First attempt: pork butt


 

DBWallis

TVWBB Super Fan
So I've had my WSM 22" for about 2 months, and finally had the opportunity to smoke a pork butt.

I started with a 7# roast:
FBF47976-FC9F-4B6C-9164-72A18E24B352.jpg


The night before, I applied a dry rub (pretty standard), and wrapped in plastic:
04B13975-6AFC-4C5F-B347-5D916A1AC017.jpg


Bright and (too) early Sunday morning (started at 6 am), I fired up the smoker and injected the butt with a 50/50 mixture of apple juice and extra-virgin olive oil:
76125DDF-42BF-48F2-9754-122B484C9097.jpg


The butt smoked at 275 over hickory for about 5 hours, and when it hit an internal temp of about 165, I wrapped it in foil, dropped the temp to about 230, and let it go another 3-ish hours. I pulled the butt at an internal temp of 202. Since it got done earlier than expected (allowed for 10 hours, it only took 8), I plopped the whole thing in a 12-pack cooler to rest. This was the unveiling 2.5 hours later:
42B1B91B-F470-4B12-8B48-B3823FF206E9.jpg


4516B5D6-210D-45DE-9B70-B8C6D17EF4EB.jpg


This thing was the juiciest, most tender pork I've ever had! It was difficult to pick up because it wanted to fall apart. I was able to knock it into chunks with a fork:
26B0D4AA-7B51-4B11-91A8-6BC1D781ED16.jpg


and had it shredded in no time:
F7AAEB7D-CD3F-48D5-BE2B-85B7F893A216.jpg


After resting, the bark was tender but oh, so smokey!

I also made a batch of "Beasty BBQ Sauce", which was spicy, tangy and not at all sweet. We served the pulled pork on top of garlic bread with the BBQ sauce, with Parmesan/basil corn and a simple slaw of cabbage, red onion and red bell pepper with an EVOO and cider vinegar dressing:
CD8805EB-2287-4C93-89C8-B34842A387C3.jpg


All I can say is, "Winner winner, piggy dinner!"

BTW, people often ask us if we use much garlic when we cook. This meal had about 1 1/2 heads of garlic in it :D
 
Very nice David. Great bark. I really like that Beasty BBQ Sauce!

Thanks Cliff!

I'm diabetic, so I have to watch my sugar intake, and most sauces just have way too much sugare for me. The only sweetener in this recipe is pineapple, and I used about 6 oz. of pineapple chunks in probably 4 cups of sauce. It was enough to balance the cider vinegar, but not sweet to the taste. It had a decent amount of heat with a full teaspoon of paparika, and a flavor different than most tomato-based sauces with the addition of dijon mustard. Overall, it was very tasty!
 
David, I predict you will get many requests to do that again! :) Very nice work on your first pork butt!

Rich
 
I've become a big fan of letting it rest for at least 2hrs. It's so moist and tender after a good rest. Great job one your first butt!
 
It's just about dinner time here, and looking at the photos are making my mouth water. Great job! I think pork butt may be my next barbecue.
 
Great looking finished product David! The bark on that meteor is just the way I love it!! Pulled pork has become a favorite around these parts. If you want to try something different, I would suggest trying the Pepper Stout Beef recipe. It has become my wife's favorite! Again, great job on the pulled pork!!
Tim
 
Outstanding cook for your first pulled pork! Brisket is the same price around these parts too.

My wife corrected me last night... full packers are running closer to $100 in these parts, probably due to the fact that the only place that stocks them is an upscale supermarket.

Oh, and it was so good, we had the same menu for dinner last night :D
 

 

Back
Top