ideas of how to serve pulled pork - but I have experiment a couple of times to see if they work.
Thank you for the swearing in. I not only stepped on my left toe but I had my left hand on the bradley while I said the pledge aloud. When I was don I swear I saw a tear fill down the side of my lbs. I have smoked four weekends in a row. Gonna do some salmon this weekend. It should take me all day....... I'll be good and thirsty while I'm. Doing all the work staring at the smoke.
Quote from: Rad Rich on February 23, 2011, 05:31:03 PM
Thank you for the swearing in. I not only stepped on my left toe but I had my left hand on the bradley while I said the pledge aloud. When I was don I swear I saw a tear fill down the side of my lbs. I have smoked four weekends in a row. Gonna do some salmon this weekend. It should take me all day....... I'll be good and thirsty while I'm. Doing all the work staring at the smoke.
Rich.......you are definitely one of us! :)
oh, and it helps to keep a spray bottle full of water handy. Not to put down blaze ups but to spray on your face and in your armpits just before the wife walks to where you are so it looks as if you're sweating profusely from the intense heat and unbearable exertion - sacrificing your comfort, forsaking pain - just to prepare some smoked goodies for her just because she is who she is!
Thanks BLSH ! I'm going to give it a go when the weather up here warms up a bit.
to address to original post pork butt may certainly be brined and should be if smoked (for a time) at lower temperatures (I understand this is in the hot smoking forum). A brine is after all a curing method; using a rbine with cure#1 would let you safely dry and/or smoke your butt for hours at lower temps, allowing time for smoke to penetrate deeper. Cure#1 imparts a specific red color and flavor found in cured meats which many feel go hand in hand with smoke.
capicola, baleron and a boston butt ham are examples of cured, smoked and cooked butts.
Having braised many a pork butt I agree that it is yet a juicy cut which can take a lot of abuse before turning dry and wouldnt necessarily require a brine simply to add moisture.... and obviously makes some fine bbq without the extra steps =)
About the only thing Ive done on mine is spray it with apple juice. It must do something because my girlfriends mom requests it everytime we get together. Anyone else use it?