Chris Lilly's Pork Shoulder vs. Mr. Brown


 

John_H

TVWBB Member
I was curious if there is anyone out there that has tried both of these recipe's and could offer a comparison. I've prepared the Mr. Brown recipe and liked it. I'm fairly new to smoking and am interested in branching out and trying a new butt recipe. Is Chris Lilly's as good as Mr Brown? Other Butt suggestions?
 
i thought both were good. Hard to ruin a shoulder. I think they r great with no rub and just smoke for flavoring. Try it once you might be suprised.
 
So far, I have used the following (3) recipes on butts:

1. Mr. Brown
2. Chris Lilly's
3. Alton Brown (brined with salt & molasses)

Mr. Brown was a bit "too peppery" for some guests tastes, but some people liked it a lot.

The Chris Lilly recipe is consistently a hit. The bark that you get on this one is a combination of crusty / savory / sweet. If you want to "heat it up" - you can always add some pepper-head-oriented sauce on a sandwich.

The Alton Brown recipe was also good, but I've only done it once.

Sometime, if you're cooking for a largish group - try both at once, and see what you and your guests prefer.

If you like to make pulled pork somewhat frequently, it's good to be able to use different twists from time-to-time.

Hope this helps
 
Can't say I like any of the above. I much prefer rubs with a breadth and depth of flavor. Mr Brown is essentially pepper. The other ingredients in it offer nothing. CL's is mostly sweet - and quite flat.
 
Not a fan of either. Tried each of them once a while back and have never really been incented to try them again after that. Same as with the one from the Neeley's - too much dependence on paprika and not much else to it IMHO.
 
I've done the Chris Lilly 5 or 6 times to rave reviews and everyone within range of my cooker likes it. I tried the Mr. Brown's once and it was too peppery for my crew.

My go-to for butts (like many here) is Kevin's "A butt rub for Jane". Really good blend of flavors...no injecting (read, "big mess"), no muss, no fuss.

Ron
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
Can't say I like any of the above. I much prefer rubs with a breadth and depth of flavor. Mr Brown is essentially pepper. The other ingredients in it offer nothing. CL's is mostly sweet - and quite flat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What do you normally use then Kevin?
 
I already had my own rub before starting on the board so haven't tried either of those but I do like a variety of flavour in my rub.

basics: sweet paprika, cayenne pepper,black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, celery seed and granulated maple sugar. You can add salt if you want but I salt the meat before I put the rub, this gives you more control over the salt content on the meat. If I'm feeling adventurous I can add any other spice just to change it up a bit.

Have some fun and come up with your own .

Cheers
 
When I first started with my offset smoker about 8 years ago, (which lasted about 2 years till I got a WSM) I used to use Mr Brown cause thats all I knew, I have not down a Mr Brown for over 5 years, have made them better with other rubs!
 
You can add me to the list of haters of the Brown recipe. I did it once and will never do it again. I did the whole nine yards following the recipe. I swear to god the spices of the bark was like eating peppered beef jerky. Way to spicy and I threw....threw the bark away!
 
I've experimented around and typically use an old standby from an old Bon Apettit. I use it for ribs and shoulder. I change it up a little depending on how I feel at the time, but the basics stay the same.

2TB. Ground Cumin

1TB. Chili Powder (I make my own Ancho, Guajillo, Pasilla)

1TB. Dry Mustard - I keep including this, but don't know that it does anything

1TB. Kosher Salt (I tend to leave salt out now and follow Kevin Kruger's advice on salting seperately before applying the rub).

1.5 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper (I often sub this with New Mexico fresh ground or Chipotle)

1.5 Tsp. Ground Cardamom (This is one I tend to increase amount)

1.5 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon


Otherwise I've experimented with others suggestions (Mr. Wolfe's for example) on this site like Kevin's (which I like) and if I am going for a different theme some of the books I've collected over time for ideas.

Eventually I tend to go back to this one. I usually quadruple the recipe when I make it up then vac seal it for future use. I like the spices/aroma/flavors for this basic recipe.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by r benash:
I've experimented around and typically use an old standby from an old Bon Apettit. I use it for ribs and shoulder. I change it up a little depending on how I feel at the time, but the basics stay the same.

2TB. Ground Cumin

1TB. Chili Powder (I make my own Ancho, Guajillo, Pasilla)

1TB. Dry Mustard - I keep including this, but don't know that it does anything

1TB. Kosher Salt (I tend to leave salt out now and follow Kevin Kruger's advice on salting seperately before applying the rub).

1.5 Tsp. Cayenne Pepper (I often sub this with New Mexico fresh ground or Chipotle)

1.5 Tsp. Ground Cardamom (This is one I tend to increase amount)

1.5 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I love the flavor cumin adds to pork. Even when I use a rub recipe from somewhere that doesn't have it I always add it.
 
Ethan - yeah I love the note that cumin adds (toast if first), as same with cardamom, especially if its from pods and ground fresh. The cinnamon has this affect where I've gotten compliments and people trying the ribs often are trying to place it. For the most part a good number of folks that have tried my ribs/pulled pork are not used to that note and associate it more with desserts, etc.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chuck_B:


What do you normally use then Kevin? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I make a new rub every time, usually one different from the last. This and this are representative of one type I make.
 
I haven't tried Kevin's butt rub for Jane yet, but my best flavored pork has been with nothing more than a generous dose of Montreal Steak. It definitely added something, but also enhanced the pork flavor.
 

 

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