Experiments with my butt

robcava · Jun 4, 2015

Awesome! I have to smoke up a bunch of butts...and maybe some briskest for my oldest's graduation party in 2 weekends. I will be cutting the butts in half. Points for you!

gary s · Jun 4, 2015

Just remember it's the thickness that determines the cook time Not the weight

Gary

drewed · Jun 4, 2015

turick said:
Good point! Except I'm the only one in the house that likes baked beans :(

9 hours in at 275 and the smallest piece is only 162!

my house too. Then I made dutch's wicked beans but minus the peppers. Everyone loved them, including the kids

gary s · Jun 4, 2015

Everybody around her loves my Baked Beans, they get 3 to 4 hours on the smoker

Gary

turick · Jun 4, 2015

So the plain ol' butt just came off the smoker. I must say, it has the same juiciness and delicious flavor of the two halves, minus the tasty bark. Which I was surprised... I was kind of ready for it to be terrible. I guess I have to add that no matter what I smoke (minus prime rib), I never really like it straight off the smoker... I always like it better the next day. I think the overload of my senses from smoking all day coupled with the very real taste difference after it settles, I just don't like to eat food straight off the smoker. Both of these butts are delicious immediately after taking them off. I'm not sure if it was strictly due to the higher temps, or the new mix of cherry + hickory, but whatever happened tonight, I couldn't be happier.

The smaller ones have more bark and delicious rub and finished quicker. I don't see any reason not to de-bone and halve my pork butts from now on.

Here's the final pic of the last butt. Thanks for following along with me today! I'll post again tomorrow after the meat has sat for the night and always (at least to me and my wife) takes on a much better flavor.

20150604_193113.jpg

turick
Jun 4, 2015

worktogthr · Jun 4, 2015

That all looks great! Fun watching the experiment unfold. Are you converted now to higher heat?? I love the way the crispy bark comes out.

turick · Jun 4, 2015

I will NEVER go with a lower heat again. I can't tell you how many nights I've stayed up past midnight waiting for it to get done, only to end up cranking the temp up so it will finish. Easily my smokes have all taken 18-22 hours. This is the juiciest, most tender pulled pork I've ever made, and I had the MES40 cranked the whole time. All said in done, it was right at 12 hours.

bmaddox · Jun 5, 2015

turick said:
I will NEVER go with a lower heat again. I can't tell you how many nights I've stayed up past midnight waiting for it to get done, only to end up cranking the temp up so it will finish. Easily my smokes have all taken 18-22 hours. This is the juiciest, most tender pulled pork I've ever made, and I had the MES40 cranked the whole time. All said in done, it was right at 12 hours.

This is great news. We need more supporters of the hot and fast method. Maybe we should start a club.

drewed · Jun 5, 2015

Perhaps I missed it, but what was the total time / temp on the half-a-butts compared to the full butt?

jcollins · Jun 5, 2015

Nice i like the idea of more surface area for smoke and rub to work magic on the meat. But depending on what im smoking i like to let the smoker temp spike or drop 25+ degrees as it pleases. just my personal thing

turick · Jun 5, 2015

Drewed said:
Perhaps I missed it, but what was the total time / temp on the half-a-butts compared to the full butt?

I can't recall exactly. It wasn't huge, but it was significant... probably 45 minutes to an hour.

msuiceman · Jun 5, 2015

it does look darn good. so you decided rubbed butts are the way to go? always good to start with SPOG, then add in some of your personal favorites. I'm not a huge spice guy on my pulled pork, but can appreciate it.

nklcolt1911 · Jun 5, 2015

not sure if this will come out right but how did you cut them in half?

gary s · Jun 5, 2015

The way I split mine is find the blade bone, start trimming around it, eyeball the center and make a cut, than finish cutting around the bone Two halves

Gary

nklcolt1911 · Jun 5, 2015

so the long way to make it thinner? am i getting that right?

gary s · Jun 5, 2015

Here is a picture

IMG_20150308_132806_608.jpg

gary s
Jun 5, 2015

IMG_20150308_132812_463.jpg

gary s
Jun 5, 2015

IMG_20150308_132817_551.jpg

gary s
Jun 5, 2015

turick · Jun 5, 2015

Ya I just literally youtubed it! It's really easy. I just cut around the long t shaped bone exposed on the side of the butt. I had to cut a little from one of the other sides as well where it was exposed. I don't know how to explain it right, but after it was out the meat would kind of "unfold". Then as you would normally have a big butt laying on the cutting board in front of you, I just cut it in half perpendicular to its longest side. I hope that makes sense... Not to make it thinner, but to make it not as long.

Apparently a lot of people tie it back up after deboning, but I found it would all sit just fine on its own under its own weight, and it cooked just fine like that.

Experiments with my butt

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