What seasoning is missing from my smoked pork butt?


 
Garry Milner

Garry Milner

TVWBB Member
I did an 8 lb. butt today on my WSM and it turned out really well. 6 1/2 hours until 165 int. temp, then double wrapped in foil for another 2 hours until internal temp reached 205. Then a 2 hour rest in a cooler. Extremely juicy and tender, just the right amount. I would say my best one yet.

But, something is missing in the flavor department. I want my pulled pork to taste just like the pork from really good barbeque joints. I use a DIY combo of various dry rubs that I put on the day before the cook. It's OK, but just OK. I can taste it in the meat but I really am not happy. Is it a marinade that's missing? Injections? I can't imagine the local restaurants that I am familiar with going through all that, and their pork has that unmistakable Southern flavor that I dearly love. I can do a full-soak marinade if that's the ticket, but I don't really want to get into injecting marinades. I want to keep it as simple as possible.

Maybe it's the wood I use, which is typically a mixture of a couple of small chunks of hickory, and then mostly apple and pecan. Maybe I should use just hickory? I recently bought a box of red oak but haven't tried it yet. Maybe that? Or maybe it's a lack of crispy bark that comes from an open flame - maybe I should stop wrapping and just let the darn thing cook, or sear the daylights out of it on the gasser?

Help me get to the next level! Thanks
 
I don't like seasoning overnight for pork, especially with commercial rubs. All of the salt & sugar can impart a ham like flavor. My personal preference is to prep no more than an hour before cooking. Salt with 1/2 tsp/lb. Kosher salt, allow it to sit for a few minutes for the surface becomes tacky and then generously apply Meathead's Memphis dust: https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...tes/meatheads-memphis-dust-rub-recipe/#recipe . Let it rest while you get the WSM lit and up to temperature.

For smoke, I like either Hickory or an Apple/Hickory mix for at least 3 hours. Once the pork is done and shredded, add some of the juices from the foil back in, along with apple cider vinegar and your favorite hot sauce to taste.
 
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I don’t care for bland pork butt and I don’t buy mixes.
We will mix in sauce to the meat after we pull it.
It’s usually thinned out bbq sauce with the meat juice (less fat) with a splash of acv sometimes we add heat too.
For us thinned down Sweet Baby Rays works fine but honestly we mix stuff on the fly in a bowl and taste as we mix.
might even have some raw onion in some of the cooks.
Sometimes I am a fan of embedding a few cloves of garlic or peppers into the meat before the cook too.
If I have the de boned Costco ones I might put some fresh rosemary and tyme into where the bone was and pin it down.
A pork shoulder is like a blank canvas.
The guy hocking Slow & Sears has a good rub recipe in one of his videos.
I know you mentioned the WSM but a rub is a rub.
I think the best thing is to constantly taste your mix as you build or modify it.
Good luck to ya.
 
Your local barbecue joint probably keeps it in a steam pan with finishing liquid. Which can be a diluted solution of chicken broth or bouillon and barbecue sauce. That's not personally something I want to replicate.
 
Good advice, and the use of drippings and a finishing sauce give it a boost.
tvwbb.com

Pulled Pork finishing sauce from Bryan S, the RSC man

I don't think it was ever posted here before. Try it, you should like it. Equal parts butter, chicken stock, and the BBQ sauce you'll be serving with the meat. Heat on the stove or microwave in a glass measuring cup. 1/4 cup each makes plenty for one butt. After pulling, sprinkle on some of...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

And sometimes our senses get a little jaded hanging around a smoker most of the day.
 
You may want to try some of this on the finished product next time:

h2qshop.com

Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce

Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce (16 oz by volume) First Place Vinegar Sauce 2016 Memphis In May BBQ World Championships When a mediocre sauce just won’t cut it, this sauce here will deliver that world champion level of flavor your BBQ deserves. Inspired by our roots in West Tennessee barbecue, The...
h2qshop.com h2qshop.com
 
OK. this can turn into a big can of worms. I did this way somebody does it that way....

#1 At least 1/3 to 1/2 HICKORY wood for butts or more. Pork loves hickory.
#2 Butt Rub For Jane by Kevin Kruger or a variation of it with salt. Kevin knows flavors.
#3 Mix some rub in with the pulled pork

I'm not perfect but I can't screwup pulled pork following this plan.
 
Over the years I have made my own rub, using various recipes - some very good - and I have tried countless commercial rubs.
I ALWAYS come back to Bad Byron's Butt Rub.

I don't know if it has the flavor you're looking for, but I sure like it.

Don't get me wrong, I will surely be trying more new rubs - I can't resist. :D But it's nice to know I have "old reliable" in the cupboard.
 
EricV. said:
You may want to try some of this on the finished product next time:

h2qshop.com

Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce

Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce (16 oz by volume) First Place Vinegar Sauce 2016 Memphis In May BBQ World Championships When a mediocre sauce just won’t cut it, this sauce here will deliver that world champion level of flavor your BBQ deserves. Inspired by our roots in West Tennessee barbecue, The...
h2qshop.com h2qshop.com
Click to expand...
Eric, what does the finishing sauce add?

I usually mix in a bit more rub while pulling, but I have never used a finishing sauce. I've been curious about it, but just never got around to trying it.
 
Brenda T said:
Eric, what does the finishing sauce add?

I usually mix in a bit more rub while pulling, but I have never used a finishing sauce. I've been curious about it, but just never got around to trying it.
Click to expand...
I rarely trim the fat off of a pork butt & I always add additional rub to the finished product. This product is a thin vinegary sauce with a little heat at the end, it pairs well with pork. I am probably a little biased when it comes to “Killer Hogs” products, but Malcom Reed really knows food.
 
