Curing Pork Butts for Pulled Ham

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woodcutter

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
Jul 2, 2012
3,308
163
Marathon Wisconsin
I defrosted a 2 pack of butts this week and mixed up some Pop's Brine. I'm going to smoke them until the IT is 205 so they will pull apart like pulled pork.


I trimmed the fat caps off and froze for sausage this winter and removed the bone from each butt.


I tied the butts so the end that the bone came out of is closed up again so it all smokes evenly.


I injected the butts and laid to rest in Pop's Brine for 13 days.

Here is how I made the brine:

1 gal water

1 Tbs cure #1

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup pickling salt

1 cup brown suger

I pulled this cryo pack out of the freezer with my bare hands and carried it in the basement, it was freezing my hands. I just set it on the top shelf and didn't return with the pan I normally use. This was one that leaked all over all the shelves, in the shelf tracks and in the drawers. I spent a good 2 hours washing and disinfecting the fridge today. Be back in 2 weeks!
 
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Man I love making ham.    

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Ah, Man!!-----It's been ages since I did any pulled Butt Ham!!

We're talking about some awesome stuff !!!
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Be Back, Todd !!

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Bear
 
This is a real fun thread....I am curious, with a wet cure do you simply ensure that every gallon has the proper measurement of ingredients and make sure that 100% of the meat is submerged?

Also, I noticed that on Bear's step by step, he has a special calculation for the cure time when using a dry cure, how long do you know how to cure for when it is a wet cure?
 
Curing Times

“Curing times vary with meat, but generally overnight to 2-3 days for chickens and turkeys, 8-10 days buckboard bacon, 10-14 days belly bacon, pork shoulder, whole butts, 3-4 weeks whole hams, 10-20 days corned beef (fresh beef roasts, briskets, rolled rib roasts, etc.)   If whole muscle is more than 2" thick, then inject so it can cure i/o as well as o/i, and/or in and around bone structures, etc.”
 
 
This is a real fun thread....I am curious, with a wet cure do you simply ensure that every gallon has the proper measurement of ingredients and make sure that 100% of the meat is submerged?

Also, I noticed that on Bear's step by step, he has a special calculation for the cure time when using a dry cure, how long do you know how to cure for when it is a wet cure?
 
Curing Times

“Curing times vary with meat, but generally overnight to 2-3 days for chickens and turkeys, 8-10 days buckboard bacon, 10-14 days belly bacon, pork shoulder, whole butts, 3-4 weeks whole hams, 10-20 days corned beef (fresh beef roasts, briskets, rolled rib roasts, etc.)   If whole muscle is more than 2" thick, then inject so it can cure i/o as well as o/i, and/or in and around bone structures, etc.”
Foamheart is right about the curing times if you are using a brine. As to your question, re brines, yes, you just have to make sure that every gallon has the right amount of instacure #1, pink salt, prague powder #1, Tenderquick etc. and that the meat remains submerged.

If you are going to use a dry cure, you have to make sure you have the right amount of instacure #1, etc for the weight of the meat. If you have twice the weight of meat, you need twice the cure. As for curing times if you are using a dry cure, I suggest you look at Bearcarver's calculating instructions for the length of time to cure. Also, I do not recommend dry curing meat that is any thicker than about 3 inches at the thickest part. 2 to 2 1/2 inches is better.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/108099/bacon-extra-smoky

Is the step by step you have been looking at and does give a good calculation of curing time.

Disco
 
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Just pulled out at midnight to dry a pellicle on the hams. I'll start the smoker the earliest I can get myself out of bed.

Here they are all blotchy but they look good to me because I know how good there are going to be.

 
I have 1/2 a boneless butt in the cure now........  Learning to reduce the size of the smokes thereby I get to do more! Of course,  my freezer doesn't buldge quite so much either....LOL Learning to keep some holes open in the freezer for meat sales. Besides its only a month till hunting season.

Great to watch a master, should help me bypass all those stupid mistakes I'd make. Those sure look good Todd.
 
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Fine job you did there.

Looks like a nice get away spot.
 
I pulled the butts at 192 because my grandsons could smell them smoking and it made them hungry. Both butts would pull apart but not as much of the fat broke down like when it is smoked to 205. They still had plenty of fat saturated in the meat which I really like. The bark is sweet and delicious. We also had fried potatoes and blackberry cobbler. I didn't get a picture of the cobbler but it was made in a cast iron skillet.





We had some frozen blueberries in a bag in the freezer but we ran out. I had the cobbler mixed and the only thing in the house was blackberry pie filling so I dumped it in. It tasted very good but didn't bake the way cobbler should be.

Thanks for looking!
 
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