This is an often debated topic: with fattier cuts like pork shoulder, Boston butt or even, in some cases brisket, should you brine before smoking?
I had 12 folks over yesterday so I decided to try a non scientific taste test. I took two Boston butts, approximately the same size (6 lbs bone in) and brined one and didn’t the other.
For the brine, I used apple juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, and my bbq rub spices. I “brined” overnight for 12 hours. I removed, rinsed, and dried. I then took both butts, rubbed them with butt rub, wrapped and placed both in refrigerator for 24 hours.
I started smoking both at 6:00 am yesterday with my Masterbuilt vertical propane smoker. I maintained a temperature of 225-235 throughout the process. I cooked both to an internal temp of 205. I used a combination of hickory and cherry wood. When completed I “rested” both for 45 minutes prior to pulling.
The “non brined” butt finished a full two hours earlier at about 3:00 pm. The “brined” one finished at about 5:00 pm.
I removed myself from the tasting process. So, out of eleven blinded tasters, the vote was a 10 to 1, for the brined butt. Not that the non brined was bad. The comments were the brined butt was “more moist with a little fuller flavor”. The non brined butt was was still very good, but you definitely saw a difference it what people went to first.
So I think going forward, if practical, I’ll probably go to the trouble to brine.
I had 12 folks over yesterday so I decided to try a non scientific taste test. I took two Boston butts, approximately the same size (6 lbs bone in) and brined one and didn’t the other.
For the brine, I used apple juice, kosher salt, brown sugar, and my bbq rub spices. I “brined” overnight for 12 hours. I removed, rinsed, and dried. I then took both butts, rubbed them with butt rub, wrapped and placed both in refrigerator for 24 hours.
I started smoking both at 6:00 am yesterday with my Masterbuilt vertical propane smoker. I maintained a temperature of 225-235 throughout the process. I cooked both to an internal temp of 205. I used a combination of hickory and cherry wood. When completed I “rested” both for 45 minutes prior to pulling.
The “non brined” butt finished a full two hours earlier at about 3:00 pm. The “brined” one finished at about 5:00 pm.
I removed myself from the tasting process. So, out of eleven blinded tasters, the vote was a 10 to 1, for the brined butt. Not that the non brined was bad. The comments were the brined butt was “more moist with a little fuller flavor”. The non brined butt was was still very good, but you definitely saw a difference it what people went to first.
So I think going forward, if practical, I’ll probably go to the trouble to brine.
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