Fat Cap - leave it on or remove it?

[davidmc4]

The question of the day....  What is the best thing to do with the fat cap on a Boston Butt?

1. Cut that sucker off.

2. Leave it on, smoking fat cap down.

3. Leave on, smoking fat cap on top.

4. Some other answer I haven't thought of...

I appreciate your answers and your rationale.

SMOKE ON!!!!!

 

[scarbelly]

My .02 is leave it on for the cook and trim later. You get the benefit of the fat during the cook helping to keep it moist.

 

[tjohnson]

Like Scar, I leave it on, fat side up, and trim later.  The melting fat melts helps the meat.

Try it with the fat cap and without and see what you like best

Todd

 

[flash]

My opinion after doing the Fat Cap up, Fat Cap down experiment, is to remove it. Pork butts have plenty of fat and losing the cap will not harm it in any way. Plus, you will have more surface area for the rubs.

 

[meateater]

Fat side up and trim it off later. Then take the bone and fat and make a stock for soup. 

 

[rowdyrawhide]

I remove the fat cap too, I also feel the butts have enough fat in them to do with out.  There is also a gland on the side opposite the blade bone that i remove as well.  As was previously stated more room for rub too.

 

[raptor700]

The question of the day....  What is the best thing to do with the fat cap on a Boston Butt?

1. Cut that sucker off.

   No!

2. Leave it on, smoking fat cap down.

     Yes, No

3. Leave on, smoking fat cap on top.

    Yes

4. Some other answer I haven't thought of...

    Smoke fat cap up, score in 1" squares and smoke as usual (foil at 165º and pull at 200º-205º) I f you want pulled pork

If you want bark, Don't foil and continue to smoke till 205º

I appreciate your answers and your rationale.

SMOKE ON!!!!!

 Hope this helps

 

[SmokinAl]

I remove most of it & put the fat on a grate above the butt so it constantly drips on it.

 

[lexoutlaw]

as ya can see, mixed opinions.....shows none are wrong. for me, just depends what kind of butt i want.....i always leave fat on maybe with some trimming, but cooking up or down ive noticed is a big difference. seems cooking fat up keeps meat moist, which butts are already gonna be, or should be....but doesnt give me the "bark" i like....cooking it fat down gives it that crunchy bark cause the fat isnt basting. lots of different methods, good thing about it all....you get to eat your experiments, cant be a bad thing.

 

[fpnmf]

3

  Have a great day!!

   Craig

 

[flash]

 I think that is the reason I finally went to fat cap down. I was not getting a good bark, but eventually tried removing it and due to more rub, got more bark all around. Butts have so much fat in them, that using the fat cap as a basting technique is just not needed.

 

[frankiej]

Glad I found this post.  I'm gonna smoke a pork butt for the first time tomorrow.  Meaning I'm gonna smoke meat for the first time in my new vertical smoker.  Think I'll do the part trim and smoke fat side up this time.  Thanks all for the answers out there.

 

[bare butt bbq]

What I like to do is leave the fat cap on but what I do is cut a pocket between the bottom of the fat cap and the top of the butt. I then rub it with olive oil the whole butt and between the meat and the cap. I put rub on the whole butt and in the pocket also and smoke it fat cap up!