Cherry Wood Smoked Pork Butt for Carnitas!

[forgiven1]

Making carnitas Sunday so I smoked this butt 10 hours or so using all cherry. I kept the smoke on it for the entire cook and wow is it good. No bitter taste at all. My smoker is a littler more residue covered on the inside than I am used to seeing, but not even the drippings had the slightest acrid taste ( I am VERY sensitive to that).

I got rich smokey flavor even deep into the meat, and that chewy caramely crust is incredible!

8lb butt 250 degrees. Finish temps was 200-??? ish (my thermometer is not quite right)
Rub
4 tsp Rough cracked black pepper
1 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Used all the rub for the 8lb butt.

 

[forgiven1]

This was my first time using all cherry on a long smoke. I have to say it has a unique flavor. To me it tastes a little bit like cherry flavored candies but not sweet.

 

[chilerelleno]

Damn, that looks so good.
That'll make some great tacos!

It might not be Carnitas per se, but y'all just keep smoking them Butts and posting the Qview.

 

[JJS]

Looks delicious, what time should we be over Sunday?

 

[SmokinVOLfan]

Great looking butt! Never done one with straight cherry wood might have to give that a shot sometime

 

[JC in GB]

I have never been disappointed smoking with cherry wood. Nice cook pitmaster.

 

[Marine0811]

I’m 4 hrs in to my first butt, and also,using cherry. To foil or not to foil??? I’ve also seen putting in a cooler for a 2 hr cool????/

 

[Marine0811]

I’m 4 hrs in to my first butt, and also,using cherry. To foil or not to foil??? I’ve also seen putting in a cooler for a 2 hr cool????/

Still cookin this butt uncovered for 10 hrs still at 165 tryin for 201, but does 190 work too????

 

[JJS]

Wrap it and crank the temp up and watch it rise in temp

 

[forgiven1]

I don't typically foil my pork butts or my briskets. I like the crust to very pronounced. I don't mop or spritz them either. I get a very moist juicy meat with a very defined crackly chewy crust.

 

[chilerelleno]

Crust is found on bread.

BBQ Nomenclature 101

Bark is a hard crust-like substance that forms on the outside of meat that is smoked in barbecue fashion. The bark results from a combination of the dry rub, caramelized sugar, rendered fat and smoke that is cooking on the surface of the meat.
Formed chiefly by the processes of the Maillard Reaction and Polymerization.

 

[forgiven1]

Chili :) Perhaps this is covered in "Maillard Reaction and Polymerization" already, but evaporating moisture for at least a few hours of the cook I have also found to be key. Hence my preference in most cases not to foil unless I working with a very large piece of meat.