Butt questions

[Drac]

Hello all,

In the planning stages of Memorial Day BBQ.  I will be working Memorial Day double time and a half is hard to turn down and I get off at 2:30 so plenty of day left.  We always have a party and I decided I'm going to do pulled pork. 

We will have 11 people here so would 2 butts work for this or would I need three?  Also, from reading, I see I can expect 16-20 hours of time in the DBS, do you guys normally just throw something like this in the smoker over night, take it out when I get up and FTC until lunch?

Also I notice that there seems to be a leaning toward subtle smoke on butts?  Would pecan work here?

Any recommondation of which cut to use?  It seems to be several cuts that fall into the "butt" catagory.

Final question, injection, is it just a preferance?  It seems to be 50/50 on the posts?

Thanks,
Jim

[Tenpoint5]

Jim
You can overnight it or you can make it ahead of time and reheat in a crock-pot. I usually go heavy smoke on my butts (4 hours of Hickory) As for the cut you can use the Boston Butt, Pork shoulder roast, or the Picnic. I would suggest them in that order. As for the injection thing I would lean towards the personal preference thing.

[FLBentRider]

I put mine on the night before and they are usually ready the following afternoon, sometimes early, sometimes late.

If the 11 people are big eaters, and the pulled pork is the main fare (are there other main dishes as well?) then I don't think you will have many leftovers. I would probably do 4, since where I get them they come in a 2-pack.

I've done brines, I've not gotten around to injecting, except for curing hams.

I've kept four butts at food-safe temps in a "five-day" cooler for up to 8 hours. That is having them in there packed pretty tight, keeping each other warm.

I put at least four hours of smoke on my butts, I lean toward the heavier smoke flavors. You don't have a high surface-to-mass ratio, like you would with ribs.

[muebe]

I just did two 7 pound boneless shoulders over the weekend. I gave them 3 hours of hickory and 1 hour of mesquite. It was an overnight smoke. I put them in at 11:00pm and they were at a IT of 190F at 11:30am. Then I gave them 1 1/2 FTC. I have a convection fan and 900W finned element on my OBS that I just installed and that really cut the time down. I honestly did not expect them to finish so quickly :o

The previous butt I made in my OBS was before my mods.... It was one 6 pounder and I remember that it took like 15 to 16 hours to reach 195F. It seemed like it took forever to get there! 

I have never injected or brined a butt. Just give them a rub, cover in plastic wrap, and then rest in the fridge overnight. ;D

[Drac]

Thanks.

The eaters are mixed including one vegitarian so I'll split the differance and go with three.  My bucher will have three Boston's for me next week so I can work with meat that hasn't been frozen.  Does it make a differance in pork like it does in steaks?

I'm supplying the meat and pies (apple and pecan) so the butts will be it.  I am thinking about doing diffferent flavored ones to use my co-workers as ginea pigs  ;D  One apple and one GP.  Any recommondations for the third?

Since I will be headed to work at 5:30am (that's how I get off at 2:30) I will have to start them fairly early the night before.  I am planning to get them Wed, rub them down Sat and smoke Sun night/Mon morning.  If they need a little more time my wife can pick them out a couple hours later and FTC and bring them over as she has that day off.

Jim

[squirtthecat]

I'm a big fan of the Salt Lick clone on butts..     Gives it a nice peppery bark.   Slap some mustard on first for 'glue'.

[Drac]

This one?

Salt Lick Rub

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Jim

[squirtthecat]

Mine is

3 T kosher salt
3 T black pepper
1 T garlic powder
1 T cayenne

Multiply as necessary.

[Drac]

Since that would be a half a cup what amount would you recommend for a 6-8# boston? 

Can I assume that the same amount would work for GP and the apple rub from -

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=21735.msg270803#msg270803

Also since most of the rubs seems to need a "glue" would a http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/boiled-cider-1-pint work for the apple rub?  I have a bottle I use for pie making.  What would be the glue for the GP?

Jim

[squirtthecat]

Oh yeah, that should be plenty of rub for an 8# butt..

I've used mustard as glue for Gunpowder, but you could even use some EVOO or something like that.

[Habanero Smoker]

As for frozen meat. If the meat has been flash frozen, as all commercial packers do when they freeze meat you don't have to worry, because that doesn't damage the meat. The problem come in when it is thawed and then slowly frozen. The slow freezing causes jagged ice crystals that will damage the meat cells.

You can probably save some money and make you own boiled cider. All you need to do is reduce apple cider (not juice) until it is about the consistency of maple syrup. I have a thread on here that explains how I make mine. I'm running short on time, so if you can't find it, I will probably post the link in the morning.

[GusRobin]

I usually plan on at least a pound per person. It is probably overkill but I like leftovers (the people usually ask for some also.) If I were making it for Memorial day (monday), I would start it Sat night, it would be done on Sun sometime. I would FTC for a couple of hours then pull it, bag it and put in the fridge. On memorial day I would get a couple of crock pots and heat it up for a few hours.
I always do it that way for parties. I get to enjoy myself the day of the party and it tastes great. Butts are independent, I have had 8 lb ers take 16 to 22 hours. Doing it the way I described takes away the worry of timing and has always come out great for me.

[digitalsmoker]

Mine is

3 T kosher salt
3 T black pepper
1 T garlic powder
1 T cayenne

Multiply as necessary.

I use this also and I add minced onion.

[Drac]

I've noticed that when a puck is dropped into the bowl there is a burst of steam.  Is this a place for flavor additions?  Can cider be used to carry flavor up to the butts?  Or is opening it up and spraying sown better?

Jim

[Habanero Smoker]

I tried looking for my post on boiled cider, but could not locate it. If you are interested in making some, just google it, there are plenty of directions on the internet.