More bark in less time


 
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Geoff U.

TVWBB Member
I've recently changed the way I cook pork butts, and I'm really happy with it. Basically, instead of cooking that big 7-8 pound hunk of meat whole, I cut or break it apart into 3 or 4 more-or-less equal-sized pieces. I haven't seen this method discussed before... don't know if that's because it's just obvious to everyone but me, or what.
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Anyway, the pros of this method are increased bark and reduced cooking time. I originally tried it because I didn't have enough time for my usual overnighter. I found I really liked the extra bark and smoke distribution. I tried it again this weekend with a butt marinated in jerk paste, and it turned out fantastic.

This approach is great when you really want the flavor of the marinade or rub to stand out. And as a bonus, it reduced my cook time from around 20 hours to about 11.

The main drawback of this method is that the cut-up butt takes up more space on the grate. But if you don't need the extra space, it's well worth it.
 
Geoff, I have considered cutting the Butt up like you said many times. I will give it a go soon because I do prefer lots of bark.
DP
 
I've used the country ribs a bunch of times, and I like them, but I think I like the "bark ratio" and juiciness better with the larger pieces of butt that I cut myself. The smaller size of the country ribs makes it harder to position the thermometer probe, and makes me a little nervous about trusting the temperature reading. I'm probably just paranoid. Anyway, cutting them myself saves me about half a buck per pound and lets me play butcher, too.
 
This reminds me of the 'famous' Kansas City restaurant that serves burnt ends. The story goes that the demand for em was so high they had to produce more of em.
 
Doug,
I love your quote, <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Memphis in May one day! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I would love just to go, but being able to compete would be a dream come true for alot of people!
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Not all country style are a different cut of pork butt. Just the ones from shifty supermarkets.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Larry Wolfe:
You could also use country style spare ribs. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Just the ones from shifty supermarkets <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Those Cheap Ba$#&rds!
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Doug, there was no difference in texture. When I've done country ribs (cut from the shoulder) I thought they seemed a little more dry than a whole butt, but with the bigger hunks of butt I didn't get that. The only difference that I could tell, compared to a whole butt, was more bark. That's why I was so happy about it. Three or four pieces give you a nice increase in surface area for more bark, without requiring you to have perfect timing when you pull them off the smoker.
 
Rob, I missed your earlier post, or I just would have added to that thread... nice pictures, too.

I just finished a big old sandwich with the last of my leftovers (mmmm.... jerk pork), and now I'm pretty sure that I'll use this method whenever I have the grate space available.
 
Geoff,

Do you put a probe in each piece to measure temperature, or just assume that because they are more or less the same size, they'll take more or less the same amount of time to cook?
 
I just used one probe, in one of the pieces that didn't have the bone in it, under the assumption you mentioned.

I didn't want to try to remove the bone, so that piece was larger than the others. But I figured that the bone in the middle of it would conduct heat and bring its cooking time in line with the other pieces. Seemed to work out fine.
 
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