![\"How](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/How-to-Smoke-a-Boston-Butt-in-an-Electric-Smoker.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\nA Note About Wood Chips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before I move onto the recipe, I do want to talk about using wood chips in your electric smoker. It is important to remember that not all models accommodate wood. Thus, this is something that you need to be certain of ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, unlike with a pellet grill, an electric smoker uses wood chips instead of wood pellets. Therefore, you should be careful about what you buy to use in your smoker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Should You Inject or Brine Your Pork Butt?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A lot of people consider injecting or brining their Boston butt prior to smoking in order to keep the meat moist. Is this is something that you should think about doing as well? And, if so, is one method better than the other?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wouldn’t necessarily state that injecting is better than brining or vice versa. Each of these methods have their own pros and cons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The great thing about injecting pork butt is that you can do so only just before you smoke the meat. As such, you don’t have to prepare the cut ahead of time or have to wait for the Boston butt to be ready for the smoking process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, there is a little bit more effort involved here. You have to make up the marinade and then use a meat injector to inject the liquid at various intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you are adding more liquid into the meat, you may also cause the overall cook time to be longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do want to inject the meat, make sure to keep your marinade simple. Pork<\/a> already has a rather delicate flavor and you don’t want to overpower it by adding too many seasonings or herbs into the marinade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Furthermore, since you will be using a rub later on, consider these ingredients too. Make sure that the marinade and the dry ingredients complement each other for the best results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, with brining, there is minimal hassle involved. All you have to do is to sprinkle kosher salt all over the Boston butt. Once you have done this, simply place the pork butt in the refrigerator for several hours, sometimes overnight, or until the surface of the meat has dried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, the issue here is that this process can require prior planning and there is more downtime involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You should figure out which method is better suited to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Preheat the smoker to 225 F. Fill the water pan and make sure that the vents are open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trim the fat cap of the pork butt. There should only be about 1\/4th of an inch of the fat cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients of the dry rub and set aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evenly apply the mustard all over the Boston butt. Then, sprinkle the dry rub and press into the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your electric smoker has a wood chips tray, then wait until the desired temperature for the cooking chamber is reached. Then, add the wood to the tray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Place the pork butt in the electric smoker and smoke the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 F, take your Boston butt out of the smoker. This may happen at around the 5 hour mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wrap in aluminum foil or butcher paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Return to the electric smoker and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 195 F to 203 F. In total, this may take around 8 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the Boston butt out of the electric smoker and place on a cutting board. Let it rest for up to an hour and a half before cutting and serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the first things that you need to do is to choose the right cut<\/a> of meat for your smoked Boston butt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you are aware, pork butt and Boston butt refer to the same cut of meat. However, where you may get tripped up is with a cut called pork shoulder. Now, contrary to its name, Boston butt is actually a part of the pork shoulder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the Boston butt is from the thicker portion of the pork shoulder. As such, it has a lot more fat and marbling to it<\/a>. Thus, when smoke a pork butt, you get a juicier and tastier end result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The issue is that some people imagine that pork shoulder and Boston butt are interchangeable. As you can see, though, they are not. Thus, make sure to be absolutely certain that you are buying pork butt from your butcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another thing to incentivize you is that Boston butt is the best option for pulled pork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the size, personally I do prefer a smaller cut as it smokes faster. If you want to feed a larger crowd, I would suggest buying two smaller cuts as you are less likely to have to contend with those 12 hour cooks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When buying your pork butt, I would also pay close attention to the fat cap. On the one hand, you do want a decent layer but remember that you will be trimming it down to just 1\/4th of an inch later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if there is a ton of fat on your Boston butt, it will just up end up costing you extra money for something that you will be getting rid of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Related Reading<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I know of some pitmasters and chefs that like to score the fat before they season the pork butt. This is so that the spices can permeate deeper into the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you are free to do this, it is unnecessary with this low and slow version of cooking. What’s more, I do find that the fat acts as a protective layer. It works to keep the meat moist and prevents it from overcooking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you may have heard, maintaining a nice and crusty bark isn’t as easy with an electric smoker as with a charcoal smoker. This is typically because electric smokers don’t get as hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, it is possible to get a delicious bark with one, easy trick. This is applying yellow mustard to the surface of the Boston butt and then sprinkling the BBQ rub over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Smoked Pork Butt Recipe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ingredients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Slicing](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Slicing-a-Smoked-Pork-Butt.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nDry Rub<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Method<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 1<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Step 2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Step 3<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Step 4<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Step 5<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Choosing Your Boston Butt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Pork](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Pork-Loin-Meat-Fillet.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nScoring the Meat – Yay or Nay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Maintaining Your Bark<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Pork](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Pork-Barbecue.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Smokin](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Smokin-good.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Gammon](\"https:\/\/pitmastercentral.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Gammon-pork-meat-meal.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n