Boston Butt Brine -- Wait Time?

[baran3]

Prepping for my first smoke this weekend. I'm going to use the now-famous brine recipe found here, but have a timing question. Depending on my work schedule, I'm not sure what time I can start my brine. If no work, I can start Friday morning around 11AM, remove from brine around 11PM Friday night, then mustard/rub and into the smoker at midnight.

But there is a possibility I won't be here Friday morning. I've seen posts about an 8-to-12 hour wait time, uncovered, in the fridge after the brine and before the smoke. If this is an acceptable way of doing it, I can brine Thursday night and remove Friday early afternoon and let it sit until midnignt. I know not to cover with mustard/rub until smoke time.

Should there be a wait time between brine and smoker or does it matter either way?

Thanks for the help,  Ken

 

[Grampy]

Ken, The 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. brine then mustard/rub and smoke would be ideal if it works out that way. However, you shouldn't have any issues if you brine over night remove and hold til Friday night either. If it were me, I would cut back on the amount of salt in the brine from 1/2 or 1/4  of the original amount and let it in brine from Thursday night until you get ready to smoke it on Friday night. I have brined butts up to 24 hours without any problems at all. The key to a longer brine time is lowering the amount of salt used in the brine. 

 

[JustChillin]

While everything brine recipes and times are a personal preference, I agree with Jimmy on reducing the salt in the brine.

 

[baran3]

OK, so salt is the key for brine times and that makes sense.

In a similar situation, if you only had 6 hours before smoke time, would you bother to brine? And if no brine, is it necessary to apply mustard/rub in advance of the smoke or can it be done just before smoke time?

Ken

 

[Grampy]

Any brine time will be beneficial in my opinion. So I'd say yes even at 6 hours it would still be worth it. That being said, I have smoked numerous butts without brining at all and there is enough internal fat in a boston butt to still keep it moist and juicy. Boston butts are pretty forgiving and hard to mess up. I mustard/rub just before I  put it into the smoker. I think it is just a personal preference if you do it ahead of time or just before. You really won't notice much difference either way you go.

 

[ibbones]

I do not think brining is mandatory to have a perfect butt (love saying that) but if I only had a couple hours, I would brine it. 
And I am also a rub it right before smoking kind of guy.  Most of the time I put my butts on the smoking rack and set it over the kitchen sink.  Then as I rub them, all the "extra" stuff that does not stick well is easy to clean up with a blast of the faucet.

 

[JustChillin]

Michael, I like your idea of doing the rub over the sink. Easier clean up is always preferred.

 

[DivotMaker]

Ken, I never let a butt "rest" after brining.  I rinse thoroughly in cold water, slather on the mustard and rub, and get the smoker ready.  I've never had anything but stellar results with this method, and don't foresee changing it!

 

[baran3]

Agreed Tony; I know not to let it rest with the rub on it after brining. But if my schedule gets fouled up Friday morning I can see 3 options.
1. Brine for over 24 hours and cut the salt in the brine recipe in half.
2. Start the brine Thursday evening and remove early afternoon Friday. I'd cut the salt by maybe 25 percent since the total brine time could be close to 18 hours. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry, then wrap and store in fridge until rub/smoke time.
3. Start brine early afternoon Friday and possibly only get a 10 hour bath.

I'll start a new thread with my process, results, and pictures after I'm done.

Thanks for all the input from everybody.
Ken

 

[Grampy]

Ken, don't stress too much about what ever method you choose for the brining process. As I stated in my earlier comment, a Boston butt is very forgiving and has enough internal fat that it will turn out great as long as you cook it at 225 degrees to an internal temperature of 195-200 degrees. 

 

[baran3]

I know you're right Jimmy. I'm just a planner and like to know my options.

You mentioned an IT of 195-200. I thought the target for a butt/pulled pork was 190?

 

[Grampy]

I know you're right Jimmy. I'm just a planner and like to know my options.

You mentioned an IT of 195-200. I thought the target for a butt/pulled pork was 190?

Ken, if you go by the Smoking Guide http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=2151.0;attach=3582 it is 195 degrees.
(This link should open a PDF file with the smoking guide.)

 

[baran3]

Ha; you're right. I've printed that sheet and have read it a half dozen times. But my brain locked in on 190 degrees anyway. Thanks for setting me straight.

 

[Grampy]

Ha; you're right. I've printed that sheet and have read it a half dozen times. But my brain locked in on 190 degrees anyway. Thanks for setting me straight.

No problem, glad to help. Keep us posted on how it goes.

 

[NDKoze]

Tony (Divotmaker) and several others here (me included) have started using 190 as the final internal temp with very good results.

I typically try to pull mine at 190, but really anywhere in the 190-195 range is an ideal range to pull. So, if your butt is getting done earlier than you thought it would, there is no problem letting it go until 195. But, if your butt is taking longer than anticipated and you are hungry, you can pull at 190 and be good to go after a minimum 1-hour rest that is.

 

[ibbones]

I take my butts to about 190ish and let them set in the smoker until I pull them, 2-4 hours.  The temp might get to 192-195 and it it looks like it's not going to stop rising, I open/close the door and the temp will drop a bit, just enough to stop the cooking process.

 

[baran3]

Bones, when they reach the 190ish point and you 'let them set in the smoker' until you pull them; clarify that for me please. Do you open the smoker, double-wrap, power off the smoker, then put back in smoker and close door for the 'rest' period? Or are you describing something else here that you're doing prior to the 'rest' period?

 

[ibbones]

Bones, when they reach the 190ish point and you 'let them set in the smoker' until you pull them; clarify that for me please. Do you open the smoker, double-wrap, power off the smoker, then put back in smoker and close door for the 'rest' period? Or are you describing something else here that you're doing prior to the 'rest' period?

Yes sir, I turn the smoker off about 190*, sometimes I "crack" the door open/close as fast as I can, just to cool the box temp to below 150* but most of the time, I just let the meat set in the smoker, no wrapping or anything.  That is where I rest the meat.  The smoker will stay hot for hours ( I am in south Texas) so I just leave it in there.  Sometimes I pull, wrap, and towel then into the cooler...or microwave.  DO NOT TURN IT ON!!!!  I just use the small space to help keep the butt warm while it's wrapped. 
I guess I have bouts of lazy kick in every now and then and when they do, I do not wrap or anything, just set the SI to a 140* to make sure everything is food safe and let it rest, or even climb in temperature until time to pull. 8)