Hey all,
I would like to try my 1st pork butt on a "weber smokie mountain" this
weekend. Iv'e been all through thier site, but would like some more advise.
What kinda butt should I look for, bone in or out. Should I brine? What
kind of wood? Any tips would be helpful. Iv'e had great luck on ribs &
turkeys. Looking to move up to butts.

"tmfast" > wrote in message
news:hQ7dg.9246$kR6.796@trnddc05...
> Hey all,
> I would like to try my 1st pork butt on a "weber smokie mountain" this
> weekend. Iv'e been all through thier site, but would like some more
> advise.
> What kinda butt should I look for, bone in or out. Should I brine? What
> kind of wood? Any tips would be helpful. Iv'e had great luck on ribs &
> turkeys. Looking to move up to butts.

Most of what I find around here is bone out for butts, bone in for picnics.
Both work well, but the bone out seems to cook faster.

No need to brine. That is for grilling

Any kind of hard wood will do. I just use what happens to be on the top of
the pile. At any time I have oak, maple, hickory, cherry, apply. I just
grab whatever.

Simple rub, let it go for as long as it takes to make it tender. About 185
to 190 internal

In article >, Steve Wertz wrote:
> On Thu, 25 May 2006 03:03:47 GMT, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
>> Most of what I find around here is bone out for butts, bone in for picnics.
>> Both work well, but the bone out seems to cook faster.
>
> You get boneless butts? I've never seen one of those, and
> attempts to do it myself always end up butterflied, mangled, and
> tied. I just need more practice. Having an empty shoulder bone
> as a reference would help, too.

Just a stupid question -- why get one with the bone out? Here in the
LA area those types cost more than the bone-in variety and once they're
smoked, the bone falls out anyway.. Not sure why I'd want to pay extra for
lack of a bone that falls out so easily....?

In article >,
"Rick F." > wrote:

> In article >, Steve Wertz wrote:
> > On Thu, 25 May 2006 03:03:47 GMT, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> >
> >> Most of what I find around here is bone out for butts, bone in for
> >> picnics. Both work well, but the bone out seems to cook faster.
> >
> > You get boneless butts? I've never seen one of those, and
> > attempts to do it myself always end up butterflied, mangled, and
> > tied. I just need more practice. Having an empty shoulder bone
> > as a reference would help, too.
>
> Just a stupid question -- why get one with the bone out? Here in the
> LA area those types cost more than the bone-in variety and once they're
> smoked, the bone falls out anyway.. Not sure why I'd want to pay extra for
> lack of a bone that falls out so easily....?
>

Not only that, but there are some of us who believe that the bone
actually aids in the cooking process by conducting heat into the
interior parts of the meat. I've never cooked a whole boneless butt, but
I've read where others say that they cook slower - not faster, as
someone else suggested.

Oh...and another reason for cooking bone-in is that it serves as a
cooking indicator. When the bone slides out nice and clean, the meat is
done!

--
Stan Marks

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

In article <hQ7dg.9246$kR6.796@trnddc05>, "tmfast" >
wrote:

> Hey all,
> I would like to try my 1st pork butt on a "weber smokie mountain" this
> weekend. Iv'e been all through thier site, but would like some more advise.
>
> What kinda butt should I look for, bone in or out.

Bone in. See my earlier reply to this thread.

> Should I brine?

If your meat has already been "enhanced" (injected) at the packing
plant, brining would be a waste of time. If not, it might be a good
idea. I've never tried it, myself, but I believe that some, here, like
to brine butts.

> What kind of wood?

Hickory is traditional and good. Also good is pecan, oak, apple, cherry,
maple, etc. About the only wood not generally recommended for pork is
mesquite, because of its stronger flavor.

> Any tips would be helpful. Iv'e had great luck on ribs & turkeys.
> Looking to move up to butts.

I like a rub that contains some sugar in it - usually turbinado, but
brown sugar works pretty well, too. The spicy-sweet flavor complements
pork very well. Some people think that sugar burns too easily and will
ruin the meat, but that shouldn't be a problem if the temps are kept in
the 225-275 range.

--
Stan Marks

A waist is a terrible thing to mind.

"Rick F." > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Steve Wertz wrote:
>> On Thu, 25 May 2006 03:03:47 GMT, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>>> Most of what I find around here is bone out for butts, bone in for
>>> picnics.
>>> Both work well, but the bone out seems to cook faster.
>>
>> You get boneless butts? I've never seen one of those, and
>> attempts to do it myself always end up butterflied, mangled, and
>> tied. I just need more practice. Having an empty shoulder bone
>> as a reference would help, too.
>
> Just a stupid question -- why get one with the bone out? Here in the
> LA area those types cost more than the bone-in variety and once they're
> smoked, the bone falls out anyway.. Not sure why I'd want to pay extra for
> lack of a bone that falls out so easily....?
>

Why? I have no choice. In New England I've never seen a butt with a bone
it in. I've never seen a picnic without a bone in it. You really don't
pay much extra when you do the cost of cooked meat calculation. Why pay
$1.29 a pound for a bone? Why pay to have it shipped?

tmfast wrote:
> Hey all,
> I would like to try my 1st pork butt on a "weber smokie mountain" this
> weekend. Iv'e been all through thier site, but would like some more advise.
> What kinda butt should I look for, bone in or out. Should I brine? What
> kind of wood? Any tips would be helpful. Iv'e had great luck on ribs &
> turkeys. Looking to move up to butts.
>
>
The first time I suggest salt and pepper, with no wood, just to set a
baseline for taste.

--
Regards,

Piedmont

The Practical Bar-B-Q'r at: http://web.infoave.net/~amwil/Index.htm

What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless,
whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism
or the holy name of liberty or democracy?

Mahatma Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War"















*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

In article > , Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
>
> Why? I have no choice. In New England I've never seen a butt with a bone
> it in. I've never seen a picnic without a bone in it. You really don't
> pay much extra when you do the cost of cooked meat calculation. Why pay
> $1.29 a pound for a bone? Why pay to have it shipped?

We recently (about a month ago) had a local supermarket chain that had a sale
on bone-in butts for $0.78/lb.. I got 2 or 3 of them.. (now gone).. Haven't had
that good a price since.. It's kinda nice when you can get a butt for somewhere
between $4 and $5 for an average sized one.

In article >, Stan Marks wrote:
>
>> Should I brine?
>
> If your meat has already been "enhanced" (injected) at the packing
> plant, brining would be a waste of time. If not, it might be a good
> idea. I've never tried it, myself, but I believe that some, here, like
> to brine butts.

I did a brined one earlier this week and I'll have to admit that I think
I prefer the plain-ol salt-n-pepper rub over the brined one.. I might try
it again, but the salt-n-pepper is simple and works great (IMHO)

On Thu, 25 May 2006 05:10:43 -0500, Stan Marks
> wrote:

>In article <hQ7dg.9246$kR6.796@trnddc05>, "tmfast" >
>wrote:
>
>> Hey all,
>> I would like to try my 1st pork butt on a "weber smokie mountain" this
>> weekend. Iv'e been all through thier site, but would like some more advise.
>>
>> What kinda butt should I look for, bone in or out.
>
>Bone in. See my earlier reply to this thread.

Agreed, for the reasons cited in your earlier reply. Also, I find that
bone-in chops and steaks are more flavorful than boneless versions, so
why shouldn't a bone-in butt also be more flavorful?

>> Should I brine?
>
>If your meat has already been "enhanced" (injected) at the packing
>plant, brining would be a waste of time.

If the meat has already been "enhanced," don't buy it.