Scoring a Pork Butt

[hammerpb]

Before ya'll start, this post is not about Friday night at the local pig bar....

I have noticed from a lot of the 'que shots here that quite a few people score the fat cap on their pork butts. Do you do this just for asthetics, or is there another reason? Does it help with rub and/or baste penetration? Just curious.

[irishteabear]

I take the fat cap completely off. You get lots of bark that way.

[Walking Dude]

i smoke with fat cap down, no scoring...........its my thinking, that the fat cap up will wash off the rub you use. But you will get MANY differing views on THAT subject. I get PLENTY of barq my way.........

Hopefully, Capt. Dan will be along here soon to let you know why he does it his way...........

[Capt Dan]

I'm not sure who first started all that scoring but I believe it does help get rub and flavor deeper into the meat under the fat cap, it also seems to aid in channeling away the fat faster.

I try to cut all the way thru the false cap, and the skinny piece of meat under it and most of the way or more through the real cap, till the lower meat just starts to show through!

Then when I rub the butt, I do the scored area last, spread the scores out as much as I can and try to get rub down in the valleys!

[Kyote]

great. this helps.
But, One other question from me. when you have completed the smoke and taken from the ice chest. do you remove all visible fat and discard before pulling. are do you pull the fat with the meat and mix?

thank you.

[Walking Dude]

i can't stand the fat mixed with the meat.............i scrape it all off, and discard, then pull.............

[hammerpb]

i can't stand the fat mixed with the meat.............i scrape it all off, and discard, then pull.............

I generally do as well with the exception of after I pull the fat cap off, I flip it over and scrape off the fat, saving that thin "skin" with the rub on it, and the little thin peice of meat in the middle of the cap. these get chopped or shredded and put back in with the rest of the meat. Well, what I don't "QC" does, anyway.
Gonna have to try the scoring thing. Thanks for the input, guys!

[richoso1]

I take the fat cap completely off. You get lots of bark that way.

I'm with Dawn on that one. I would end up cutting off that extra fat after it cooled down.

[hammerpb]

I take the fat cap completely off. You get lots of bark that way.

Ive always been afraid it would end up too dry that way, so Ive never tried it.I do trim some of the cap off if it is particularly fatty, just never gone all the way. I do love some bark, though. Do you baste your butts often when you cook them, or just let them go?
Also, do you foil them at any point?

[Bbqgoddess]

Personal preference is important here, try it you may love it you may not.
I love them scored, I do agree with Capt Dan about the penetration.
I smoke my butts in a foil tin.. I like to keep every bit of drippings and mop, then I defat it and usually use it in my finishing sauce. I ALWAYS mop my butts, it adds flavor, it helps with the bark, and IMHO it helps with the smoke ring.. moisture is a part of the smoke penetrating the meat.
I do not foil tho.. cuz I like a really barky bark!
Try it a few ways, find your "sweet spot" I recently brined and injected my last butt, LOVED it! prolly do em that way from now on.. but again, what I like you may not... give it a go, you can't go wrong with a butt, well unless you go to my el cheapo butcher...

[Capt Dan]

I agree with Kelly, find what ya like and cook it your way. Unless of course your like me and do a lot of butts and get bored and want to compare. I did a thread a long time ago about compairing scored vs not scored, but can't get to it, seems as though I can only go back 500 posts,I probably am not doing it right.

Anyways, I did a batch of butts and did half without cap and half scored, and came to the conclusion for me that the scored butts had better flavor and texture. But..........as said above, different strokes for different folks. I don't think there is a wrong way to cook a butt. some cook them at 215, others like me do them at 245-260, some inject, others don't, some trim, and yet others leave all the fat on. Thats the best benifit of the pork butt, its a very forgiving piece of meat.

Try it a few ways and let us know what your findings are. Its always fun to search for new tastes and textures.

[SmokinLee]

I score for the reason of chanelling all the drippings in different directions to slowley baste the butt, to get rub into the meat under the fat and it looks nice too. Sometime I pan, mostley I dont. I foil, and afterwords remove every speck of fat I can find when pulling. Defat the juice and there ya go

[hammerpb]

Thanks Capt Dan and Bbqgoddess. I've been doing them my way for a long time, and, like the Cap'n I get bored doing the same old thing. I think its time to throw the family a curve and change things up a little. That's one reason I like this board, there are lots of different ideas everywhere.

[Walking Dude]

my rub is brown sugar heavy, which creates a real nice barq, but i have to foil (at 170) so the "steam" softens the barq up........if not, i need a jack hammer to bust up the barq..........

i mop/spritz after the first hour (so as to let the rub set up abit) with a combo of cherryjuice and spiced rum, every hour till i foil. When i foil, i spritz heavy, then foil up good. That extra spritzing helps with softening up the barq abit.

[Kyote]

great input from great Q ers. thanks all.
I surley have not cooked many butts. but the ones I have done, have been pretty darn good. I have nothing really to compare to, except some restruants that I have been to that call them selves smoked BBQ. the stuff taste like crap compared to what has come off my grills.
I have tried the injections. and found for me, that it is a good thing. and have always scored the meat at least down into it a 1/2 inch. have always thought this to be good as the rub, spritz, ect has a better chance of penatration. as kelly stated she likes to do her's in a pan to save the juices.
I may try that. but right now after foiling, seems if I am carefull after I bring them from the ice chest to the pulling area. there is plenty juice available to add back to the pulled pork. and I found that I like the meat a little moist rather then dry. so I have made a finishing sauce with the help of this forum. not much but it adds to the juice that is already there. and makes for a well, spicer? tasted maybe seasoned taste. but all in all sure taste good and I guess that is what counts.