This was my third port butt.
We decided Saturday afternoon to have my parents over for Father's Day dinner and that I would smoke a port butt. At the store I selected a nice 8.6 lbs Boston Butt.
Preparation:
Once home, I rinsed it thoroughly, wrapped it in plastic and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I once again rinsed the meat and blotted it dry with paper towels. I trimmed the fat cap off and as much surface fat as possible (smoke can't penetrate fat). The rub went on next and another wrap of plastic and a rest in the refrigerator while I attended to the smoker. Just before putting the butt on the smoker, I touched up the rub so it looked dry.
The Smoker:
I use a Camp Chef 24" Smoke Vault. I lit the propane burner and set the gas valve on high and lit it. Once lit I used the bottle valve to regulate temp to 250 F. Once the vault came up to temp, I let it stabilize for 20 minutes. I filled the water tray to within 1/4 inch of the top. I set the vents to the minimum openings.
The Wood:
I soaked a mixture of Hickory and Cherry wood, medium chunks and chips. I have never used cherry wood before and thought it would be nice on pork. I soak my woods for an hour and use this water in the water pan. I prepared enough to add more to the smoker should I desire. If I don't, I simply let it dry out and use next time.
The Smoke:
I put the butt on the top rack with one temp probe 1 inch from the meat and the other in the center of the thickest part of the butt. I did not open the door for 2 hours and I did add more wood chunks and chips (I wanted a good smoke on it). That was the only time I added wood. I thought I had apple juice to spray on the bark to keep moisture on the meat, but there was none. I did find a bottle of pineapple juice so I used it. That was a good choice. Next time I;ll mix it with some Jamesons Irish Whiskey.
I hit the stall at about 8 hours and the temp did not budge for almost 2 hours. With the long stall, my timetable got a bit out of whack. Since I was not going for pulled pork, I took the meat off at 190 F, wrapped it in foil and 2 tea towels to rest for 45 minutes before breaking into it.
The Results:
I sliced the money muscle and it had a great bark on one side. It melted in our mouths. I was able to process the rest of the butt into nice chunks and what some call tubes. While it was not pulled tender, it was a nice and juicy, full of smoke flavor and the bark was delicious. Everyone had seconds and took home the leftovers. I was counting on leftovers for this week, but I only have 1 days worth of leftovers here.
Regrets:
I did not do 2 Boston Butts.
I did not take any pictures (next time).
Mark
We decided Saturday afternoon to have my parents over for Father's Day dinner and that I would smoke a port butt. At the store I selected a nice 8.6 lbs Boston Butt.
Preparation:
Once home, I rinsed it thoroughly, wrapped it in plastic and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning I once again rinsed the meat and blotted it dry with paper towels. I trimmed the fat cap off and as much surface fat as possible (smoke can't penetrate fat). The rub went on next and another wrap of plastic and a rest in the refrigerator while I attended to the smoker. Just before putting the butt on the smoker, I touched up the rub so it looked dry.
The Smoker:
I use a Camp Chef 24" Smoke Vault. I lit the propane burner and set the gas valve on high and lit it. Once lit I used the bottle valve to regulate temp to 250 F. Once the vault came up to temp, I let it stabilize for 20 minutes. I filled the water tray to within 1/4 inch of the top. I set the vents to the minimum openings.
The Wood:
I soaked a mixture of Hickory and Cherry wood, medium chunks and chips. I have never used cherry wood before and thought it would be nice on pork. I soak my woods for an hour and use this water in the water pan. I prepared enough to add more to the smoker should I desire. If I don't, I simply let it dry out and use next time.
The Smoke:
I put the butt on the top rack with one temp probe 1 inch from the meat and the other in the center of the thickest part of the butt. I did not open the door for 2 hours and I did add more wood chunks and chips (I wanted a good smoke on it). That was the only time I added wood. I thought I had apple juice to spray on the bark to keep moisture on the meat, but there was none. I did find a bottle of pineapple juice so I used it. That was a good choice. Next time I;ll mix it with some Jamesons Irish Whiskey.
I hit the stall at about 8 hours and the temp did not budge for almost 2 hours. With the long stall, my timetable got a bit out of whack. Since I was not going for pulled pork, I took the meat off at 190 F, wrapped it in foil and 2 tea towels to rest for 45 minutes before breaking into it.
The Results:
I sliced the money muscle and it had a great bark on one side. It melted in our mouths. I was able to process the rest of the butt into nice chunks and what some call tubes. While it was not pulled tender, it was a nice and juicy, full of smoke flavor and the bark was delicious. Everyone had seconds and took home the leftovers. I was counting on leftovers for this week, but I only have 1 days worth of leftovers here.
Regrets:
I did not do 2 Boston Butts.
I did not take any pictures (next time).
Mark
