Input needed for 6 LB pork butt (Newbie)

[Tim Harris Sr.]

Hello everyone, first I would like to say I am so glad I found this website. It looks like a very friendly community who all share the same passion.

I have been outdoor cooking for about 3 yrs or so, and want some guidance on the Pork Butt.

First, I am using a conventional 22.5 Webber. (I’m hoping for a WSM for Fathers day!)

I am cooking a 6 LB butt using indirect heat. The wood of Choice I’m going to use is LARZARI Hardwood charcoal.

I also have a bag of hickory wood chips that will be soaking before use.

2) Preparation- I used some yellow mustard to rub all over the butt.
Then slit some holes in the butt (6 or so) and put fresh garlic in the holes.
I then am going to rub it with McCormick’s Grill mates pork rub. (Being very liberal)

Then wrap it in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge Till Sunday morning.
I will take it out of the fridge 1 hr before cooking to get it at room temp before putting it on the grill.
I'll cook it till it hits 180 degrees, (mopping and adding hickory wood chips every 45 mins)

I’m using Stubbs Mop sauce.
After I take the butt off the grill, I'll wrap in tin Foil and let sit for 30 mins.

Now its time to pull.

Here is where I run into trouble.. It seems like the meat is lacking flavor. I almost always have to cover in BBQ sauce.. Don’t get me wrong, it does taste great, but the rub does not penetrate very far..

I want to make a World Class butt for fathers day and need some direction from you kind folks on this site.

Is there anything I am doing wrong, or that I can do different to make this outstanding?

Also, is the mustard necessary?

Thank you very much in advance, I know my BBQ is limited, but its all I got at the moment.

I'll be checking this thread all day if anyone has questions.

Tim

 

[K Kruger]

First, there no need to sit the butt on the counter before cooking--unless you want to. Because you are cooking it through completely (as opposed to cooking, say, a loin to 140 or something), bringing it up to room temp isn't required.

Rubs don't really penetrate. The key here is to make your rub flavorful and to have adequate bark. When the pork is pulled (you are taking it to fall-apart tender yes?) and the bark is mixed in with the rest of the meat, this, along with the smoke imparts flavor. Salt is often necessary though, to season the interior portions of the meat.

Rather than simply salting, I prefer to add a finishing sauce, a couple of tablespoons or so per handful of pulled pork. This, imo, goes a long way to carrying flavors throughout the meat and helps with balancing textures. You might want to consider it or something similar.

Mustard is not necessary. Its main use is to help the rub stick. I make all my rubs without salt. I salt the meat first--in the case of butt, fairly generously--then allow the meat to sit for several minutes so that the salt can draw moisture to the surface. Then I apply the rub over the salt and it sticks fine. If I want more rub applied, I just wait several minutes more for additional moisture to be drawn, then apply more rub.

(Another approach many use is to apply Worcestershire sauce first, then a rub over that.)

I rarely find commercial rubs to have much in the way of good flavor. Many are based on salt, sugar (often too much, imo) and paprika--which isn't very flavorful when cooked for a long time. They often employ less-than-high-quality spices/herbs and might have sat in warehouses or on shelves for time immemorial, further degrading whatever flavor they started with. You might want to consider making your own.

 

[Tim Harris Sr.]

I’m a big fan of sauce; I'll give this a try..

The indirect heat cooking method I am using also is not conventional... I push all the coals to 1 side and put the meat on the other side with no coals underneath.. (I find that’s the best way I can cook slowly without burning the meat)

I don’t see much info regarding Mopping.. Is this necessary? If so, what is a good homemade mop recipe? I Bought the Stubbs one, but it seems too thick..

 

[K Kruger]

I don't see the need to mop butts. Unless one mops pretty frequently mopping isn't going to do much either in terms of cooking or of flavoring. (Though it makes more sense for flatter items, I don't mop anything.)

Your approach is spot on. Direct cooking, i.e., coals under the meat, only works in deeper pits where there is significantly more distance between the meat's bottom and the fuel.

If you haven't already, see this thread on finishing sauce.

Also, a propos your OP, if you go to Preferences (hit the Go tab to the upper left of this page then Preferences) you can set yourself up to get emails anytime a thread you start or post to receives a reply.