The Butt
- One pork butt, I prefer bone in. Bones in butts are the best.
- Trim a little fat off to your liking. Don’t trim all of it. I like my butts to be substantial.
- Coat all surfaces with yellow or brown (your choice) mustard. Doesn’t really impact the flavor at all. Just used as a binder.
- Sprinkle Pappy’s Choice Seasoning (Less Salt) over entire surface, (a good alternative is Meat Church’s Holy Gospel), ensuring all nooks and cranny’s are coated. Be sure to use your fingers and push into the all the crevices and holes in the butt. A properly fingered butt is crucial to the flavor! Avoid clumping or piling up. Seasoning should be evenly spread over the entire butt. You should still be able to see a little mustard and butt through the seasoning.
- Wrap the butt in plastic film several layers thick. Store in refrigerator over night or at least 8 hours.
SMOKING THE MEAT
- Using a metal baking pan large enough for your butt to fit in, place a rack in the bottom of the pan to keep the butt suspended above the floor.
- Place the butt on the rack and pour water or a flavored broth in the bottom of the pan. Use plenty of liquid but don’t let it touch the butt.
- I prefer to start the smoker after the meat is on the rack. However you can pre-heat if you choose.
- I also use a 12 inch smoke tube along with the smoker. We like a LOT of smoke flavor when we eat butt. This is COMPLETELY optional.
- I set the smoker at about 200 degrees F and cook the butt until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Check the liquid level in the pan periodically and refill or top off as needed.
- Pull the pan and butt when it reaches 165 degrees F and place a sheet of heavy duty foil over the entire pan. This is known as “tenting”. Use two sheets if needed but you want to make sure it is well sealed over the butt. Check the liquid level. No one likes to eat dry butt.
- Return to the smoker and cook until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F.
- Pull and let rest in the pan for a couple hours. No need for a cooler. Just let it rest. When the internal temperature drops to 140 degrees or so pull the butt and start pulling it apart and enjoy!
DON’T RUSH OR GET IMPATIENT
DON’T PEEK
