One of the most incredible things about smoking meat is the never-ending variety of ways you can prepare it. Over time, people have developed new, fresh ideas and recipes to smoke different meats. Whether it’s a classic beef brisket, a leg of lamb, or pork butt, they all have their own delicious recipes and marinades you can use before putting them in the home smoker.
Slathering mustard is one of the most classic ways of preparing meat before it hits the smoker. Mustard gives the meat a tinge of incredible flavor and acts as a glue that keeps the rub on the meat. Slathering mustard also helps the formation of “bark” on the meat. The bark is the somewhat chewy layer on the outside of the meat that bursts with flavor.
With a smoker in your backyard and a good piece of meat, there’s no reason not to go all out for a delicious meal by slathering some mustard on the meat and smoking it. Here’s a simple yet delectable pork butt recipe slathered with mustard and then smoked to perfection.
Prepare The Pork Butts
First off, before you start slathering on the mustard, you need to buy and prepare the pork butt. For this recipe, buy two sizable untrimmed pork butts. These can either be boneless or bone-in, depending on your preference.
Next up, start by slathering generous amounts of mustard on all sides of the pork butt. It’s important to understand that it’s called slathering for a reason, so go ahead and be generous.
Once the mustard has been applied, let the pork butts sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
Prepare Pork Baste
While your pork butt cooks, you will need to baste it a few times. Here’s a quick recipe of a juicy baste:
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Put all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to combine them, and that’s it, your baste is made.
Smoke The Meat
- Start cooking the pork butts anywhere from 225 °F (107 °C) to 250 °F (121 °C), with an internal temperature of 190 °F (88 °C).
- Turn the meat at least once, after anywhere from 9 to 12 hours of cooking.
- The meat will need to be basted several times during these 9 to 12 hours of cooking. Before spraying the meat with the baste, shake the bottle well.
- While the pork butt is cooking, use an instead-read thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of the meat.
- It’s important to understand that a pork butt consists of many different muscles, so no need to panic if your thermometer gives off different readings.
- Usually, you should reach optimal cooking levels after 19 hours of cooking.
- Once the internal temperature of the pork butt reaches 190 °F (88 °C), remove it from the smoker and tightly wrap it in aluminum foil.
- A helpful tip would be to use heavy-duty aluminum foil instead of the regular lightweight one. It helps trap the heat better.
- Next up, place the wrapped pork butts in an empty cooler and keep them there until it’s time to serve.
- The pork butts will remain above 140 °F (60 °C) for about 2 to 4 hours inside the coolers.
Pull The Pork & Serve
- Once you’re ready to eat, take the pork out of the coolers and unwrap the aluminum foil.
- You can use either heat-resistant gloves or two large serving forks to hold and shred the pork.
- Any fat should be pulled off and discarded.
- Once you’ve shredded the meat, mix it thoroughly.
- Add some thinned-out barbecue sauce into the pulled meat for added flavor.
- It’s essential to mix the outside bark evenly throughout the mix and not let it clump together.
- You can either serve the mixed pulled meat just as it is with a side of barbecue sauce or place it into warm hamburger buns or rolls. You can mix some barbecue sauce to make the rolls juicier.
That’s all! After a long smoking process, it’s time to enjoy your delicious pork butt.
This simple recipe will bring out some incredible flavors in your meal. As mentioned earlier, slathering your meat with mustard does so much more, along with bringing out some juicy flavors. Among the many ways of smoking meat and marinating it beforehand, mustard slathering is incredibly diverse. You can apply it to most meats, and the results are just as flavorful.
Having an incredible cut of meat slathered with mustard to bring out maximum flavor and a smoker in your backyard is the perfect equation for a well-deserved lunch with family or friends. If not, it’s just as delicious in your own company.
Check out a few more meat articles below:
Directions To Smoke A Beef Crown Rib Roast
3 Lesser-Known Cuts of Beef that are Perfect for Smoking
How to Cook the Perfect New York Strip Steak
For more great ideas on how to get the most out of your Bradley Smoker, check out the awesome articles on our Bradley Smoker Food Smoking Blog for more tips & tricks.
