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[Michael_NW]

Keep doing what you did.  I think the bark is overrated.  The outside still probably had great flavor from the rub.  Sometime I will sprinkle more rub on the meat after pulling and then mix it in.  I prefer a moist pork shoulder like you delivered on that cook over one with bark.

You're not alone - for some people a good bark just isn't that important. For me, it's a texture thing as well as a flavor thing. I like to feel the contrasts in texture as I chew - within reason!

I didn't put this in the first posts, but I got over 2 cups of juice from the bottom of the 2 wraps combined. After it cooled in the fridge I removed the fat layer and now I've got just less than 2 cups of pork jello! Pure flavor! The sad thing is the pork is so juicy already I don't feel a need to add it back to the meat!

[Michael_NW]

I wrap brisket in BP with satisfying results, but for pork butt I don't wrap anymore, I inject about 12oz apple juice/ rub mixture then apply Oakridge comp rub and into the smoker at 230 till internal temp reaches 197 then FTC for atl least 2hr. Without wrapping I get some serious bark but when i FTC the temp rises to around 203 and softens the bark just a little. I like the results I get.

I have tried injecting, but for whatever reason the little man inside my head told me that injecting was not for me. It's hard for me to explain some things that are internal "feelings", but for whatever reason injecting didn't make the cut, probably because it was an extra step (but wrapping is also an extra step, right? go figure . . .). It sounds like your method works great and gives you moisture and bark. Your results speak for themselves. I will definitely be playing with the time-temp-wrap adjustable variables as I dial this in.

[Michael_NW]

Michael,
I wrap with foil.
I don't have much opinion about bark.
But I also have never brined with salt. Perhaps I need some instructions here on the significance of this proceedure.

Meathead gives his treatise on dry brining, including the science of it, on his site AmazingRibs. If you have trouble finding the article on his web site, drop me a pm and I'll send you a link.

[Clonesmoker]

Michael,
I wrap with foil.
I don't have much opinion about bark.
But I also have never brined with salt. Perhaps I need some instructions here on the significance of this proceedure.

Meathead gives his treatise on dry brining, including the science of it, on his site AmazingRibs. If you have trouble finding the article on his web site, drop me a pm and I'll send you a link.

I always dry brine pork butts. I even score the fat cap to get salt to the meat. I also coat with maple syrup and then add my rub. I am a "low and slow" type smoker so I don't wrap in foil or bp either still get great pulled pork and good bark, and a great smoke ring! Love the color of the smoke ring and the bark.

[Timbo1010]

Michael, as far as injecting, because I don't wrap during the cook I feel the injected butts retain more moisture. One time I couldn't find my injector and went without and the pulled pork seamed dryer and the texture was different. Everyone has what works for them but I'm always trying to improve that's why I love this form you never know when you're going to see something and say I got to try that

[Michael_NW]

Michael, as far as injecting, because I don't wrap during the cook I feel the injected butts retain more moisture. One time I couldn't find my injector and went without and the pulled pork seamed dryer and the texture was different. Everyone has what works for them but I'm always trying to improve that's why I love this form you never know when you're going to see something and say I got to try that

Exactly, Timbo! I think for you and me, we both like our pulled pork with good bark and plenty of moisture. And I know there is more than one way of arriving at that end. You inject - I wrap - and in the end we're both happy as we chomp down on the fruits of our efforts, because we found a way to retain that moisture.  Oh, and our smokers had a hand in it, too . . .   

[Michael_NW]

Michael,
I wrap with foil.
I don't have much opinion about bark.
But I also have never brined with salt. Perhaps I need some instructions here on the significance of this proceedure.

Meathead gives his treatise on dry brining, including the science of it, on his site AmazingRibs. If you have trouble finding the article on his web site, drop me a pm and I'll send you a link.

I always dry brine pork butts. I even score the fat cap to get salt to the meat. I also coat with maple syrup and then add my rub. I am a "low and slow" type smoker so I don't wrap in foil or bp either still get great pulled pork and good bark, and a great smoke ring! Love the color of the smoke ring and the bark.

You do have great color, there. I can just imagine the bark on those! I didn't think of scoring the fat cap; I may try that. Can you taste any of the maple syrup when it's pulled?

DK117 and ZCZ use molasses on theirs and that pic is amazing.

[Michael_NW]

For better bark you might try molasses as a glue for your rub. Here is a close up of my last butt cook.

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Looks like you did a great job. I would vote for paper over foil. I have tried it with ribs but it is harder to work with for sealing.

Z

Thanks, ZCZ. I'm curious if you can taste any molasses after you've pulled the pork? If so, how strong is it?

[lamrith]

Great info and thanks for the research Michael!  I have always foiled in a pan with apple juice.  Next time I think I am going to try just Butcher paper.  DId you put the butcher paper one in a pan as well to contain juices? 

Rendering juices for me is a big thing, with only 3 people in the house there are always left overs.  Those get Vac sealed, and the rendered juices are used in the bottom of the vacseal bag to maintain moisture as usually the PP has dried a bit during the buffet.  A few OZ of juices, then add a meal sized portion of PP (1-1.5# usually) then vacseal and it pulls the juices thru the meat.  Then into the freezer.  5-10min in a Pot of boiling water and you have fresh pp for dinner on those late work nights!

[Michael_NW]

Great info and thanks for the research Michael!  I have always foiled in a pan with apple juice.  Next time I think I am going to try just Butcher paper.  DId you put the butcher paper one in a pan as well to contain juices? 

Rendering juices for me is a big thing, with only 3 people in the house there are always left overs.  Those get Vac sealed, and the rendered juices are used in the bottom of the vacseal bag to maintain moisture as usually the PP has dried a bit during the buffet.  A few OZ of juices, then add a meal sized portion of PP (1-1.5# usually) then vacseal and it pulls the juices thru the meat.  Then into the freezer.  5-10min in a Pot of boiling water and you have fresh pp for dinner on those late work nights!

Hey lamrith!    I did not put the bp butt in a pan, but wrapped it up just like the foil. I had no idea how much juice would be retained by the bp, or if the bp would seal up tight enough to provide a good environment for steaming - hence the trial! But the paper held up great, and even when the butts were resting on the pastry sheet there was minimal leakage through the paper, almost none at all. As for whether the bp would seal up sufficiently . . . the results speak for themselves. I was going to spritz with apple cider vinegar but just didn't think of it at the time, and I really didn't need it at all.

I tend to give away about half of what I cook to family, friends, or co-workers (my co-workers happily volunteered to be guinea pigs). So by the time I portion out the meat for meals for the upcoming week I usually only have enough meat left over for one vacseal! The pork jello has already been used up: some of it was diluted by half and used to make rice, and the rest with some red wine went into a quick sauce for pasta.