Idaho Pork Butt
I’ve smoked a couple things here in Idaho, and learned that it doesn’t really matter where you’re making the meat, as long as you have a good starting point. Costco, in MD, and Sam’s Club here, have both provided excellent canvases on which to add smoke. Here in Idaho, though, I haven’t done pulled pork yet. Sam’s had a 10.8 lbs’er, $1.98 per pound.
Well, it’s time. We’ve got a baby coming any day now, and it’ll be nice to have a ton of extra meat in the freezer.
Normally I salt the butt, then let it sit for a bit. But this time I totally forgot that and didn’t start far enough in advance. So we’re just gonna do it live. I’ll salt the butt at the same time I put the rub on. I suspect it won’t make much of a difference. It’s a bone-in, which is different too.
1800: starting the smoker at 225℉.
1830: trimming the meat, putting on .5 tsp salt per pound (2 Tbsp or so here), and about a cup of rub. Almost nothing needed to be trimmed.
1850: meat is on the smoker!
2230: meat’s at 140℉ and 120℉.
0800: both probes read 165℉ right now.
1115: meat is at 175℉ and 173℉, I turned the temperature up to 275℉.
1300: 195℉ and 188℉. I’ll just track the lagging probe now. It has been cooler consistently.
1500: 201℉.
1530: 203℉! Time to take it off, let it sit while I clean the smoker.
The pork was fantastic when we tore it up all up about 1630. Very moist and delicious. The salt is fine to put on right before cooking, the bone is fine. After cooking I removed it, put it in a bag, and froze it for soup use later.