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Sky[_2_] Sky[_2_] is offline
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Default Pork butt again, brined (?) or not

On 4/7/2016 12:33 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On Monday, April 4, 2016 at 5:13:44 AM UTC-10, Sky wrote:
>>
>> Is it worth brining a bone-in pork butt? Took out a 8-1/4# pork butt
>> from the freezer this morning to thaw (purchased mid-Sept 2015 for
>> $0.79/lb - vbg!) that will be roasted in the oven with a meat
>> thermometer -- learned the hard way it's best to use that thermometer!
>> If wet brined, I have a very large aluminum pot that will do the trick.
>>
>> Just curious what folks here like to do with a (brined?) pork butt when
>> cooked in the oven. Favorite brining solutions? Would a dry brine with
>> salt/brown sugar/spices and herbs then 'dry aged' 24-72 hours in the
>> fridge be a better option? Just curious and TIA.

>
> I wouldn't brine a pork butt. The main reason being that the butts
> sold these days seem to be injected with a whole crapload of water
> i.e., brine. Roast pork has always been pretty popular on this rock.
> I used to always order it from the lunch wagon parked across from the
> office where I used to work nearly 30 years ago. I grilled the cook
> several times on how they made their roast pork but I could never
> duplicate it. Their method was to season the butt liberally, tightly
> wrap in foil, and roast. As is always the case with these things, the
> devil is in the details and to get it right you really have to watch
> them as they make it. The guy got up at 4 am to make it so that
> wasn't gonna happen.
>
> http://www.frolichawaii.com/stories/...-5-roast-pork/



Thanks for sharing the link. The pork butt I purchased was not injected
with any 'solution.' I avoid meats with any 'solutions' because I do
not believe in paying extra (premium) prices for what's basically
injected water. A lot of the time, that solution can equal nearly 12%
of the product's weight, so it just doesn't make sense to pay something
anywhere from $0.79 to $2.19 (and more) per pound for that water!

The pork butt that's been marinating in the brown sugar, orange juice,
worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cayenne pepper will get
braised/roasted today and this evening. I forgot to add the salt to the
marinade, but oh well <grin>. So, I'll find out how successful it turns
out or not ;-)

Dang, I just now thought of this - perhaps instead of using
worcestershire sauce, maybe it might've been better to use soy sauce.
Live-n-learn, eh!

Sky

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Kitchen Rule #1 - Use the timer!
Kitchen Rule #2 - Cook's choice!
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