Dry Pork Butts

[Gabrael]

Hi all,

I did a couple of ~8lb boneless butts this past weekend.  I slathered them with yellow mustard, rubbed, let sit overnight, injected, and then smoked at 225.  I flipped and mopped at 7 hours, again at 10.5 hours.  I popped in a probe at about 12 hours and they were sitting around 165.  Raised temp to 250 to finish and took them off at about 195 after a total cook time of about 17 hours.  They seemed much drier than I am used to and had a thick 'hard' section of meat about an inch deep around the roast.  I had a loaf pan 3/4 full with water in the smoker.

After reading on here I get the distinct impression that the flipping and mopping I'm used to might be a no-no in the SI.  Was my problem mostly due to releasing too much moisture (and a prolonged cook time due to several heat losses)?  Any suggestions to keep the roasts moist?  I'll foil if needed.

Additionally, my next cook will likely be 3+ butts and about 12 racks of ribs, so opening the smoker at least once at some point is pretty much unavoidable.

I recently made the switch from a Weber Smokey Mountain due to new insurance restrictions and have never really had problems keeping my pork moist in the past.  I'm cooking for a large event this coming weekend and would be grateful for your insight.

Thanks!

 

[Pork Belly]

I believe......
The moisture added by mopping was equal to or less than the moisture lost by opening the door.
Flipping the meat is unnecessary.
Injecting will never increase moisture compared to 12 hours in a brine.
I never bump the temp up, I prefer slow and steady.
You may have been on too low of a rack always go as high as possible.

You should have pulled the meat out at 195, double wrap in foil and rest it in a cooler covered in towels or in the smoker set at 140. The rest can last up to two hours. While resting the juices redistribute in the meat. Pulling a hot fresh butt causes the juice to run out and not be reabsorbed.

When Divot see's your post he will link his brine, you should use it.

 

[Gabrael]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I did rest the butt for about an hour prior to pulling.  There was really almost no juice in these roasts, inside or out, to speak of.  Perhaps they were just really, horribly un-marbled.  :-\

Looking forward to the brine recipe.  Thanks again!

 

[NDKoze]

Is it possible that you were smoking Picnic Roasts instead of Boston Butts? The Picnics definitely do not have as much fat and will inherently be dryer than a Boston Butt.

I only smoke Boston Butts. If you have a Sam's Club in your area, that is one of the best places to purchase them.

 

[Pork Belly]

Great point about the cut of meat, I just assumed we were talking about butts. I would never go that high of an IT on a picnic.

 

[Gabrael]

I'm fairly certain they were not picnics.  I had to tie them to hold the upper corner together where the blade bone had been removed - right where I'm used to seeing the bone on a butt.

 

[NDKoze]

OK, so it sounds like you are using "boneless" butts.

I would definitely recommend that you try bone-in butts the next time. You won't have to worry about them falling apart and if you brine them I think you will see a lot more moisture in the results.

 

[DivotMaker]

Hi Aaron,

Once again, I'm late to the party. ???  The guys you're hearing from a SI pros, and have sound advice.  You'll have a little transition period from the "traditional" smoker methods, but it won't take long to embrace the simplicity of these smokers!  No need to foil, spritz, mop, flip, etc.... just close that door and smoke it!

I concur with the cut of meat.  I haven't done a boneless butt since I started brining all of my butts, but definitely would brine one.  I get great bone-in Boston butts from Sam's, so boneless isn't necessary for me.  I find the bone-in just cooks so much more evenly.  Since Brian endorsed it (thanks Brian!), I guess I have to pass-on the brine:

http://smokinitforums.com/index.php?topic=1608.0

I usually go 10-13 hours (depending on the size of the butt), then rinse well in cold water, then slather with mustard and rub.  In the smoker it goes - no rest in the fridge.  Some do another overnight, with rub on, but I usually don't have that kind of prep time.  Once you try a brined butt, it's hard to go back!

 

[swthorpe]

My butcher sells boneless boston butts, so that's what I smoke.  The brine is the bomb!  I brine every time for at least 12 hours.  I string up the butt to keep it together, give it a generous rub, and on to the smoker.  I have not had experienced anything but juicy meat, but I also give it at least 2 hours to rest before pulling.  I would recommend trying the brine for the next butt, and put it on a higher rack in the smoker.

 

[Gabrael]

Thanks Brian, Gregg, Tony, and Steve!

I've got a big food-grade bucket so I'll give the brine a shot.

Any recommendations on timing/smoke/placement when trying to combine ribs and butts into the same cook? 

I'm thinking since the ribs will be exposed to the heat for a shorter period, I'll put the butts up top with the rib rack below and the butts will baste the ribs

Will be sure to share my results with you all!

Thanks again and cheers!

 

[DivotMaker]

Hey Aaron,

Smoking ribs and butts together is always challenging - they cook so differently.  If it were me, I'd put the ribs as high as possible (laying flat, bone-side down), with the butts below.  Unless you have to many to fit on a shelf, I'd stay away from the rib rack when doing a combined smoke.  You want all the meat as high as possible (more stable heat), and I typically put the thicker/bigger cuts lower.  Just my 2¢...

 

[Gabrael]

Thanks everyone for the feedback!

Everything turned out.  I encountered some temp issues caused by such a huge quantity of meat, so I got plenty of smoke on the ribs and then had to move them to the oven to finish up and let the smoker get up to speed on cooking the butts.

The pulled pork was AMAZING - thanks so much for the brine recipe!  It was moist and packed with flavor - I'll definitely be using that method again.

 

[DivotMaker]

Great to hear, Aaron!  Glad you liked the brined butts!