Top 5 Ways to Use a Smoked Pork Butt
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We tend to use pork butt, or Boston butt as it's so often named in the store, solely for shredded or pulled pork and, while that is a classic, pork butt can be so much more!
In this recipe roundup, I will feature 5 different recipes that use this somewhat inexpensive cut of pork in ways that are a little less common.
Let's just jump right in!
1. Smoked Pork Steaks
If you are looking for the perfect thing to cook in the smoker, look no further than smoked pork steaks. While these can also be grilled hot and fast, low and slow gives them more time in the smoke and that's only a good thing!
2. Butterflied Pork Butts in the Smoker
In this recipe, we'll be looking at creating a butterflied pork butt i.e. a butterflied pork shoulder. I often remove the bone from pork butts before smoking them and sometimes I get them from the store with the bone already removed..
3. Sliced Pork Butt Sliders
It occurred to me a while back that every time we do a pork butt, it's always pulled and while that's an amazing way to serve smoked pork butt, it's equally good sliced. In this recipe, we are going to smoke a pork butt..
4. Smoked Pork Country Style Ribs
Smoked pork country style ribs are usually cut from the pork butt and since they can get done in about 4 hours, they are a great option when you are trying to get food on the table in a relatively short period of time. You can put these on just after lunch and they'll be ready for dinner..
5. Smoked Pork Burnt Ends
I love burnt ends, of any kind really, and I particularly love these injected pork burnt ends more than the ones made from brisket. In this recipe, I will show you how to not only make the burnt ends from start to finish but I'll show you how to inject a little buttery flavor into the inside..
Hi Jeff, Slice the pork into steaks 1/2-5/8 thick soak in a teriyaki sauce with Hawaiian chili’s for a week turning each day to get a good soak. Smoke them with Kiawe wood or Mesquite. Cut into one inch pieces. Enjoy!
Can also fry the pieces with onion and butter or for a sweet taste grape jelly. Ono!
Thank you! sounds delicious!
Jeff:
I make some bang up buck board bacon. 🤠👍🏽
Craig, you had me at Buck board bacon (BBB)!😀 I love this stuff and I must do an article on this soon! Thank you for the inspiration!
Yes my friend that could be very interesting for those looking to add another skill. The big three Canadian, buck board, pork belly.
Wow Jeff, they all look like great recipes. I will definitely be trying them !!
I need to smoke a pork butt for a large gathering but want to do it at home on my Traeger on Thursday and serve it on Sunday. What’s the best way to store it until then? What’s the best way to heat it up at the gathering?
Rick, I would aim to get it done as late on Thursday as possible within the bounds of your schedule. Then go ahead and cook it as usual, rest it when it’s done and go ahead and pull it as usual. Put it all in a foil pan covered tightly with foil so it’s ready for the reheating process in the oven and/or smoker.
Store it in the back of the fridge where it’s the coldest if possible.
For the best results, follow the directions at https://www.smoking-meat.com/juice-up-flavorize-and-reheat-pulled-pork to make sure it ends up juicy, smoky and full of flavor.
Also, If you can cook it in a pan and save all of those juices, it will go a long ways toward making sure it’s nice and juicy with lots of smoke flavor when you serve it.
I’ve done 1200 lbs of pork butts for an event that I did. Smoked them 2 days before the event. I had the best luck with cooling off the whole butts in foil pans, then vacuum sealing them. Save all of the juices in the pans, that’s “pork love” :) On the day of the event, I fired up the smoker, put some large pots of water on the burners and brought them to a low simmer. Placed the bags of pork into the pot and let it warm through. Pulled out, shredded, added a little “pork love” and more of the seasoning, in to foil pans and into the smoker to add a kiss more of smoke. Worked out great !!! I’ve done this at home too on a much smaller scale and it works as well.
The one thing I dislike most about smoking is the clean up afterwards. I notice you have baskets that keep meat off the smoker grill and allow a pan underneath to catch grease. They also are constructed so to raise the meat so smoke goes totally around the meat. Where do you get these? I am having trouble finding them.
Brother..these pans that I use are a life saver where clean up is involved! I also line the pans with foil so the cleanup on the pan is also minimal. The only thing you have to wash or put in the dishwasher is the rack that fits in the pan.
I’m not sure if this makes me lazy or super efficient🤣
I got these heavy duty stainless steel pans on Amazon at https://www.smoking-meat.com/ss-pans-with-racks and I usually go ahead and line them with foil before I even put them away so they are ready to go when I need them.
I use these pans with racks you just have to measure the inside of the smoker to get the right size and it’s easier to get to and from the smoker and covering the pans in reynolds wrap makes cleaning up a snap.