Thanks for being honest about the brining

I only use brine on chicken, love the idea of straining/using the juices. Really appreciate your honesty when you appraise your cooks! One of my favourite channels, thank you

When I marinate or brine pork in Apple juice, I try to smoke with Apple wood. That way, there’s not too much going on. I also use just one type of rub to keep the flavors distinct. Another idea you can try is spraying your pork about every hour with apple cider vinegar and Apple juice. Keeps it moist and helps keep it tender on the outside. Bravo! Thanks.

Absolutely an awesome cook bro that looks delicious

Looks tender and juicy. Another well produced video

Love the honesty on the brining

Thanks for the honesty. I have never brined mine was thinking about it came across your video and I think I’ll just stick to whats been working. Thanks for the share

This was superb Chris.. Great and good looking PP Cheers!

I use Lawry's marinades and brine it by adding Kosher salt & water so the butt is completly immersed for overnight, about 12 hours. It comes out moist with a tad taste of the marinade and what I like about Lawry's is they have many different flovors

The thing is, the flavor in that sauce that he loves so much came from the brining. Brining is important to keep the meat tender and break down the proteins in the meat (tenderize). I never brined with sugar. I always brine with acid. I’d do an apple cider vinegar with unsweetened applesauce, garlic, onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, water to cover. Maybe some milk...instead of apple juice and keep his brine the same...the acids in the milk work like vinegar. Or Coca Cola and skip the other sugars,but not too much coke, it will eat your meat. 😂

I like your honesty...you got a new subscriber!

Good vid. I have used a pork brine with the same ingredients you used, but a with a little variation. I boil my brine then add the sugar cuz it will quickly dissolve the sugar. The only drawback is I let it cool cuz I don't want to add my pork to the hot liquid and start it cooking in the brine. It has always come out really good. Thanks for sharing.

Chris, you've got my mouth drooling. I really love your cooking and grilling videos.

Thanks for your candor. I have had similar results. Still experimenting but I feel better now that I hear others have similar results.

Thanks for doing the trial run and letting us know how it went.

brine longer , at least 24 hours, 48 works best (if you can go longer is even better), gives the brine longer to set in and work into the muscle/majority of the meat.

great cook brother! I only brine chicken amd turkey.

Never brined pork butt, just fish and chicken. Glad I watched this. Good video.

I am going to try this for xmas. Thanks!

Very nice looks very tasty

very nice! I believe that I have perfected a pulled pork recipe too. I have a video on it... I Like your idea to use apple juice as a brine

I like the way you try something new and give your opinion of it on the show instead of trying it first then making a video of it and saying how awesome it is. just came to your chanell and like what I seen so far

i do a wicked porky. Honey salt and herb my pork. fridge over night. bed of onions to raise the pork joint dump bottle of apple cider in the roasting tin can throw in couple carrots too.. low at 200c for 2 hours hours basting every half hour. 260c for half hour to finish.. pick out carrots.. use all the juice and broken down onions (rough chopped rings) in a pan.. add veg stock pot.. couple spoons of flour in to thicken.. simmer till ready to use Best pork / gravy combo ever. Tried brine, wasn't for me.. prefer my way.

Thanks for being truthful. Good video man!

Great Video Chris, I'm not of fan of wet brine or injecting pork. I prefer dry brine with kosher salt. That's my favorite way to smoke pork, thanks for sharing as always!

Worthy experiment thx.

I have a friend that brines,when he does it he makes a bunch of pinholes all over with a long metal skewer, this lets the brine get in to flavor it more(so he says)it comes out good,give it a try

Hey Chris, love your videos. I always inject my pork both at home and at comps. Haven't tried a brine but I find that the injection really helps give some extra flavour to the pork.

Good video. I usually use Badias all purpose seasoning or Badias sazon tropical. I don't work for the company but their seasoning is awesome! I also cover around the 160 mark and spray apple juice on it. I find the apple juice and the seasoning work good together!

I usually inject with apple juice mixtures but also did a mango nectar mixture once and it was really good. I will say the last one I did was Texas style, SP rub with no injection. It was one of the best Ive had fwiw.

On ribs or pork butt. We don’t generally brine so to speak. We rub mustard on them. Put the rub on them, wrap them in tinfoil and let them sit in a cooler overnight. Pull them out the next day. Unwrap them and start cooking. Great video.

