bbq pork butt

Ingredients

• 1-lg (4 - 6 lb) boston butt

• 6 - green onions,  sliced longways

• 4 - deseeded and deveined cayenne peppers, sliced longways

• 12 - 15 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced longways

• Hickory wood for smoking

• Alabama Style BBQ Sauce or your favorite

Dry Rub

Use this or your favorite dry rub. 

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1 tbsp chili powder

• 2 tbsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp salt

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp MSG

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Preparations

1. Using a filet knife make holes in fat side of butt, stuff each hole with onion, pepper, garlic.

2. Mix remaining ingredients for the dry rub.

3. Apply liberally to all sides and let sit open in the refrigerator overnight

4. Put in preheated smoker at 250-275 deg F or cook on covered grill with indirect heat cover.

5. Place butt, fat side up on opposite side away from direct heat to prevent heavy burning. Turn and rotate about once an hour. Depending on how hot the coals are this will generally take about two to four hours. Have several beers.

6. While butt is cooking take a large deep pan and spray bottom with non-stick spray and then lay 2 sheets of heavy duty foil in the bottom of the pan.

7. When butt begins to "pull away" from the bone start applying the bbq sauce liberally on all sides and heavily on any burnt areas. Continue this basting about every 15 minutes for about an hour. The BBQ sauce will cause the butt to have an almost charred look. When this occurs the butt is ready to take off the grill. Using an internal thermometer the butt should read at least 190-195 deg F. Higher temps will cause the pork to dry.

8. Remove butt from grill and place in foil lined pan basting one final time with bbq sauce. Be careful not to puncture foil in bottom of pan. Fold foil up around inside edges of pan and bend inward slightly.

9. Pour about half of the remaining beer under the foil. This provides the source for the tenderizing effect in the following hours. 

10. Cover the top of the pan with foil sealing around the edges until completely covered and sealed.

11. Place in oven on 200 overnight (or 300 for about 2 hours) This can be adjusted higher to cook faster, just be sure to add more beer as needed. Dont overcook internal temperature should not go above 205 deg F

Time to eat

Remove butt from oven and baste again with bbq sauce, cutting wont be necessary as it will fall apart. Pull apart and remove any remaining fat. 

Urban Cowgill 2010 (updated 2023)