First Injected Pork Butt

[Pooky]

So, I cooked my first Pork Butt on Saturday, using my new injector (£10 from Lakeland).

I used a variation on Chris Lilly's formula - Reducing the salt by half and replacing half of the Worcestershire sauce with Fish Sauce, for that extra Umami hit!

I wrapped the butt in cling-film to save mess while injecting and set to work, filling the shoulder with the injection.

I then unwrapped it, patted it dry with kitchen roll, before giving it a good coating of my house Pork rub.



Lit the smoker, brought her up to just over 250F and added some Cherry and Hickory chunks until I got the magic blue smoke - Put the butt on.

After about an hour, I started spritzing with 5 parts Apple Juice, 1 part Cider Vinegar - and repeated this every 45-60 minutes.

Here she is just approaching 140 internal, about two and a half hour in:



When I liked the look of the colour (155F internal) I wrapped the butt tightly in foil, with a few sprays of the spritz mix.



This is the first time I've wrapped a butt and I was amazed at how quickly and steadily the temperature rose.

Around 8 hours, she hit 195F - So I started testing the blade bone and probing - Felt good at the edges nearest the tubes/MM, but was still a little firm in the middle, so I left her on and kept checking - Took her off the smoker at 201F - About 9 hours



Rested 1 hour in the warmed cooler (I couldn't wait any longer)

The blade bone came out with one pull and the meat pulled beautifully





I 'dressed' the meat with some of the reserved meat juices and a homemade Lexington style sauce, then went for 3 of these, served with pickles and beans



Then I went and had a lie down in front of the TV - A long lie down - With the occasional trip back to the kitchen to pick!

So, 9 hours cook time and 1 hour resting.
I have to say, this was the best Butt I've cooked yet - Good smoke-ring - beautifully moist and tender,sweet but with a great savoury finish, which must be thanks to the injection.

Next time, I'll do a side by side comparison, but I'm pretty sure the injection's the way to go for a greater depth of flavour.

Thanks to the man Joker Smoker for helping me get the Butt.

Now just to decide what to do with the little bit of leftovers I've got - Taquitos, Quesadillas, Pizza, etc, etc.....

[noxskuses]

Looks good Tom.

Chris Lilly's formula? What is it?

Where did you get your pork butt from?

I've been using sweet cider in my injections and it works really well.

Pete

[Pooky]

Hi Pete

Thanks man! Sorry for the slow response - Been a crazy week and have barely visited the forum.

So, the standard Chris Lilly recipe is:

3/4 cup apple juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire

Keep in mind that it's basically a competition injection, so adds a lot of savoury flavour.

I definitely want to try a Cyder/Cider injection - Luckily I'm not far from the Kent border and there are some great producers there.

I got the Butt/Neck End from Principal Meats in Brighton, upon recommendation from John at Bar-B-Q Shack - He uses them for some of his meats I believe and therefore, they're pretty familiar with the US cuts.

Tom

[noxskuses]

Cheers Tom. Just discovered meatpacks.co.uk do the boston butt cut (as well as decent ribs and brisket), and I have even got my local butcher to deliver the goods as well.

[CLEGGZILLA]

Looks amazing.

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