Pork butt challenge

[Gary Uk]

Ok guys I am from the UK and our cuts of meat differ from yours.
Having seen all the wonderful pork butts being smoked I decided to get one from an online butcher that sells the American type of cut.
I also bought a normal English piece of pork shoulder from my local supermarket
There is quite a difference in price , the American cut works out at the equivalent of 10 dollars a pound and the English cut was 5
I plan on cooking them exactly the same to see which one is the best and also to see if paying double was worth it ( let's hope so)

 

[dcecil]

Cant wait to see pics, Im gonna have to follow this one

 

[SmokinAl]

How about a couple of photo's of the 2 pieces of meat.
Would really like to see what is available on your side of the pond!
Al

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Keep us in the loop Gary. Whatever the results are I'm certain that they will both be delicious. Always eat the evidence when you are disappointed. Nobody can judge what they cant see lol.

George

 

[Smoke23]

...American cut works out at the equivalent of 10 dollars a pound.

And I complain when I pay $1.49 lb.

 

[Gary Uk]

I will update with photos tomorrow
Also an error on my part , should be 10 dollars a kilo
So not as expensive as it appears
I have about 20 friends coming round tomorrow
i'm cooking pulled pork, beer can chickens, abt's and baked potatoes
Only had my smoker a week lol
wish me luck

 

[dcecil]

I will update with photos tomorrow
Also an error on my part , should be 10 dollars a kilo
So not as expensive as it appears
I have about 20 friends coming round tomorrow
i'm cooking pulled pork, beer can chickens, abt's and baked potatoes
Only had my smoker a week lol
wish me luck

Your ambitious, and thats awesome LOL. Good luck on your cook

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

I will update with photos tomorrow
Also an error on my part , should be 10 dollars a kilo
So not as expensive as it appears
I have about 20 friends coming round tomorrow
i'm cooking pulled pork, beer can chickens, abt's and baked potatoes
Only had my smoker a week lol
wish me luck

Good luck? Who needs that when you've got a smoker and determination. You got this!

George

 

[oddegan]

Watching. Looking forward to the results.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Also curious to see what the difference in cuts are. I know in common terminology Pork Butt and Pork Shoulder are pretty much the same <from my googling to figure out the cuts>... wonder if that is true world wide though?

 

[myownidaho]

Following!

 

[jaxgatorz]

I better get my place in line ..:D

 

[Gary Uk]

Ok guys

I must apologise but i didn't get any pictures of my food
I was a bit ambitious with the amount of food i was preparing, so i had no time to take pictures. I really was up against the clock at times. Plus both pieces of meat took way longer than i anticipated.
My guests were arriving at 1pm Saturday and i was planning on serving food at 2pm
I started my pork at 8pm Friday night at 225
I woke at 5am checked temp and both were at 160. I put some potatoes in to smoke and turned the temp to 240.
This was when my problems began, both pieces of pork dropped a few degrees. This was my first pork butt and being a novice i was planning on wrapping at 165, with hindsight i think i should have wrapped then. They didnt reach 165 until 9am, well i was worried about opening the door again and the temp dropping so i let them be.
At 11 am they were only at 175 and i was starting to get worried, i expected them to be done and sat resting till my guests arrived. so i got them out and double wrapped them. Fortunately at 2pm the smaller English cut of hit 205 so i took it out and pulled straight away and served up.
Now the american cut didnt reach 205 till about 5pm
I know that the saying is its done when its done, but this did seem a long time
Luckily both pieces pulled beautifully and tasted great. For those interested in the difference between the 2 cuts of meat
The English one was boneless with less fat
The american pork butt had a few bones in and had a thicker layer of fat on the top, the meat also had more fat marbled through it. Of the two the American one was definitely better it was the best pulled pork i have had to date but it was twice the price and from a Gloucester old spot pig which is renowned for its flavour.
I would get the American cut again for special occasions but for general eating the English one was far better value and tasted very good too.

 

[schlotz]

A number of variables can enter into the total time equation. Always good to have verified the smoker grate temps with a known calibrated thermometer so you truly know what temp your running at. Butts can be done fast, slow or in combination. If I'm working to a deadline I follow the combination method. Slow smoked for 5-6 hrs usually around 245º until the IT reaches 160º. The meat will only absorb so much smoke, after that period it's fine to tightly double wrap in foil and bump the temp to 300º, either still in the smoker or in the oven for approximately 2 more hours until it reaches 203-205º.