Smoking my first pork picnic.

[stevetheteacher]

Got a quick question: do I smoke with the fat cap facing up or down please?

THANKS!

Steve

 

[GaryHibbert]

Morning Steve.  I always smoke my pork butts fat cap up.  Don't see any reason a picnic should be any different.

Gary

 

[pc farmer]

I  cut all of the fat off, so  it doesn't really matter.

 

[phatbac]

I  cut all of the fat off, so  it doesn't really matter.

I recommend th same. Trim off the major fat cap around the sides. If you do it right comes off all in one piece. There is plenty of fat left to make juicy smokey goodness. Apply rub/seaoning after the fat cap is off. Smoke to 195-205 and shred/chop after resting. I think its as good as boston butt, just a little fattier. Makes wonderful q

Happy Smoking,
phatbac(Aaron)

 

[sqwib]

• For a picnic trim off the SKIN, there is no Fatcap on this portion.

• skin can be used for cracklin's

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• sqwib
• Jun 29, 2016

• I will sometimes debone and truss also,

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• sqwib
• Jun 29, 2016

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• sqwib
• Jun 29, 2016

• For Butts,

Reasons why I trim the fat:

• Smoke and rub will not penetrate through the fat into the meat, however a cross hatch cut into the fat to meat level helps with some rub penetration.
• Cooking with the fat intact increases cook time, which I toss after the cook anyway and I find no benefit to leaving the fat intact while cooking on a pit.
• Some folks subscribe to the fact that leaving the fat on self bastes the meat however the pork butt contains a good amount of intramuscular fat, so the roast will actually "self baste" from the inside out.
• Trimming the external fat increases the surface area for more bark formation and smoke penetration.

Remove the nasties:

• Trim off any unsightly things like veins, bloody spots and Lymph Nodes.

Depending on the smoker/pit you can use the fat cap to protect the meat, remember there is also a fat layer called a false cap

• If you plan on keeping the fat on, score in a cross hatch pattern and make sure to pack the rub in the cross hatch.

 

[stevetheteacher]

Looking for an IT of 205 degrees, right?

 

[sqwib]

 
Looking for an IT of 205 degrees, right?

If you plan on foiling and resting you can remove at about 195-200 for a good pull, just make sure to rest an hour prior to pulling. I used to do the cooler, towel, foil thingy, now I just place in foil rest in a pan on the counter and after a half hour tent the foil open another 30-60 minutes. The cooler trick works great if you are done earlier than expected and will stay in the safe zone for hours.

I usually remove mine as soon as it breaks 200°

 

[SmokinAl]

Sounds like SQWIB has got you covered.

Let us know how it turns out!

Al