Pork Butt...fat up or down??

Squirrel said:

Wow. I guess I'm the only one in the "keep the fat" camp. I don't trim mainly because the ones I buy seem trim enough. I do score what fat cap is left and I start the smoke with fat cap down to render most of it, then flip it for fat cap up to allow the meat to baste in the fat. I feel the fat is a crucial part in keeping the meat moist and tender. It hasn't failed me so far. It's not like you would eat all that fat that's left in the pan for goodness sakes. Maybe it's just the chef talking, but fat can be a good thing if you do it right.

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I agree with keeping the fat and skin on especially when wet curing a ham.I do peel the skin and fat down to the bottom of the leg and leave it attached in a 5 gallon bucket. The fat and skin just slow the curing process down.Yet when its done curing I just roll the skin and fat back to where it was and get the culinary string out and tighten it all back up for smoking.it protects it from drying out on the exterior and bastes it in the fat..Then it easily comes right off. Then I have minor trimming before cooking it in the oven with spice rub and real maple syrup glaze..comes out perfect..

I trim fat but not all. The remainder I score. I smoke fat up and after 160 internal I wrap in pan. The fun part is trying diffrent ways and seeing what works for you.

smokeasaurus said:

Yup, cut the fat cap off. There is enough fat through the butt where it is not needed. Gives you more surface for your rubs. Same as for a brisket. The last one I did, I trimmed as much fat off as I could and it came out as moist and tender as ones that I have not trimmed at all...in fact, the brisket had better flavor because of having rub on both sides and both sides getting smoke!!

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I smoked mine with fat up, but when it was done it stuck to the grate bad. Think i'll go fat down now unless i put it in alum. pan which i really don't want to do.

I cut the fat cap off for the first time on my last butt smoke. It was just as moist and tender as with fat cap on plus I ended up with around 20% more bark!

Smokin-Q said:

I cut the fat cap off for the first time on my last butt smoke. It was just as moist and tender as with fat cap on plus I ended up with around 20% more bark!

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Yeah i've read lot about people doing that. I smoked mine to 205 internal and the outside was black. It was still aesome, but looked like a meteorite.

Everyone has their own method/recipes and it's all good...thanks for sharing. Here's my take on this topic over the years...I now always smoke my pork shoulders/butts Fat-Cap Down. If the fat cap is up...all the fat melts into the pork and cools it's internal temp; if the cap is too thick...it can stall the cook for hours. The fat protects the pork from direct heat and roasts better I think...also the butt slides off the rack easier with cap down - to be honest...I've tried both ways...I can't tell the difference. I also stopped using/injecting wet marinades or juice as it steams the meat and changes the texture imho. So I now place the butts on a cookie sheet, dust it with kosher salt (dry marinade even layer across top) and store in fridge for 4 hours-overnight uncovered. Next day...rub it down with small dabs of any kind of mustard and then use a good pork dry rub, store it in the fridge again overnight 4hours-uncovered. Pull an hour before ready to cook and smoke at 225F until inner temp hits 200F. I've wrapped butts in heavy foil and placed in coolers filled with towels...kept them at safe temperature for 2-3 hours.