how long do you brine (butt/shoulder)

[smokinjojo]

The pork I get from a supplier is fresh and untreated and I usually brine it the day before the smoke for added flavor. I am wondering how long do any of you brine? The store bought stuff gets too salty if you brine it imho. Any thoughts?

 

[sota d]

All the meat I buy is from a grocery store. I have brined a couple of butts-left them in the brine overnight, then gave them a good rinse and patted dry. They turned out great. It does imo help give a moister finished product. But the ones I've smoked without brining also are pretty darn good. Happy smokin', David.

 

[SmokinAl]

I brine my butts for three days.

Al

 

[3montes]

Have never brined a pork butt. Guess I never felt the need to. I have brined turkey and chicken with great results however and some pork tenderloins. Maybe I will try a butt one day. I have never had a problem with moisture in my pulled pork. I get the extra flavor I want by panning them at 165 with some dark beer in the pan and then tenting with foil and leaving them in the smoker until 205. Then I add more rub to the pulled pork before vacuum sealing and freezing.

But to answer your question I would do as Al and go a couple days for a 8lb pork butt.

 

[smokinjojo]

Sounds good, I never tried beer, and never brined more than a day. I have several to do, might do some experiments using one as a control, now if I could only find some taste testers...

 

[edwardc]

The amount of time needed to brine depends on the cut of meat and its thickness. Slender cuts like the ones of chicken and pork chops require 30-60 miutes of brine time.. On the other hand turkey need 6-12 hours. It varies with type

 

[emsemt]

I've only done 12 hours for a 8lb butt. Maybe my next one will be 24hrs and 12hrs to see if I can taste the difference.

 

[chef jimmyj]

With Pork and Beef...The Salt in Brine (1C Kosher per Gallon) with or without Cure #1, takes 1 Day to penetrate 1/4" from all sides. So a 6X8" thick Butt for 4, 6, 12 or 24 hours??? Spinnin' Wheels! The Fact is, You get as much or more with the DRY Brine effect of Rubbing and wrapping the night before and many here Poo Poo That!, as doing nothing and all that is needed is rub while the smoker heats.

You would need to Brine a Butt 2 WEEKS or Inject to get a through and through result...JJ

 

[SmokyMose]

I've never brined a butt and didn't know anyone did.

 

[Bearcarver]

The only thing I Brine is Poultry, and it never gets salty.

I guess it's because I use Mad Hunky Poultry Brine, which is not a Salt Based Brine, and it works Great.

Bear