Smoking pork is the best way to ensure your meat will be unbelievably tender, flavorful and juicy. You need to cook your Boston butt slowly at a low temperature to seal in all the flavor and juices. Pork butt is referred to as Boston butt, shoulder roast, Boston shoulder, country roast and pork shoulder.
A Boston butt is tough with a lot of collagen and fat. When you smoke your pork slowly, the connective tissue and fat will soften and melt for tender and moist meat. If you cook a pork butt any other way, you are risking ending up with dry, tough and chewy pork. Smoked pork butt also provides your meat with a lot more flavor for a sensational meal.
Pro Tip: Purchasing the best quality pork butt available is worth the money. Your best option is asking your butcher for the highest quality Boston butt available. You want the bone-in with a thick layer of fat on the top. The bone will help prevent your pork from drying out while keeping your port tender.
What You Need to Know for the Ideal Smoked Pork Butt
Pork butt is different from other cuts of meat because it must be smoked slowly and for a long time to ensure tenderness. The best part of the butt is called a money muscle. You will find it on the opposite end of the round bone. Smoked correctly, you will find the money muscle incredibly tender. Purchase a Boston butt with a big horn muscle because it is incredibly tender and full of flavor.
There are several different types of pork butt ideal form smoking. A whole pork shoulder is about 12 to 14 pounds with the upper section of the leg included. The bottom of the shoulder is called the picnic. The meat tapers to the leg in a triangular shape. The average picnic weighs six to eight pounds. A Boston butt is a pork shoulder, usually between six and eight pounds.
Pro Tip: If your pork shoulder has the word roast on the package, make certain you are not purchasing a pork loin. The cooking process is completely different.
The Necessary Steps for Smoked Pork Butt
To prepare your Boston butt, trim off any excess fat. Leave one-quarter inch on the fat cap side. Pat your pork dry with a paper towel. Prior to making your smoked pork butt, you need to decide which type of wood you want to use. We recommend fruit woods such as cherry, peach or apple. You can also use alder, mesquite or maple. To give your smoked port butt more flavor and moisture, we recommend injecting your meat.
You will need:
- Meat injector
- One cup water
- One cup apple juice
- One tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- One tablespoon soy sauce
- One-half cup salt
- One-half cup brown sugar
Your mixture is enough for two eight to 10 pound Boston butts. Put your Boston butt into an aluminum pan prior to injecting. Insert your needle into the pork then press down the plunger. Continue injecting at three different angles without removing your needle. Continue the procedure until you have covered your entire smoked pork butt. Put your pork into large zip-lock bags.
Pour any mixture that seeped into your pan over your pork. Seal your bags, put them over ice in your refrigerator and allow your pork to marinate for a minimum of four hours. If possible, leave the pork in your refrigerator overnight. Remove your pork from the bags, drain completely and use a paper towel to pat your Boston butt dry. Let your pork sit for approximately thirty minutes or until it reaches room temperature.
For an even tastier smoked pork butt, we recommend using your favorite dry rub. Use a couple of tablespoons of yellow mustard to coat your pork to ensure your rub will stick. Gently massage a liberal coating of pork butt rub into your meat.
How to Smoke a Pork Butt
Turn on your smoker, add your chosen wood and wait until the temperature reaches 225 degrees Fahrenheit. You need to smoke your pork butt one hour for every pound of pork. The best way to determine when your smoked pork butt is done is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. When the temperature reaches 195 degrees Fahrenheit, your pork is done.
While your Boston butt is smoking, make your mop.
You will need:
- 16 ounces cider vinegar
- 16 ounces vegetable oil
- 32 ounces water
- Two tablespoons soy sauce
- Two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- One cup pork butt rub
Pro Tip: Use extremely hot water to dissolve your pork butt rub. After your smoked pork butt has been cooking for two hours, use a barbeque mop to baste your meat. Repeat the process every two hours. Check your internal temperature after two hours. If the temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, begin the tenderization process.
Take your Boston butt off your smoker and place it on a work surface on aluminum foil. Use your baste to mop your smoked pork butt and lightly dust on more pork butt rub. Wrap your pork tightly in the aluminum foil and put it back on your smoker.
Pro Tip: Investing in a thermometer with a probe will eliminate the need to open the door to check the temperature with a manual thermometer. You can use your probe for smoking any type of meat. If you open the door too often, your meat will not be as tender. When your smoker temperature drops, your meat locks up and may become tough. The best way to smoke a perfect pork butt is by ensuring your temperature remains consistent.
Insert your meat thermometer inside of the thickest part of your smoked pork butt. Make certain your thermometer does not come in contact with the bone or it will produce a false reading. Continue cooking your meat on your smoker. At this point, your pork will have received enough smoke. You do not need to add any more wood. During this time, the tough connective tissue of your pork will soften resulting in mouth-watering, tender and juicy meat.
Your smoked pork butt needs to reach an internal temperature of 195 degrees Fahrenheit. You will need to smoke your Boston butt for a long time. When the internal temperature reaches about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, your pork will stall and appear to have stopped cooking. Do not open the door of your smoker for any reason. Do not unwrap the aluminum foil for any reason with absolutely no exceptions. For a tender, delicious smoked pork butt, your temperature must remain consistent at all times.