EricV. said:
I rarely trim the fat off of a pork butt & I always add additional rub to the finished product. This product is a thin vinegary sauce with a little heat at the end, it pairs well with pork. I am probably a little biased when it comes to “Killer Hogs” products, but Malcom Reed really knows food.
Click to expand...
That's good to hear about his brand.
I just bought his Steak Rub yesterday, to use as part of the seasoning on the Christmas Rib Roast.
 
Garry Milner said:
I did an 8 lb. butt today on my WSM and it turned out really well. 6 1/2 hours until 165 int. temp, then double wrapped in foil for another 2 hours until internal temp reached 205. Then a 2 hour rest in a cooler. Extremely juicy and tender, just the right amount. I would say my best one yet.

But, something is missing in the flavor department. I want my pulled pork to taste just like the pork from really good barbeque joints. I use a DIY combo of various dry rubs that I put on the day before the cook. It's OK, but just OK. I can taste it in the meat but I really am not happy. Is it a marinade that's missing? Injections? I can't imagine the local restaurants that I am familiar with going through all that, and their pork has that unmistakable Southern flavor that I dearly love. I can do a full-soak marinade if that's the ticket, but I don't really want to get into injecting marinades. I want to keep it as simple as possible.

Maybe it's the wood I use, which is typically a mixture of a couple of small chunks of hickory, and then mostly apple and pecan. Maybe I should use just hickory? I recently bought a box of red oak but haven't tried it yet. Maybe that? Or maybe it's a lack of crispy bark that comes from an open flame - maybe I should stop wrapping and just let the darn thing cook, or sear the daylights out of it on the gasser?

Help me get to the next level! Thanks
Click to expand...

Forgive me for being presumptuous, but you haven't really indicated what's wrong or what you're trying to get.

First: what style BBQ are you trying to make, and what style do you like? You say "southern", but that doesn't really narrow things down; does your favorite BBQ place (the one you're trying to emulate) use a tomato-, vinegar-, or mustard-based sauce? No sauce? (Hey, Texas is southern...) Are you cooking in their style?

Are you getting the flavor profile that you're looking for, but just not enough of it? In other words, is the flavor correct, but just not deep or rich enough? If so, some of the suggestions already made will help you out. Adding rub when you pull the pork will help, and of course adding sauce to the pulled meat is a requisite for many styles.

If you're not getting the flavor profile at least in the ballpark, you have a lot of work to do getting the right rub and sauce style. Once you're going in the right direction, then you can adjust your process to get the depth of flavor you want.

Yes, the wood you use is a part of it, but smoke is just one ingredient; don't get hung up on that without getting the rest of the ingredients right.

I'll leave you with this: I find that tasting meat the next day gives me better a better idea of what it's really like, compared to when it's just come out of the smoker (2 hours later is still too "fresh".) Try your pork the next day and see what it tastes like. I'll bet you like it a lot more, and at the very least you'll be able to more objectively compare it to your favorite restaurant.
 
These are exactly the replies I was hoping for - many thanks to everyone for the advise and suggestions!

The barbeque I am referring to is where the guy pulls a nice chunk of pork off the grate (fire going below), and chops it into sandwich size pieces right on the chopping block, plenty of bark and from what I can tell, no finishing sauce or rub added. I really don't know what cuts I am eating from, butt, shoulder or what. Some places are better than others but they're all really decent.

I do already mix rub in after the pull and it does improve the flavor, but I think a full mustard coating and a lot more hickory on the coals is a good start to the process. Question: Has anyone smeared more mustard on the butt halfway thru the cook? Seems like it might add some extra flavor too. In the future I'm going to try leaving the butts unwrapped until they're done. I know this will add to the cook time but I can handle that.

That Killer Hogs Vinegar Sauce is something I'm gonna try as well, maybe add it to the drippings. And I do use Bad Byron's Butt Rub however I add other rubs to it. I probably need to stop mixing stuff and settle on what I can buy ready made. Byron's seems like a good one so that will be used alone on my next cook.

Also I agree that the pork does have better flavor the next day, like many other foods. Things seem to "marry".

Thanks again!
 
Question: Has anyone smeared more mustard on the butt halfway thru the cook? Seems like it might add some extra flavor too. In the future I'm going to try leaving the butts unwrapped until they're done. I know this will add to the cook time but I can handle that.

My answer; no, I have not tried that, and no, I don't recall anyone else on the forum trying this, or any of my other friends, or on the hundreds of BBQ video's I've watched (yes, that's sad, but the number is probably over 200). But, I'm not one to discourage experimentation... you might as well give it a try and let us know what happens!

If you want more smoke flavor - you may want to upgrade your smoke wood. Buying nationwide brands from big box store is not ideal because sometimes the wood is too dry. Some forum members like to buy from https://fruitawoodchunks.com/ and swear by it. I'm fortunate to live in Missouri so no shortage of local hardwoods for smoking.

If you want more bark, yes, you could not wrap at all, or just wrap later, and/or try using butcher paper instead. Having some water in the water pan can also help with bark/smoke flavor. Just water... don't put anything else in. What evaporates from beer/wine/juice is just water vapor. Might as well just put water in there and save $ and clean up. No wrap at all means you might be looking at a 12 to 14 hour cook.. not my bag. I keep all of my cooks in the 8 to 10 hour range by running 250 to 275 and wrapping.

You should consider making your own rubs. I've used plenty of store bought rubs, some offered/branded by my BBQ heroes. But frankly, they all have a lot of fillers/anti-caking agents in them, etc.. And again, could be a little stale when you buy it. I think it's better to make your own rub, but following recipes from this forum, from weber, from Meathead, etc..

Also, when it comes to adding flavor and moisture, using your foil wrap to capture the juice is AWESOME. Also making your own mop sauce is a lot of fun and then it's fun and easy to ad that in after you shred. I like watching Chudd's videos.
 
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