I must be the only one here not getting fantastic results with my new WSM... first the dry chicken and now, yesterday, I got pork butt that tasted a little hammy to both my wife and I.
I followed the Mr. Brown recipe here on this forum. Cooked three butts-- two about 5-6 lbs, the other a little smaller. Started around 7:00 am and they cooked slow and steady all day. At around 6:00 pm I pulled the small one off, let it rest wrapped in foil in a cooler for an hour, and then pulled it apart. It pulled apart a little tough and actually seemed dry (relatively speaking) in some places. My wife, daughter, and I ate most of this one while the other two stayed in the smoker. My wife and I both agreed that, while it was overall very good and certainly edible, it did have a distinct hammy taste to it, especially around the outside which had turned a pink color that looked very much like ham. Maybe we're overly sensitive to this taste as neither one of us particularly like ham (although we both love pork).
At around 7:30-8:00 I pulled the other two butts off and let them rest for an hour as I had the first one. The second two pulled apart -much- easier, and tasted MUCH better I thought. Less of a ham taste, although it was still there I thought (my wife didn't taste any of the second butts).
Things I learned on this cook:
1. Not all butts are created equal. The first, smaller butt I had purchased at a mom & pop grocery store near us. The second was purchased at a larger chain store. Not sure if the difference was the size of the butt, or the quality of the source-- but there was a definite difference.
2. I seem to be doing something that is making my pork taste hammy. My BRITU ribs I thought tasted a little hammy (and definitely salty), and now the butts. The rub recipes seem like they contain an awful lot of salt-- could this be what's doing it? Or could it be something else? Any thoughts on this would be most welcome.
I followed the Mr. Brown recipe here on this forum. Cooked three butts-- two about 5-6 lbs, the other a little smaller. Started around 7:00 am and they cooked slow and steady all day. At around 6:00 pm I pulled the small one off, let it rest wrapped in foil in a cooler for an hour, and then pulled it apart. It pulled apart a little tough and actually seemed dry (relatively speaking) in some places. My wife, daughter, and I ate most of this one while the other two stayed in the smoker. My wife and I both agreed that, while it was overall very good and certainly edible, it did have a distinct hammy taste to it, especially around the outside which had turned a pink color that looked very much like ham. Maybe we're overly sensitive to this taste as neither one of us particularly like ham (although we both love pork).
At around 7:30-8:00 I pulled the other two butts off and let them rest for an hour as I had the first one. The second two pulled apart -much- easier, and tasted MUCH better I thought. Less of a ham taste, although it was still there I thought (my wife didn't taste any of the second butts).
Things I learned on this cook:
1. Not all butts are created equal. The first, smaller butt I had purchased at a mom & pop grocery store near us. The second was purchased at a larger chain store. Not sure if the difference was the size of the butt, or the quality of the source-- but there was a definite difference.
2. I seem to be doing something that is making my pork taste hammy. My BRITU ribs I thought tasted a little hammy (and definitely salty), and now the butts. The rub recipes seem like they contain an awful lot of salt-- could this be what's doing it? Or could it be something else? Any thoughts on this would be most welcome.