Competition-Style Pork Butt

By avpeters

Ingredients

• 1 pork butt, bone in, 6 to 9 pounds
• 1 cup of your favorite commercial or homemade dry BBQ rub
• Apple and Hickory wood chips
• Optional: Injection Mixture (sample recipe follows)
• Stogies Pork Injection
• • 2 cups apple juice or cider
• • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• • 1/2 cup water
• • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• • 1/2 cup corn syrup
• • 1 tbsp of the rub you use on the butt (finely ground)

Preparation

Step 1

• Cover the butt evenly with the rub, working it in until the meat looks a bit moist. Wrap the butt with plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator for four hours.
• Soak the wood chips in water or fruit juice for half-an-hour or more.
• Load the charcoal in the EGG® up to the top of the firebox. Add in the wood chips and stir them into the charcoal.
• Set the EGG up for indirect cooking with a plate setter at 230°F. You may want to place a pan on the plate setter to catch drippings. Cook the butt low and slow, preferably for at least 18 hours. When the butt reaches the desired internal temperature of 200°F, pull it off the grill and double-wrap it in foil. Let the butt rest for at least 30 minutes; the meat will be so tender that you can simply pull it apart with your hands.
Injecting the Butt: The EGG does a wonderful job with moisture retention, but some competition chefs like to deep inject meats to distribute extra flavor throughout. There are numerous injection recipes available; find one that you like and then try variations of your own (see below for Stogies Pork Injection recipe). Injectors are commonly available where cookware is sold, including many cooking/barbecuing equipment catalogs.

Stogies Pork Injection
Mix all ingredients together and heat over a low burner until the rub mixture is dissolved. Place in refrigerator and cool. Do not inject the butt with hot liquid.