OK -- my new all time favorite Butt technique

[sjmcdowall]

As I indicated on a prior topic -- I planned to try a hybrid method for 2 butts I am doing for a small catering job ... The basic idea is to

-- First oil and rub the butts (I used Canola and Jan's on one .. and Canola / Memphis Dust on the other) .. Wrap and put in fridge overnight ...

-- As smoker is heating up I then smothered them with molasses (actually, in total truth in advertising I wound up using some local Sorghum Molasses from Cane Sugar from South Carolina) ..

-- 4 hours smoke :  2 hickory, 1 oak, 1 apple .. @ 225 (or so, no PID here) til IT 190.  FTC.  Bear claw and go! 

Results -- easily the best tasting butt I've made yet.  That damn molasses made such an amazing bark -- it was CANDY! 

With just oil and rub:


Now with molasses awaiting its turn :


Out of the smoker and FTC:


And ready to put on buns, etc!


Oh -- bonus picture -- a picture of Pimm's Cup!  (My English/Scottish heritage showing again! DOH)

[KyNola]

Love molasses on a pork butt.  Makes a great bark as you have discovered.

Oh, I'll take my Pimm's Cup with just a cucumber spear please.(My New Orleans heritage showing again. ;))

[mikecorn.1]

That turned out great! Nice bark.

[bus33]

I did the molasses thing on my last butt and will definitely be doing it again!

[Up In Smoke]

Ok i know i will probably get nailed for asking but what is Pimm's cup, this one looks curiously good.

[Buddy O]

Butt looks great!
What exactly is in the pimms cup?

[MidKnightRider]

I did the molasses thing on my last butt and will definitely be doing it again!

X2

[rcger]

According to Google...

Recipe: Pimm's Cup

A Pimm's Cup is made with Pimm's No. 1 Cup, a gin-based infusion of herbs and quinine.

Any good liquor store will stock it. Just ask for Pimm's (no one uses the full name, Pimm's No. 1 Cup). It's usually shelved with the liqueurs and cordials, although I've seen it in the gin section.

This recipe makes one drink. Serve in a tall high-ball or other voluminous glass.

Ingredients

1½ ounces of Pimm's No. 1 Cup (if you have a particularly tall glass, you can increase to 2 ounces)
2 ounces fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 large lemon; fresh-squeezed juice tastes much better than commercially prepared, but you can substitute in a pinch)
½ - 1 ounce simple syrup (or granular sugar; to taste)
club soda or plain seltzer water to top up glass
garnish (optional - cucumber spear or slices, mint, and/or apple, lemon, orange, or strawberry slices; see notes)
Procedure

Assemble your ingredients. Juice lemon. Add simple syrup to juice to make lemonade. (Just add a bit of simple syrup, stir to incorporate, taste, and repeat if necessary until the lemonade suits your palate. I prefer lemonade on the tart side, so I use about ½ ounce of simple syrup.)
Fill tall glass with ice. Add Pimm's. Add lemonade. Top off with club soda or plain seltzer. Add straw, stir to mix, and garnish as you wish (see notes).

Notes


Pimm's is not a spirit that anyone would want to drink by itself on the rocks. But mixed in a cocktail, it's sublime.
Pimm's contains 25% alcohol (in the United States alcohol proof is twice the percentage of alcohol, so that's 50-proof). Most spirits sold today contain 40% alcohol (80-proof), so Pimm's is a relatively low-alcohol drink.
This recipe calls for making American "lemonade" — a mixture of lemon juice, sugar, and still water (simple syrup is just sugar and water) — and then adding carbonation in the form of club soda or seltzer. In Britain, the term "lemonade" often means a sweetened, carbonated drink that resembles lemon-lime soda. In fact, many Pimm's Cup recipes use 7-UP or Sprite instead of (American) lemonade. In my opinion, this version of the drink is much too sweet. But if you want to make it this way, here's the procedure: Add 1½ ounces of Pimms to the glass, fill to the top with lemon-lime soda, stir with a straw to mix, and there you go.
You can also substitute ginger ale for lemonade. I haven't tried it, but many people I respect like this version (Drink Boy, for example).
If you use ordinary granulated table sugar rather than simple syrup for the lemonade, be prepared to stir a bit to fully dissolve the sugar.
Traditionally, this drink is served elaborately garnished. It's very common to see spears or slices of cucumber (preferably English cucumber) and apple. In Britain, many people garnish with borage, a herb that can be difficult to find in the US (so we often use mint instead). It's also common to see sliced lemons, oranges, and strawberries. The photos that accompany this post illustrate some garnish possibilities. I don't much like garnishes in drinks, so I usually omit them. However, cucumber does add a pleasant dimension to this drink, so I recommend trying it at least once. And a slice of lemon adds a festive touch.
If you're having a party, this is a good drink to prepare by the pitcherful. Simply scale up the recipe as needed. If you're making it in a large quantity, I would add garnish (to the pitcher). Slices of cucumber, lemon, strawberry, and orange add color and flavor.
The drink is called Pimm's Cup because technically it belongs to a class of drinks called Fruit Cups. Fruit Cups are common in Britain, but almost unknown in the US. Traditionally, they are served in summer. They consist of a spirit (usually gin) mixed with a soda (soft drink), fruit, herbs, spices, and/or botanicals.
The spirit used in this drink is called Pimm's No. 1 Cup, which implies that there are additional numbered variations. And indeed, at one time Pimm's made Numbers 2 through 6 , which substituted different base spirits (such as Scotch whisky and rum) for the gin contained in Pimm's No. 1. Today, only variations No. 3 (brandy-based) and No. 6 (vodka-based) are still made — though in such small quantities that they are not easily found in the US (or anywhere, for that matter).

[BrandNewSmoker]

            well the pork looks great, and the drink looks pretty good too(OK looks really good).I did a shoulder with the Alton Brown recipe with the molasses and man it was tasty.

[sjmcdowall]

As the picture showed -- this is a traditional "Fruit Cup" -- we used Sprite as the bubbly part and LOTS of fruit.  Think of it as a "Gin Sangria" -- and you'd be close.  Now, this is just one variation -- as others have pointed out there are similar variations with all the fruit, etc. and just mostly Pimm's/"Sprite" and a garnish like cucumber .. (well, cucumber is actually THE traditional garnish for this variation).

It's pretty good -- but if you're in a backwards place like I am (Winston-Salem) no Pimm's here -- had to get it from Charlotte ... <shrug>

Cheers!