“What’s the best meat to start smoking? Brisket seems intimidating, but that’s my favorite to eat. A recipe would be great!” —Ben, Little Chute
A. When folks begin their journey down the barbecue road, it is common to start with a pork butt. The pork butt is a square-cut piece of pork from above the pig’s front shoulder, and what makes it advantageous for novices is that as long as you get it up to temperature, it’s a very forgiving piece of meat with great marbling and seam fat. The pork butt is commonly used for pulled pork, and the temperature needed to achieve pork that is tender enough for pulling is 205° F. When pork reaches this temperature, the meat is ready for pulling and much of the fat is sufficiently rendered. The pork butt includes part of the shoulder blade bone, and a helpful hint is that when the shoulder blade can be easily pulled out of the meat by hand, the pork is ready for pulling. Pork butt also can take a wide variety of seasonings and rubs, providing beginning cooks with the opportunity to try commercial rubs they found at the store, or to prepare their own spice blends. Happy smoking!
For Chef Jeff’s competition brisket recipe, please email him at [email protected]