Nice looking Pork Butt Chris! I've always wondered about the whole brining thing when it comes to Pork Butts. I've never brined mine but I do inject every time. My thinking was there's enough fat in a Pork Butt to keep it moist that brining wasn't needed. Thanks for mentioning that you didn’t notice that much of a difference, that’s pretty helpful for those of us who wondered the same thing.

Hi Chris, I'm just getting into smoking pork butt. Like your videos and experience. I'll follow your advice. Cheers from Edmonton , Alberta.

I dont brine pork shoulders when i smoke them.I will coat in them in mustard or olive oil and then apply rub wrap it and put in the fridge overnight

Never tried wet brining. I drybrine overnight sometimes. Normally just add rub, then let it rest in the fridge while i get my stuff in order. And thats it really. 7 hour mark color was a beauty!

I agree that the pan will hold the juice so you can pour over it later. I'm conflicted about brining. I do on pork chops because my wife thinks it helps. I'm not sure it is worth the effort but it certainly doesn't hurt anything. Seems like injecting would be about as good as brining. Yours looks great! I smoke on a Kamado Joe.

Hoki is Blue Grenadier, Hoki is really the New Zealand name for it. Burgers in Australia, always have beetroot included. That is shredded carrot, not often included in burgers

The pan is a good idea but I would put the pan underneath the meat so you get the smoke all the way around

Another cool video Chris! I’ve brined before but I like injecting the pork butts. My injection is apple cider vinegar, brown sugar and a little salt. Always turns out great! I always smoke in pans also. I like catching all the juices and use them like you did on your cook. Besides the pans keep my smoker cleaner!

I never brined, but I will try doing it. I usually end up trying to add more seasoning after it’s cooked.

I'm not skilled at using the smoker or barbecuing the way that you do but I've been hunting and making my own sausage for 20 plus years now. When I make Italian sausage in Winx one of the best ways to cook it is to steam it in apple juice. People would be surprised how the two flavors of the meat the spices and then the apple juice guess I should have said three flavors pair together very well

On my treager I'll keep the pork on the smoke setting for an hour, then 225 the rest of the way without the pan but at 165 internal I'll put the pork in the pans until an internal of 200. Take the drippings and run them through a fat separator. Go on Amazon and look for the cordless drill claw for pulled pork. You'll thank me later

I also smoke meat inside an aluminum tray. that's why it so juicy. it just makes sense to leave it in its own liquid while cooking to keep it from ending up dry.

I brined using pineapple juice, water and salt (credit Chef John). After12-16 hours, the shoulder was so tender I could have pulled out the bone. My next should will be the pan method, it seems easier that the wrap method. I also like using the juice to make BBQ sauce, just like Mom use to make it!

I'm doing this this weekend even though Thanksgiving is next week

I injected with Apple juice and my rib mixed together. Cooked uncovered, no pan until 160°, then put in pan and put Apple juice in the bottom and covered. It ruined all the bark I had built up. So I put it back on the smoker uncovered for another 20 minutes to crunch it back up. Don’t think I will use the pan/Apple juice method again. Nice video.

Looks amazing. I usually just inject but will give brining a try.

Never brined a pork but or shoulder if I'm gonna pull it. I'm wondering if a sous vide would be better? I like the idea of using a pan to keep the juices. Bet that makes some killer sauce.

I like to brine not for flavor but for juicy-ness

I’ve gotta try this with the brine and the foil pan...

Try using half gallon water small container pickling spice bring to a boil equal parts salt sugar 1/2 of a cup of each 2 oranges cut in half drop everything into the brine cool down the brine with ice drop in the pork butt brine for 12 hours

I brine it for 36-48 hours and inject the brine into the meat. I have never tried the foil tray but I will bet giving it a try.

Im brining mine right now. Gonna cook on traeger for about 8 hrs then transfer to crock pot with the brine

helpful...respect your opinion

I don't brine. I do inject and rub but I do one more step. I do refrigerate over night then I wrap the butt in foil put it in a aluminum pan and cook it until I get around 200 degrees. My wife really doesn't like to much smokey taste. This keeps the juices locked in the meat. It's always awesome.

Use an acid such as apple cider vinegar or even a light ale with your apple juice when brining. The flavor and moisture of the brine will penetrate the meat better.

