Trimming A Butt


 

Rusty James

TVWBB Emerald Member
Is it possible to trim away too much fat on a Boston Butt?

The last few smokes, I've been trimming inside a cavity on the underside of my butts. It's an area that seems to harbor silver skin and vessels. During seasoning, I'll fill this cavity with rub, too, before placing the meat in the fridge to sit overnight. I noticed the meat was bit on the warm side (with cayenne). Maybe I should leave the cavity unseasoned.
 
I don't know if you can trim a butt "too much" unless it's mistakenly thought to be a butt when in fact it's a (picnic) shoulder. Then the shoulder will benefit from severe exterior trimming.

As to the spice issue, next time you do it, first thing to do is to weigh your trimmed butt. Then weigh out a specific amount of spice that you want to use.

I know, most (all?) of us just sprinkle it on "till it looks right".

But if you're using too much (per your question), then for an experiment weigh out say 2T of spice for a 4 lb butt.

AND NO MORE. Even if it doesn't look right. Or if you do want to add more before tasting, weigh out a set amount (say another teaspoon) then sprinkle only that extra on. Write down the weight of your butt and how much spice you used.

Do your smoke and determine: too much or too little? Only way you're going to know on future cooks if it's too much or too little. Eventually, you'll just know the right amount to use.
 
I don't think you can over trim a butt. I've done light trims and heavy ones. Just for the heck of it I've trimmed down to meat a several times to get more bark and it worked fine. More bark is a good thing. Right?
 
I think you prolly just put some rub where it shouldn't be. Just avoid the areas that are not exposed. You can't trim too much, unless you're thrrowing away meat. :)
 
I used to leave most of the fat cap on, but the seasonings will not penetrate it from what I've read. I started trimming the flap area after seeing an episode of Franklin's BBQ. My wife said that ever since I started trimming that area, she has less scrap to deal with when shredding the meat.

Len, I usually sprinkle about cup of Renowned Mister Brown's rub per butt (averaging 8 to 10 lbs before trimming). Maybe it would be a good idea weigh the rub before applying since I make more than enough anyway.
 
In the beginning of my smoking endeavors I used to coat every exposed piece of meat with rub. I, too, noticed that the "hidden areas" the rub just sat there, no bark, just rub. Now I don't even waste time or rub on them.

I figured I can always add some rub to the juices/meat after it is cooked.
 
In the beginning of my smoking endeavors I used to coat every exposed piece of meat with rub. I, too, noticed that the "hidden areas" the rub just sat there, no bark, just rub. Now I don't even waste time or rub on them.

I figured I can always add some rub to the juices/meat after it is cooked.

Can't remember for sure, but I think the seasoned flap formed a bark after heat caused it (flap) to rise.

I think putting rub on this area is overkill.

Live and learn. :wsm:
 

 

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