Wait until the internal temperature of your smoked pork butt has reached 195 degrees Fahrenheit before you remove the meat from your smoker. Be extremely careful because your Boston butt will be incredibly hot. There will be a lot of juices contained in the aluminum foil. We recommend using the thickest barbeque gloves you can find to remove your pork butt from the smoker and place it into an aluminum pan.
Your pan will catch all of the juices. Be careful when you open your aluminum foil. We recommend opening it one small section at a time so the steam can escape. Drain off as much of the juice as you can prior to rewrapping your pork in the aluminum foil. Allow your smoked pork butt to rest in a dry cooler. Your pork will remain hot for as long as four hours.
You can use a final glaze on your smoked pork butt for a gorgeous mahogany appearance. You will need to allow between 30 and 45 minutes to complete this step. Begin by taking your smoked pork butt out of your holding cooler. Take off as much of the foil as possible.
Pro Tip: Use your barbeque gloves for the above process because your aluminum foil will tear. Since your pork will still be hot, your gloves will make it much easier to handle.
The best final glaze is a barbeque sauce both sweet and spicy. You can also thin down your glaze by mixing in two or three tablespoons of your drippings from the pan. Not only will your pork have a delectable appearance, but it will also have a little extra flavor. Brush your glaze all over your smoked pork butt before placing it back in your smoker for one hour at 245 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is to caramelize your glaze.
You now have two options. You can slice your smoked pork butt into thick and tender slices or make pulled pork for sandwiches. To pull your pork, insert two forks into your meat and pull them in different directions. Your meat will pull off in long, thin shreds. Repeat the process until you have pulled the entire Boston butt. You can add barbeque sauce once you have placed your pork into a large bowl.
Slow-Smoked Pork Butt
Equipment
-
Meat Injector
Ingredients
- 12 lbs pork butt
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup water
Pork butt mop
- 16 oz cider vinegar
- 16 oz vegetable oil
- 32 oz water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup pork butt rub
Instructions
-
To prepare your Boston butt, trim off any excess fat.
-
Leave one-quarter inch on the fat cap side.
-
Pat your pork dry with a paper towel.
-
Prior to making your smoked pork butt, you need to decide which type of wood you want to use.
-
We recommend fruit woods such as cherry, peach or apple. You can also use alder, mesquite or maple.
-
Your injection mixture is enough for two eight to 10 pound Boston butts.
-
Put your Boston butt into an aluminum pan prior to injecting. Insert your needle into the pork then press down the plunger.
-
Continue injecting at three different angles without removing your needle. Continue the procedure until you have covered your entire smoked pork butt. Put your pork into large zip-lock bags.
-
Pour any mixture that seeped into your pan over your pork.
-
Seal your bags, put them over ice in your refrigerator and allow your pork to marinate for a minimum of four hours.
-
Remove your pork from the bags, drain completely and use a paper towel to pat your Boston butt dry. Let your pork sit for approximately thirty minutes or until it reaches room temperature.
-
Turn on your smoker, add your chosen wood and wait until the temperature reaches 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
You need to smoke your pork butt one hour for every pound of pork.
-
The best way to determine when your smoked pork butt is done is to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. When the temperature reaches 195 degrees Fahrenheit, your pork is done.
-
After your smoked pork butt has been cooking for two hours, use a barbeque mop to baste your meat.
-
Repeat the process every two hours.
-
Check your internal temperature after two hours. If the temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, begin the tenderization process.
-
Take your Boston butt off your smoker and place it on a work surface on aluminum foil.
-
Use your baste to mop your smoked pork butt and lightly dust on more pork butt rub.
-
Wrap your pork tightly in the aluminum foil and put it back on your smoker.
-
Insert your meat thermometer inside of the thickest part of your smoked pork butt.
-
Make certain your thermometer does not come in contact with the bone or it will produce a false reading.
-
Continue cooking your meat on your smoker.
-
At this point, your pork will have received enough smoke. You do not need to add any more wood.
-
uring this time, the tough connective tissue of your pork will soften resulting in mouth-watering, tender and juicy meat.
-
You will need to smoke your Boston butt for a long time. When the internal temperature reaches about 175 degrees Fahrenheit, your pork will stall and appear to have stopped cooking. Do not open the door of your smoker for any reason. Do not unwrap the aluminum foil for any reason with absolutely no exceptions. For a tender, delicious smoked pork butt, your temperature must remain consistent at all times.
-
Wait until the internal temperature of your smoked pork butt has reached 195 degrees Fahrenheit before you remove the meat from your smoker.
-
Allow your smoked pork butt to rest in a dry cooler. Your pork will remain hot for as long as four hours.
-
You can use a final glaze on your smoked pork butt for a gorgeous mahogany appearance.
-
You will need to allow between 30 and 45 minutes to complete this step. Begin by taking your smoked pork butt out of your holding cooler. Take off as much of the foil as possible.
-
You now have two options. You can slice your smoked pork butt into thick and tender slices or make pulled pork for sandwiches.
Nutrition
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Your Final Reward
You will enjoy a beautiful smoked pork butt simply by following the steps outlined above. Whether you serve your pork sliced or pulled, we are certain your result will be absolutely delicious.
The post Smoked Pork Butt – Delicious Slow-Smoked Recipe appeared first on Grill Master University.
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