I agree brining didn't work for me either. What did make a difference is regular misting with apple juice and apple cider vinegar (50/50 mix). Boston butts are our go to choice and have been doing one almost every week for years. Totally in agreement with this man's comments and looks like he is mastering the pellet grill. We have a conventional smoker that runs 275 with p.i.d. temperature control. Now if you're talking turkey, brining is the only way to go!

try using a cure brine with tender quick or the pink salt #1, tender quick is 1tbs per pound of meat

No brining a pork butt. I think a very good rub should do the trick. Rub creates the bark, wrapping and braising tenderizes and provides a wonderful liquid to add as the pork as it is pulled. Very good video.

Looks delicious. I’m new to grilling How do you keep the temperature at 200 F? Im going to use a gas grill. Thanks

I dont brine but I do use the pan for a few reasons. Dont have a huge mess on the grill, save the juices and easier to transfer the meat once done.

brine every time for 24 hours minimum. boil the brine to help dissolve. typically use apple juice which you can taste but we've also done beer brines that come through nice. up the apply juice though to at least a gallon,

Wound inject a second butt with the brine/sauce you made with the drippings. Then smoke regular without pan.

My mouth is watering

To brine or not to brine! I don't know, but I do know it looked really good! Love the looks of that rub your using too! I bet those renderings would be a great base for a BBQ sauce!

I let the rub on overnight sometimes, but never seen the need to brine pork. I brine chickens and turkeys.

All I do to my pork butt is put rub on it and refridgerate it overnight. This is a great video.

I use molasses in my brine for pork, and I think it makes it sweeter.

Great video. I brine my pork butts as well. I use a half gallon of raw apple cider, half cup Kosher salt & a half cup dark brown sugar, bring to a boil to ensure all is dissolved, then add a pound of ice cubes to cool it. Then set the 7+ pound pork butt into the chilled brine and into the fridge overnight, 12-15 hours. I remove it from the brine, rinse it well with water, pat dry with paper towels, then add rub, For the rub, I use equal parts onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin & black pepper. Pack the dried butt with the rub, then place in a heavy aluminum foil lined pan and set pan uncovered on my Weber 3 burner gas grill. After cranking all burners to high to fully warm the grill, I set a smoker box filled with water soaked hickory chunks (not chips) on the far left side and set the burner under the smoker box to lowest setting. Smoker box is a Weber model which sets on top of the flavor bars, with a wedged bottom for stability. Other burners are now turned off. I place the pork in the pan way off to the right side. I insert a timer temperature probe thermometer into center mass of the pork butt, with target temp at 200 degrees. Need to monitor hickory chunks for replacement, but most importantly, the temp inside the closed grill. Need to keep it between 215-235 degrees. It will take about 12-15 hours to reach 200 degrees internal temp in the pork butt. Keys are to pre-soak the hickory chunks in water so they don't flame up, as soot from flames is not good, we need smoke, not flames. I add more hickory chunks every 2-3 hours as needed when they are reduced to ashes. Once 200 degrees is reached inside the meat, pull it off, wrap in heavy aluminum foil and let rest for 1 hour. Only then, open it up, place the meat in a separate clean appropriately sized pan, and gently pull the gorgeous pork apart with 2 forks. It will be the best ever. DO NOT rush this process to get to 200 degrees inside the meat. If you do, the connective tissue will not have had time to break down completely and will result in still tough meat. Pork shoulder is a tough piece of meat full of muscle (good) and very tough connective tissues (bad). You need to allow sufficient time for all the connective tissue to slowly break down, which results in that lip smacking sticky goodness which we are looking for when smoking a port shoulder (butt) roast. With this recipe, you need no BBQ sauce. If you want sauce for a sandwich, mix some yellow mustard with sweet pickle juice and a dash of your favorite hot sauce to your desired flavor. Best ever, thanks.

I just inject and rub

just do/1/4cup apple vinegar/2 cups brown sugar/and cover the roast with apple juice

Never have brined with apple juice, but have with sugar, brown sugar, water, salt, bay leaves, pepper corns, oranges quarters; 24 hours in iced in cooler.

I have a gas grill and smoker box do you recommend direct or indirect heat?

I brine my pork butts & shoulders. For a 8 pound butt I brine it 24 hours. Then I rub down heavy & cook at 225 for 10 hours, increase temp to 275, cover in foil & cook for another 2 hours.

Usually I brine mine for about two days before cooking packing it in ice

I've seen it cooked fat side up for better tendering and seasonings the meat is this needed on my smoker?

Where did you get the bucket to brine in?

