Smoked Pork Butt

One of the second things I learned how to smoke was a pork butt. 10 years ago, I perfected my brisket recipe, then went straight into smoking pork butt. If you don't already know, Pork is really easy to work with.. as long as you keep my saying in mind. "You only get out of it what you put into it"! Which is 100% true because Pork and Chicken really need flavor added to it (unlike Seafood or Beef).

In this recipe I will walk through what it looks like with a full video recipe as well as step by step cooking instruction typed out below.

What is Pork Butt? What is Pork Shoulder?

Pork butt and the pork shoulder are both cuts that come from the shoulder of the pig even though the term suggest something else. Each are economical to purchase and are best cooked over a lower temperature using a smoker, braising, stewing or cooking in a crockpot. You can interchange them but a few things to keep in mind when to use which one.

When should I use Pork Shoulder and Pork Butt?

Pork butt is a cut of meat that comes from the thick part of a pig's shoulder. It has parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper leg. Maybe that's too much information but can be useful if you want to know details about the cut of meat you're working with.

It's a little tough to work with and contains lots of connective tissue and fat marbling through the meat. Most of the time when you purchase it, it comes with the fat cap on top and the bone in. I recommend keeping both while smoking this cut of meat for maximum flavor. It's also referred to as the "Boston Butt" because of the New England old technique of storing the meat in barrels called, "butts".

Pork shoulder comes from the thinner more triangle shaped end of the shoulder of the pig which is just above the front legs. It has marbling but just not as much as the Pork butt and a little less fat. Usually, it comes with the skin on and a bit of fat on top.

Now that we know more about the meat you are going to cook let me share with you all the ingredients you will need.

Ingredients you'll need:

• One pork butt - it really doesn't matter what size you get but they average around 6-10 lbs. 
• BBQ Rub of your choice or you can make up your own rub (I used PS Seasoning Pig Rub)
• ⅓ Cup Mirin
• 1 ½ Cups White Vinegar
• 3 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoon (Sesame oil or Chili Sesame Oil)
• 2 tablespoon Hot Sauce
• ¾ Cup Honey
• ¾ Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Cup (Apple Juice or Fruit Punch)

Helpful Supplies and Equipment

• Aluminum Pans
• Heavy Duty Foil
• Meat Injector
• Catering Insulated Box
• Catering Pan
• Cutlery that I use DAILY - Flint and Flame - Use code ChefTim40 to get 40% off
• Stock Pot <-- 10% off
• Meater Plus Temperature Probe
• Meat Shredder 

I would love to have your honest feedback or review of this dish if you made it and or tell me what additions or changes you made to it to adjust to your palate.

Detailed Instructions for Smoked Pork Butt:

Step 1 :  First step is to score the meat the way you see on the video going 1" deep making a cross pattern.

Step 2 : Second is to use mustard as a binder on every side of pork to help make the seasoning stick. Season heavily with the Pig Rub then cover and place in the refrigerator for 24 - 48 hours minimum for maximum flavor.

Step 3 : Make the injection liquid. Place the rest of the ingredients in a Hexclad 3qt stock pot or whatever pot you have. Bring it to a boil and then on a low simmer for 20 minutes and I mean a low simmer and ensure that you have given it a stir at the beginning and a couple of times after. Then, place it in a jar once cooled and place in the refrigerator.

Step 4: The next day (or two days later), remove pork from the refrigerator and inject a total of 6 oz of liquid into the pork in three different places. Place it back in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Step 5: Turn on your smoker or pellet grill to 275°F and place meat prob in center of pork. Load your pork butt once it sat with the injection liquid for 2 hours. Don't worry some of that liquid will come out of the pork. Place on the smoker until it reaches 165-170°F or until you see some bark set well.

Step 6: Pull meat off at 165-170°F, wrap it and place back on the smoker until it reaches and internal temperature of 201-203°F. Place it in the Catering Box for one hour.

Step 7: Pull the pork out of the box after an hour of rest and shred it with pork shredders.

@cookitwithtim

How to smoke a pork butt! What dies the entire process look like from beginning to end to bbq smoke a pork butt. #pork #porkbutt #bbq Full recipe amd cooking instructions are found at cookitwithtim.com

♬ Fighters - OctaSounds

Recipe

---

Related recipes:

• Mexica Pizza
• Taco Seasoning
• White Chicken Chili

browse more recipes

JOIN CHEF TIM ON YOUTUBE