Pork Butt: Fat cap on = reduced cook time?


 
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Shawn W

Shawn W

TVWBB Emerald Member
Do you think leaving the fat cap on (assuming an insulative property of the cap) aids in bringing a butt to temp quicker? I have always completely removed the fat cap (false included) and always been in the 18hr + range just to reach 180F for two 7lb+ butts.

For tomorrow nights butt cook I have left the fat caps on. I promise to do my best to cook them as always and update the thread with results. Your comments? Predictions? Is this just excuse #187 for slower pork butt cook due to too low temps??
 
Shawn, For what it's worth i never trim the fat cap off on butts or brisket. I'm doing 2 butts now and total weight is 16.63 lbs. Cooking at 225. You can check the results under the post Humphrey's Lump. Bryan
 
"Dollars'll get you doughnuts" your time will not be measurably different. I'm not a master of the caliber of some participants in this forum, but I have now smoked dozens of butts (with and without trimming) and find no meaningful difference. I've quit being so picky.
 
I'll be curious to see the results. Of the last few I have done the trimmed ones seemed to turn out better. I'm not sure about the times though, mine vary. I would guess that the untrimmed would take a little longer everything else being equal(more fat to render?). Where's that "Vacuum" they always talked about in Physics class when you need it?
 
I don't find much difference either. I don't have the store/butcher options that a lot of you have so I just get what I can and roll from there. Probably 75% of the time I find trimmed. When I get untrimmed I don't bother trimming.
 
I've always felt the bigger advantage of the removal of the fat cap was the ability to have a penetration of the rub on that side and the additional bark that would be produced. For me, that would outweigh the advantage of a shorter cook time, if that in fact occurs.

Paul
 
I have found that the removal of the fat cap hortens the cooking time by a couple of hours.

Also I agree with Paul with the aditional bark is a factor that would outweigh the cooking time. There nare a number ot things that can contribute to your cooking time. I have found difffernt butts cook differently.

Happpy smoking!!
 
I've gotta weigh in with Paul and Tom. I find that if I leave the fat cap on, the rub does not penetrate and there is no significant bark on that side. If there is any bark, it's just dark fat anyway.

There's plenty of fat on the interior of a butt to keep it plenty moist.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tom Ferguson:
I've gotta weigh in with Paul and Tom. I find that if I leave the fat cap on, the rub does not penetrate and there is no significant bark on that side. If there is any bark, it's just dark fat anyway.

There's plenty of fat on the interior of a butt to keep it plenty moist. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Same here
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill Hays:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tom Ferguson:
I've gotta weigh in with Paul and Tom. I find that if I leave the fat cap on, the rub does not penetrate and there is no significant bark on that side. If there is any bark, it's just dark fat anyway.

There's plenty of fat on the interior of a butt to keep it plenty moist. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Same here
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<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree also. I'm just lazy
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Bryan
 
sounds like if anything, leaving the fat cap on makes the butt take longer ... not sure if this insulative, more fat to render or just more mass to cook ... but lengthening the cook time is NOT my goal (goal is to try and get 2 done to at least 195F within 16 hours and no foil) ... going to be removing the fat caps, heck I didn't want to lose the bark anyway ... thanks for your comments folks
 
I leave the fat cap on and cook it with the fat side up the whole time....I find that it makes for a moister product in the end....and adds good flavor. As Emeril says " PORK FAT RULES".
If you want more bark....throw another butt on the BarbbbyyyyyyyyyyQ.
 
if you butterfly it then you'd have a crack in your butt....oh wait....that sounds natural.

Oh well.....smoking three butts of my own.....they are holding at 172 and I'm just waiting to get far enough into the day to break open the brews......hopefully the butts get with it and heat up soon. Some pulled pork, six pack off Red Strips, and a bottle of Howton's Farms BBQ sauce.........love the stuff. I'd drink it with a straw if I ran out of pork butt.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MattJ:

Oh well.....smoking three butts of my own.....they are holding at 172 and I'm just waiting to get far enough into the day to break open the brews......hopefully the butts get with it and heat up soon. Some pulled pork, six pack off Red Strips, and a bottle of Howton's Farms BBQ sauce.........love the stuff. I'd drink it with a straw if I ran out of pork butt.
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Sounds like my morning but only one on the smoker. 930 AM and holding at 171 for a couple hours @222 degrees. Its noon somewhere....
 
Didn't think of it like that chris...but now that you mention it....it is noon somewhere......may as well break open a brew and hop in the pool.....get some sun.

Finally made it threw the barrier and I'm up to 178..........WSM is holding steady at 242. For some reason my smoker likes to run at 242-243deg... Don't know why maybe it's cuz I fire it up and do the vent settings and all the same way every time. I also have gotten into the habit of not opening it up to fill up the water. I started pouring it threw the top vent via a funnel. Also poured a bit of apple juice on it that way. Didn't have to open it up...and then fight to get the temp stabilized. I did notice that by pouring a ton of water POTENTIAL over your meat wasn't good either since it tends to cause them to cool down and lose heat...so I thought of something else.

I do have an idea for a mod that I'm gonna try. I'm gonne get ahold of some piping that I can bend and fit thru the top vent and run it down the into the cooker, thru the opening in the top grate at the handle, and then down to the side of the bottom grate and then attach a funnel to the piece of pipe tube and use it to pour the water down into the water pan without having to open it up. YES....your probably wondering....well how does he know it needs to be filled. Well, the easy way is to add a cup or so every hour when you take your temp readings. That way it never gets real empty and by only adding a cup or so at a time you don't get a huge change in the water temp either and don't get the huge flareups associated with opening up the top or opening up the side door to get to the water pan. Haven't figured out how I'll secure it tothe grate....considering some wire or something...since it will be resting on the bottom grate...the only place it would need to be secured would be where it goes thru the handle opening on the top grate. That way it's not secured at the top vent cuz then you can't open the top without removing the pipe. I'd only open it late in the cook to turn the meat anyhow.
 
I use a device that looks like a beer bong to fill through the top (funnel with a rubber hose attached). Last night around 330 am I got a temp spike of 265 when the water dried up and the alarm went off. A handfull of ice and some cold water and back down to 230. I dont have sun here, I would be lucky if I didnt have to wear a jacket overnight when I was tending the water pan. Brrrrr cold. No pool and sunshine for me. Meat is up to 173 woo hoo. It was 161 at 330 so it has risen 12 degrees in 6.5 hours. Can you say plateau?
 
Thats cool...but I'm looking for something I can leave in forthe duration of the cook...I do like the idea of adding the ice to it...if I could put crushed ice from the fridge ice maker down it with some water to cool down any HIGH temp spikes after I open it up to turn the meat.
 
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