Boston Butt today

Just popped it on the grill about three hours ago. There is a mist in the air today coupled with a light rain every now and again. The smell is really hanging around. It smells sooo good. I can't wait to dig in. Should be ready about 7:00. I've got a small hunk of hickory and a medium chunk of apple in there with it. Rubbed it down with salt, black pepper, onion powder, dried garlic, and some dried crushed smoked jalapeno.





I'll be making the sauce in about an hour:

* 1 cup cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Southern style.

That sounds fantastic, my dad likes to smoke up some boston butt to make pulled pork sandwiches with.

Cooler rest for at least an hour or two is key

I started doing this and aint never going back.

Double wrap in tin foil and then in a towel, put in the smallest cooler that will hold it.

babalu87 said:

Cooler rest for at least an hour or two is key

I started doing this and aint never going back.

Double wrap in tin foil and then in a towel, put in the smallest cooler that will hold it.

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Really? I've heard of resting a steak but never pork. What does it accomplish?

Nice grill I own an egg as well, best grill, EVER! even it it looks like... an egg.

Will this pork be pulled?

HighPlainsDrifter said:

Really? I've heard of resting a steak but never pork. What does it accomplish?

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A drier cutting board as all the juices stay with the meat.

Trust me on this, cooler rest is key.

kxx said:

Nice grill I own an egg as well, best grill, EVER! even it it looks like... an egg.

Will this pork be pulled?

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Yes.

I'm hoping around 7:30-8:00. But it's not ready until it's ready. I usually cook 'em for about 14 hours but this was kind of spur of the moment. I'm keeping it a little hotter than I normally do to try to speed it up a little. I usually put 'em on before I go to bed and serve for lunch during football season. That's one of the great features of the egg, no worries about holding temp. Just get it where you want it and head off to bed.

I've had the egg for just under a year and I have to agree, it can't be beat. I used to use a Weber gas grill that I kept because I thought that I would use it if I was in a hurry. I haven't touched it since. The only thing I use the Weber for now is to store my wood chunks and as a place to hang my utensils.

babalu87 said:

A drier cutting board as all the juices stay with the meat.

Trust me on this, cooler rest is key.

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I don't use boards for this. The meat will be pulled so I use a bowl and pour on the sauce. No runnings what so ever.

But, I'll give this a try next time. I'm a little pressed for time today so I probably will not have the extra hour or so. Thanks for the input.

HighPlainsDrifter said:

Really? I've heard of resting a steak but never pork. What does it accomplish?

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If you monitor the internal temp of you butt, you will see that it stays in the 160 deg range for most of the 10-12 hours it takes to cook. During this time the fat is basically melting.

When you pull your butt off the heat the fat is still liquid. An hour rest in a cooler allows the meat to slowly re-absorb it. Fat = flavour, you don't want to lose it.

I just use a towel, no foil. The foil holds in the moisture and makes the meat soggy.

One more point, if you're not already doing so, use a meat thermometer, not a clock, to determine when your butt is finished. 190-200 deg is the general rule of thumb.

awesome!!!!!

i'm an egger as well.... best grill/smoker ever.

I second the cooler rest. Even 30 min makes a difference. I do this for butts and ribs and it really moistens and breaks down the meat. You can also wrap in foil for the last hour on the grill. Same effect. No matter what I'm sure it will be delicious! Enjoy!

arturo7 said:

If you monitor the internal temp of you butt, you will see that it stays in the 160 deg range for most of the 10-12 hours it takes to cook. During this time the fat is basically melting.

When you pull your butt off the heat the fat is still liquid. An hour rest in a cooler allows the meat to slowly re-absorb it. Fat = flavour, you don't want to lose it.

I just use a towel, no foil. The foil holds in the moisture and makes the meat soggy.

One more point, if you're not already doing so, use a meat thermometer, not a clock, to determine when your butt is finished. 190-200 deg is the general rule of thumb.

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Ahh, that makes sense. If time allows, I'll definitely give the resting a go.

I do have a probe that I use for temp readings. It's invaluable. The times stated earlier are just a reference of the time that it usually takes to reach 200-205deg. I usually do butts at a grill temp of about 210.

misterVT said:

I second the cooler rest. Even 30 min makes a difference. I do this for butts and ribs and it really moistens and breaks down the meat. You can also wrap in foil for the last hour on the grill. Same effect. No matter what I'm sure it will be delicious! Enjoy!

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i'll third the cooler rest. i always wrap my butt in a beach blanket and put it in a cooler for an hour or so.

Sounds like it's going to be delicious!

What's good drinking with an egged pork butt?

My egg came with a plate setter, and it allows for heat to be applied indirectly. The top of it looks exactly like a pizza stone, so.. I have been smoking home made pizzas like crazzy lately. If you put a bit of mozzarella(large slices of fresh mo) atop the pizza it does a good job of absorbing the smokey goodness.

misterVT said:

I You can also wrap in foil for the last hour on the grill.

