First Pork Butt of the year

[Fordman4ever]

6.5 hours in the smoker.................Getting closer!!

Looks tasty! I have never done a pork butt before, do you cook it about the same as a brisket?

[Fordman4ever]

When smoking a pork butt, I cover it in mustard then put a dry rub on it and throw it in the smoker. I keep the heat low and the smoke thick. about every 30-45 minutes i spray the meat with a jack daniels / apple juice mixture that puts a really nice bark on the outside. when i pull it off the smoker i throw it in a crock pot(i have a really big crock pot) and pour 1 can of dark beer over it and add a lipton vegetable pack along with chopped onion and fresh minced garlic and let it cook for about 12 more hours. No need to "pull" the pork, as it is already falling apart in the crock pot. I usually make my own BBQ sauce too. Its usually a mustard/vinegar based sauce with the drippings from the pork or the brisket mixed in.

when smoking a brisket, I cut slits in the meat and put in chopped up fresh garlic, then cover the whole thing in mustard, then cover it with dry rub then put it in the fridge over night. the next day I smoke it for about 7-8 hours, again spraying it with a jack daniels/apple juice or cranberry/rum mixture. when i pull it off the smoker, i put it in a turkey bag and put it in the oven at 250 for about 4-6 more hours. when i pull it out of the oven it goes into the fridge to cool down so i can slice it up.

[ArgusP2]

I just passed out from hunger reading this thread!

[Fordman4ever]

Just pulled the Butt off the smoker, once it has had time to rest I will post more pictures.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by Fordman4ever

You are correct!!!

I added the extension to the smoke stack to keep more heat and smoke in the smoke box. I bought it at ACE Hardware for like $2. The square thing on the firebox was there when i bought it, dont really know what its for, but it doesn't get hot so i guess you could put things on it if you wanted to.

That is a very good idea that I intend to copy!!

Does the square box open? could it be a warming box or such?

[shilala]

It's gotta cook 12 more hours after she comes off the smoker? By the time this thing is done, you're gonna need CPR.

[Aero95]

That looks tasty. The closest thing to a smoker at my house is a weber charcoal grill. Someday I will buy a smoker.

[Fordman4ever]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

That is a very good idea that I intend to copy!!

Does the square box open? could it be a warming box or such?

The square piece is just 2 pieces of steel, like a big piece of angle iron welded onto the firebox. Don't know why

[Fordman4ever]

Done, going into the crock pot till the morning.

[forgop]

This thread is worthless without a full step by step recipe.

Never tried this myself but now I want to. A brisket is also on my must do list this summer.

[Fordman4ever]

Ok, here goes. Keep in mind this is just how I do things, not how it "should" be done.

When selecting a pork butt, I like to find one that has a thick layer of fat on one side and is between 8-11 pounds. The first thing I do is trim off any excess fat and score the top layer of fat in a checker board pattern of about 1/4" squares(this helps the fat to render easier while on the smoker) the next thing i do is prepare a marinade to inject into the pork, it is usually butter and garlic based.( I change the other ingredients regularly just to try new things) once i have all the marinade on the inside of the pork, I cover the whole butt with mustard and my own dry rub. if i dont have any or dont feel like making any, i use a dry rub from ace hardware called KC Butt Rub. once the pork is on the smoker, i use Oak for the heat because it burns long and hot and I use Pecan and Apple wood for the flavor. sometimes I use jack daniels wood barrel chips for flavor as well. I love the smoke flavor so i try to keep the smoke thick and constant which requires almost constant attention to the smoker, but i don't mind it cause i love cooking. about every 30-45 minutes I spray the pork with an apple juice/jack daniels mixture. the sugars create a really nice bark on the pork and keeps all the moisture in the meat. once the pork has been on the smoker for about 8 hours, i move it to a crock pot( did i mention that i have a really big crock pot) if you dont have a big crock pot you can use an aluminum turkey pan or something of the like. I pour 1 can/bottle of dark beer on the pot along with all the drippings from smoking the pork, fresh minced garlic, chopper onion and 1 lipton's vegetable pack. I cook it on high for about 3 hours then turn it way down and cook it for about 8 more hours. If there is a little too much liquid in the pot, i will remove the lid for the last 1.5 hours of the cooking time and let everything reduce. by this point the pork is so tender there is no need to "pull" the pork as it is already falling apart.

I hope that if you try this, it turns out as good for you as it has for me.

[CoreyD]

wanna sell a bottle of the apple juice jack daniels mixture? I can't have a full bottle of jack daniels with fear of drinking it... This looks yummy. My mom and step dad have a smoker at their retirement property I think I may have to try this ...