Is brining boston butts worth the hassle?

berger · Mar 13, 2013

Whadda all think? Is there really even a point to it?

frosty · Mar 13, 2013

I have injected and it was fine, but never brined a butt before. I would think that a brining could go as long as 24 hours and you would be fine. I remember Nepas did a brined butt a while back and the results were good.

I thought it might make it mushy, but have never heard anyone say it did.

Good luck with it!

05sprcrw · Mar 13, 2013

I personally just like to inject and let it sit for 24 hours. I can't say that I have tried to brine but I have not had an issue with dry pork so I figured it wouldn't give much benefit.

flash · Mar 13, 2013

Rarely even inject, let alone brine.

jrod62 · Mar 13, 2013

I say no need for it. I just smoke them in a pan and pour the juice back over the pulled pork

scootermagoo · Mar 13, 2013

My 2 cents would be a "no" on the brine. Dryness is not a problem with butt.

bruno994 · Mar 13, 2013

Agreed with several of the posted opinions. I have never tried brining, but I have also never been unhappy with my results. I have injected with a mixture of apple juice, salt and sugar, mainly because I like a saltier taste to my pork, but as far as moisture, I have never seen the need to brine or inject.

kathrynn · Mar 13, 2013

IMHO....never have ...never will on the brine or the injections.

Kat

mdboatbum · Mar 13, 2013

I've had dry pulled pork and think it's disgusting. If you're doing it right, then no, brining isn't required. However, for those who, for whatever the reason, refuse to foil and/or maybe aren't quite comfortable with the process yet, brining can add an extra bit of insurance against drying out the meat.

smoke happens · Mar 13, 2013

I don't inject, brine or foil my PP. Never had an issue with dryness or tenderness.

squirrel · Mar 13, 2013

I brined once as an experiment, one brined, one not. The only difference was the brined one had a nice salty flavor that the other didn't. As far as tenderness I couldn't tell any difference. I don't foil mine, but I do use aluminum pans.

seenred · Mar 13, 2013

jrod62 said:
I say no need for it. I just smoke them in a pan and pour the juice back over the pulled pork

DITTO

zahlgren · Mar 13, 2013

I've injected some, mainly for added flavor, and haven't injected some, I usually lean towards no injection now...

rdknb · Mar 13, 2013

I do not inject, used to though, or brine, nor do I foil and I have never had dry pulled pork.

damon555 · Mar 13, 2013

I brine them...it turns an already delicious chunk of meat into work of art. 2/3 of a cup of sea or kosher salt and a gallon of water is the perfect ratio in my opinion. Soak it over night and be ready to eat your share....there won't be any leftovers.

woodcutter · Mar 13, 2013

I don't brine of foil for pulled pork, but I do have 1 in brine for ham and use brine for buckboard bacon.

bama bbq · Mar 13, 2013

I prefer not to inject because the meat rarely holds the amount you pump into it and it goes all over the place. Brining is less messy and I have brined butts not for the moisture...for the flavor (salt and molasses). However, the last few butts I've done I didn't do either.

rich- · Mar 14, 2013

close to a year ago, I mixed up a gallon of POPs brine, I then cut a pork butt in half, did some heavy injecting with the brine, then submerged the butt in the brine for about 2 weeks.

After removing from the brine, I rubbed all sides with real maple syrup, and proceeded to cold smoke it for a couple hrs. I raised my chamber temps every hour or so until the It reached 155 degrees, and yes I did have a bit of fat rendering, but when I pulled it and chilled it down, it tasted absolutely awesom.

My wife called it HammyBacon as it had a cross between Ham and Bacon for flavor. Several of my family and friends that tasted it said it was awesome also.

Will be doing another here soon and now that I have mastered posting threads with pictures, I will post my project and experience.

Rich-

chef jimmyj · Mar 14, 2013

Although I have not Brined or Injected I am researching Injection deeper and will try it when I get a proper Meat Pump. As far as Brine goes, you get 1 inch of penetration every 7 days, the average 8lb Butt is between 6 and 8 inches thick, so to get " full penetration " you will need to brine TWO MONTHS!!!

So Inject if you wish but Brining anything Overnight, other than Poultry or Fish which has less muscle density, is a waste of time...JJ

BGKYSmoker · Mar 14, 2013

Get your fav butt rub, PYM and rub it down and toss in your smoker.

Is brining boston butts worth the hassle?

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