Another Pork Butt Question

[ddog27]

Ok one more question about cooking pork butt. Normally when I cook pork butt I smoke it until it reaches 165 degrees. Then I foil it and put it back on the smoker until the pork butt reaches 190 – 200 degrees. I use the foiling as a chance to add more flavors. Do most of you foil your pork butts? If not why? Do you get better bark if you do not foil? Is the meat still moist if you do not put it in foil?

 

[Captain Morgan]

I don't see how foil adds flavor. It can keep meat juicy. I never foil
my butts unless it's gonna rest for a while. Foil means steam, which
can destroy your bark. I do foil ribs, but with the 3-2-1 method which
allows the crust to firm up.

 

[LarryWolfe]

Ok one more question about cooking pork butt. Normally when I cook pork butt I smoke it until it reaches 165 degrees. Then I foil it and put it back on the smoker until the pork butt reaches 190 – 200 degrees. I use the foiling as a chance to add more flavors. Do most of you foil your pork butts? If not why? Do you get better bark if you do not foil? Is the meat still moist if you do not put it in foil?

Darin, I don't foil butts for a number of reasons. 1) shoulders have enough fat and don't need to be foiled to retain moisture, 2) foiling makes the butt steam and boil in it's fat and IMO gives you a greasy/mushy product and texture, 3) it ruins the bark. This is just my opinion, there are alot of people that foil and are happy with their results. Cook the butts the way you like the finished product the best.

I agree with Cappy, I don't understand how foiling adds more flavor. Can you elaborate more on this??

BTW, I do foil my butts when I'm resting them. But by then they're pretty rendered out of excess fat.

 

[ddog27]

I usually add something when I put it in the foil. Like put some TPJ on it and then foil it. Something like that.

 

[chris1237]

I never foil my butts or ribs. I think i get a better product when i dont foil. Ill foil them when I put them in a cooler to rest but that is it. Ill foil my briskets sometimes.

Chris

 

[SteerCrazy]

Me personally and unless you are strapped for time, you shouldn't have to foil your butts. You really can't mess up a butt unless you cooked it too long with the temp over 300* or something like that and just dried it out. Foiling does mean steam and a mushy bark. And again, you can foil them and put in a cooler with a towel or something to let them rest for a few hours before you pull them. I'm sure you'll hear all the same stuff.

 

[john pen]

I only foil after it comes out and is resting...On my next one, Im going to wrap in cellophane wrap before foil while resting....

 

[Jack W.]

I don't foil unless I need to hit a time and I'm running short. Even then only for a short time and then I put them back on the pit to dry out. Kind of like the 3-2-1 method with ribs. IMHO the meat becomes dry and stringy when you use foil. I do foil them to rest.

There is not much advantage to adding any kind of liquid to a whole butt in foil. Meat that is cooking is rendering out. It is naturally removing most of the flavor you put on the butt. A cooling piece of meat will reabsorb some moisture naturally, but not much. The technique is used with resting brisket.

When I do use foil, I add a good bit of the "juice" back into the pulled pork in the pan. Some folks like to put the "juice" into a pan of some kind and put it into a refrigerator, allowing the fat to come to the top and be skimmed off. The resulting "juice" is then added back into the pulled pork to make it moist.

Good Que!

Jack

 

[Jack W.]

I haven't done a brisket on my smoker, but I understand that foil is a necessity for that cut of beef.

I rarely use foil on my home briskets but, that's another thread!

Good Q!

Jack

 

[Thom Emery]

I just dont care for the effect foil has on the bark

 

[Finney]

Re: aluminum pans

how do you all use aluminum pans while cooking , do you put the meat in the pan or the pan under the meat ?

For pork butts?
Neither.

 

[LarryWolfe]

[quote="john pen":2im941g2]I only foil after it comes out and is resting...On my next one, Im going to wrap in cellophane wrap before foil while resting....

I've heard of people using cellophane + foil for holding before. What's the reason for this? Is it supposed to retain the heat better?
I also never foil a butt (except after the cook) unless I'm running out of time. That only happened once & I didn't like the finished product as much.[/quote:2im941g2]

Jeff, I've seen it too......... I suppose it's supposed to make a better seal, who knows. IMO, it's strange and a waste of time. Doesn't make a lick of sense to me...... [-X

 

[Puff1]

[quote="Jeff E":vtmj9yvj][quote="john pen":vtmj9yvj]I only foil after it comes out and is resting...On my next one, Im going to wrap in cellophane wrap before foil while resting....

I've heard of people using cellophane + foil for holding before. What's the reason for this? Is it supposed to retain the heat better?
I also never foil a butt (except after the cook) unless I'm running out of time. That only happened once & I didn't like the finished product as much.[/quote:vtmj9yvj]

Jeff, I've seen it too......... I suppose it's supposed to make a better seal, who knows. IMO, it's strange and a waste of time. Doesn't make a lick of sense to me...... [-X[/quote:vtmj9yvj]
Wouldn't the cellophane melt from the heat of the butt taken right off the fire?

 

[john pen]

Im thinking the cellophane might hold the moisture/juices in during the resting period...

 

[Captain Morgan]

the cellophane won't melt at resting temps.

That said, I agree with Larry...skip it on butts.

Butts don't just need much help.

 

[Puff1]

Just wondering, never heard of wrapping in cellophane before.

 

[john pen]

Just wondering, never heard of wrapping in cellophane before.

I got the idea from watching bbq comps on television..I have'nt actually tried it yet..

 

[Puff1]

Just wondering, never heard of wrapping in cellophane before.

I got the idea from watching bbq comps on television..I have'nt actually tried it yet..

Really, I watch them all the time and i've never seen it.
Something to think about for sure :-k

 

[DaleP]

I have seen several guys use saran wrap for butts at comps. Not just for resting, but while cooking. When I stumbled over to ask why, the reply was time saver and to keep smoke down. These folks were cooking on stick burners, not bullets though. I was cooking butts on a WSM and took their advice. I had overdone, mushy PP.

 

[Finney]

I have seen several guys use saran wrap for butts at comps. Not just for resting, but while cooking. When I stumbled over to ask why, the reply was time saver and to keep smoke down. These folks were cooking on stick burners, not bullets though. I was cooking butts on a WSM and took their advice. I had overdone, mushy PP.

They probably did too.