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Although it is popular, I am not a fan of using the foil an anything that I smoke.

To me it is a hack used to cover up poor technique and creates soggy meat. "Falling off the bone" is not proper texture for BBQ.

That looks amazing. I have a Kahlua pig butt recipe I have been meaning to do all summer. Maybe this is the weekend

Just checked the temp for the first time, it's already at 176. Looks like I will have time to rest it after all. I scaled back the heat to 210 to slow her down a little.

HighPlainsDrifter said:

Ahh, that makes sense. If time allows, I'll definitely give the resting a go.

I do have a probe that I use for temp readings. It's invaluable. The times stated earlier are just a reference of the time that it usually takes to reach 200-205deg. I usually do butts at a grill temp of about 210.

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210 for the win

arturo7 said:

Although it is popular, I am not a fan of using the foil an anything that I smoke.

To me it is a hack used to cover up poor technique and creates soggy meat. "Falling off the bone" is not proper texture for BBQ.

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It is for a Boston Butt

Holy Crap do those eggs really cost 700+ dollars?

arturo7 said:

Although it is popular, I am not a fan of using the foil an anything that I smoke.

To me it is a hack used to cover up poor technique and creates soggy meat. "Falling off the bone" is not proper texture for BBQ.

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lol how are you going to make pulled pork then
i mean dude its a sholder (not a butt) if its not falling apart then you cant eat it its all strung together

Displaced MassHole said:

Holy Crap do those eggs really cost 700+ dollars?

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yes

I wanted one for a year before I got it. Keep your eyes peeled in Craig's List classifieds etc. I got mine (a large) from a guy that was moving for $300. Preseasoned and everything.

Displaced MassHole said:

Holy Crap do those eggs really cost 700+ dollars?

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it's the last grill you will EVER buy..... until you get the itch for another egg. i'm up to two and have a third in my sights.

Ok, all done. Final temp was 194.



Took off the grill and rested as advised for one hour, wrapped in a towel in a cooler.
After resting:



Pulled and sauced:



Now, SWMBO and I are going to enjoy a few sammiches with a Founders Centennial IPA from last years Secret Santa swap. I've been saving it for quite awhile. Thanks Jester369!

I was a meatcutter for many years and could never figure this one out: Why is it called Boston Butt, when it it is actually a cut from the shoulder????


Still tastes good, though.............

From Wikipedia:

It is said that in pre-revolutionary New England and into the Revolutionary War, some pork cuts (not those highly valued, or "high on the hog," like loin and ham) were packed into casks or barrels (also known as "butts") for storage and shipment. The way the hog shoulder was cut in the Boston area became known in other regions as "Boston butt". The name "Boston butt" is not used in Boston but is used in other parts of the U.S.

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Its not used in Boston?

I'm from the greater Boston area and it says Boston Butt on the labels.
I call it Boston Butt

WIKI needs an update

babalu87 said:

WIKI needs an update

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Well what are you waiting for then?

I'm doing an 8# butt tonight on my Masterbuilt Electric Smoker. I'll put it on at 10 pm and have it for lunch tomorrow! (Electric = cooking while you sleep!)

dataz722 said:

Well what are you waiting for then?

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Nothing.......

I'm going to be doing a butt tomorrow, I usually use my smoker, but I'm going to try it on my new grill. It's pretty big, so I'm betting I can get enough smoke and heat on it without cooking it too fast. Anyay ...

Steve Raichlan has the best ever Mustard barbecue sauce, and vinegar BBQ sauce recipes in his "How to Grill" book. I usually strain all of the non-liquid items out of his sauce though, but it's still awesome.

Big green eggs seem pretty cool, I just use a standard water cooler for my stuff.

Same here - butt going on the grill at 8am. It is sitting in brine right now. Got a bunch of hickory chunks ready to go.

babalu87 said:

It is for a Boston Butt

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I was referencing the general practice of using foil, especially with ribs. Guess I didn't make that clear.

arturo7 said:

I was referencing to the general practice of using foil, especially with ribs. Guess I didn't make that clear.

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I dont wrap it tight in foil, its to keep the towel clean

These ribs are awesomer, the meat falls off the bone

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Maybe, but that aint Q

babalu87 said:

Maybe, but that aint Q

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I wouldn't go so far as to say it ain't Q. Just not good Q.

Falling off, or being able to pull it off? I think if you can pull the meat off the bone with your fingers, which many would consider falling off the bone, then that is good BBQ, at least IMHO.

Wrapping it tight in foil to get it that way is kind of cheating, but unless you're in the BBQ Olympics, I'm not going to fault you for it, I just try to get there with a smoker and low heat.

I've used foil to keep some of the smoke and soot off of the meat, especially in wood fired, home made smokers, but I didn't wrap it tight. Still, if it tastes good ...