Hey Chris I smoke a lot of pork shoulders and I never brine mine I think when you brine you lose the flavor of the pork I think if you did the side by side you might taste the difference ya know I just don’t brine take care my friend...👍

Thanks for trying it out, just the color alone when it came out of that brine, made me say no😂Looked good after you added that rub though. I love my Traeger, thanks for sharing😃

To my understanding a brine is something used for lean meats

this pice pork looks delicious i brined until now only chicken i will tested it with pork in holiday

Lose the worcester and go for soy sauce and a touch of 5 spice and honey. You'll love it ! Great video

sugar dissolves, nice video

No brine for me. I do liberal rub and smoke until 165 and foil pan and wrap. Pull at 203 and open the foil wrap, rest for 2 hours and perfect every time.

LOOK'D GOOD!!! I brine Poultry,Inject,Turkey for sure.They always come out Juicy and moist with a Beautiful Smoke Ring!!! Beef and Pork Iv'e only injected and Dry Brine'd,LET IT SET FOR 24 hrs IN FRIDGE. I THINK THAT I'LL TRY TO WET BRINE A PORK BUTT THIS SPRING,YOU KNOW,WHAT THE HELL,IT'S STILL GONNA BE GOOD!!! The only problem that Iv'e had Smoking Meat is with BRISKET'S,IT'S HARD TO FIND A GOOD QUALITY BRISKET IN MY AREA.IT'S A 50/50 SHOT ON THE MEAT!!! Brisket's are expensive,so Iv'e pretty much stopped cooking them,even though I LOVE THEM!!!

I brine anything pig or bird to me it makes all the difference. But to each his own. It did look good regardless of the brine. Try beer and soy sauce for chops or loin sometime. Then I've made a pineapple bbq sauce it's pretty damn killer.

Tried brining a pork butt. I think injecting is better. Haven’t yet tried the pan but I think braising in that much liquid could work.

hi , Thats great for grilling , but if you going to truly be a smoker of meats you need to leave the meat in the smoker without lifting the lid on the smoker for at least 16 hours . put in meat probe at beginning along with a water drip on coals.open only once at fifteen hours for no more then 4 minutes. Make sure the temp at 200, need to maintain that temp when open for the 4 minutes when open, then close it back up and let it go for another 9 hours. do not open the lid at anytime in the 9 hours. at the end open the lid and take out the meats then apply your sauces. this works on all meats . Keller's B.B.Q. and Tipton Ford B.B.Q i worked in both smoke house's in the time of 1965 to 1974 southwest Missouri Joplin...learn from a man who had been doing it all is life of 70 years.

now did you add any liquid to that or was that all from the butt that was left in the pan? only have done one butt. but after this, i want to try another this weekend. What size pan were you using to put it in?

have you heard of this one? Saw a show where a pit master boiled both a butt and , brisket in his secret seasoning , then smoked for x amount of hours ? taste testers commented on how GREAT the taste and tenderness was, and the flavor went all the through the meat. I couldn't find out anything more. The cook kept it VERRY close to the chest. so, if anyone knows something please share ?

Did you wash the pork after Brining ?

Need to brine at least 24 hours, 48 if you have the time, then inject. I've noticed a huge difference in both tenderness and flavor. Guess it's just preference.

Looks good brotha are you a competition bbq team

Just a thought on the brining yes/no subject. The juices which ended up in the tray, you seemed to cherish it in the bottle after tasting it. That juice probably has a different flavor than if unbrined. The unbrined juices would probably also taste great, but perhaps not as great? That might actually be the secret.

I don't brine but inject a blend of spices and vinegar.

Brines are for poultry. Personally I would just add my rub and let sit in fridge for 24 hours. Inject before putting on smoker. However you BBQ, just do it!

You already have sweetness in there from the brine, if you want a different flavor try Cinnamon.

A piece of meat that size needs 3 days. The bucket not one night, there is no way for the brine to soak clear through the meat. Osmosis is very slow 🐌. To speed up brine time try injecting with your brine, then it takes about 18 hrs. Hope this helps you and you viewers to better Q! But that is a great brine recipe try again and let it soak. Also if you brine it properly the meat will have a pinkish color not Grey after being cooked! Happy smoking!

Would it be ok to leave the Butt in the brine over night without putting it in the refrigerator? I would think that putting a 1/2 cup of salt in the brine should eliminate the chance of bacterial issues?

I don't want to buy a syringe for meat so is brining a good alternative? Or will the flavor of the rub and smoke penetrate the meat with enough flavor if I don't brine or inject?