Pork Butt... counterintuitive


 
A

adam clyde

TVWBB Pro
From reading the good advice on this board, it seems as though the best and most optimal way to smoke a butt or picnic roast is fat side down. Why is that? Does it just make it too fatty? or maybe it melts away the good rub and you don't get as good of a bark? I'm curious.

Intuitively, one would assume the other way around, where the melting fat would baste the roast... however, it seems that isn't the case here. Can someone illuminate?

Also, does the same principle hold true for all meats with a fat cap? Smoke it cap side down? If that is the case, then is it just better to remove the cap altogether?

What do you think?
 
AC
With pork butt I remove the outside fat cap to produce better bark, it doesn't matter which side is up because of all the internal fat.

With brisket I cook fat side because that protects the fat free side the brisket from getting that thick dried out crust.
By cooking fat side up the side get that basting effect but that is the least amount of exposure to drying so what's the point.

Moist BBQ is produce by not over cooking and protecting the meat from direct heat when and how you can.
Jim
 
Jim. Very interesting. that makes sense.

I have a picnic roast that I has assumed I'd keep the fat cap, but I really do like the bark, so I'm going to follow your suggestion to remove it.

Thanks!
 
With a picnic, you've likely got skin in addition to fat, which you definitely want to remove in the interests of smoke/bark. Might be fun to make cracklin's with it.
 
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