I_Use_The_Force
Got Wood.
Pork Butt Brands & Stores
We've tried a few different meat providers...a few providers have turned out alright, but never been thrilled with what I've seen. Would love to hear y'all's experiences with various stores/brands. Here's what we've seen:
BJ's - Average - eh...all smithfield products. MM's usually seems pretty small.
Harris Teeter - Averages - same as BJs...all smithfield products
Restaurant Supply - Above Average...got decent butts from RS...their butts certainly seem 1-2 pounds larger on average than the Smittys.
Have yet to try any local farms or butchers...anyone use a local guy for their competition meats?
Also heard Moe Cason mention he uses some type of premium meat for pork on one of the episodes of pit wars. Can't remember the name of it for the life of me...anyone know the meat he might have been referring to?
Spices
Where do you guys get your spices? Organic or non-organic? 95% of our spice rack is filled with McCormick...again...'eh'...not really been that impressed with them.
Also used a lot of pro team spices and never been overly wow'd by any of them. Tried most of smoking guns stuff, various butcher's, wicked Q's, but like I said...didn't think anything was really any better than the basic stuff I make on my own. Any other spices you guys would recommend I try?
What's your go to spice/liquid to provide heat, sweet, tangy, color, and savoriness? Here's my picks:
Heat: Red Pepper Flakes & Cayenne
Sweet: Brown Sugar
Tang: Yellow Mustard (or white/apple vinegar)
Color:Parika
Savoriness: Butcher's Pork Injection
Flavor Profiles
One of the areas I really feel like I need to improve upon is mixing/layering flavors. I've started to notice when various spices like sweet and tang or sweet and savory go together, but I'm no where near being competitive.
Here are some flavor pairings I've found that I enjoy...though I have to admit, I've never dented the top 5 at a competition:
Sweet & Savory: Peach, Cinnamon, & Butcher's Pork Injection
Tangy & Savory: Pickle Juice Vinegar & Butcher's Pork Injection
Heat & Sweet: Cayenne & Honey
What flavor combinations have you guys used in the past you've been happy with?
Layering Spices
We compete mostly in western NC & upstate SC since we're just a small team, but Sweet usually scores well from what I've heard. I'm not sure if a balanced approach with your injection, rub, and sauce is the preferred approach or if layering is the way to go. I layer:
Injection: Savory
Rub: Sweet with tiny bit of heat
Sauce: Sweet with tiny bit of heat and tang
So how do you guys do it? Layered or Balanced? I've thought about using various sauces to help balance out my final product. For instance...if my rub was just crazy hot, then I'd throw Blue's sauce on there to try to balance out. If it's not smokey enough, maybe use cattlemans mixed with blues?
We've tried a few different meat providers...a few providers have turned out alright, but never been thrilled with what I've seen. Would love to hear y'all's experiences with various stores/brands. Here's what we've seen:
BJ's - Average - eh...all smithfield products. MM's usually seems pretty small.
Harris Teeter - Averages - same as BJs...all smithfield products
Restaurant Supply - Above Average...got decent butts from RS...their butts certainly seem 1-2 pounds larger on average than the Smittys.
Have yet to try any local farms or butchers...anyone use a local guy for their competition meats?
Also heard Moe Cason mention he uses some type of premium meat for pork on one of the episodes of pit wars. Can't remember the name of it for the life of me...anyone know the meat he might have been referring to?
Spices
Where do you guys get your spices? Organic or non-organic? 95% of our spice rack is filled with McCormick...again...'eh'...not really been that impressed with them.
Also used a lot of pro team spices and never been overly wow'd by any of them. Tried most of smoking guns stuff, various butcher's, wicked Q's, but like I said...didn't think anything was really any better than the basic stuff I make on my own. Any other spices you guys would recommend I try?
What's your go to spice/liquid to provide heat, sweet, tangy, color, and savoriness? Here's my picks:
Heat: Red Pepper Flakes & Cayenne
Sweet: Brown Sugar
Tang: Yellow Mustard (or white/apple vinegar)
Color:Parika
Savoriness: Butcher's Pork Injection
Flavor Profiles
One of the areas I really feel like I need to improve upon is mixing/layering flavors. I've started to notice when various spices like sweet and tang or sweet and savory go together, but I'm no where near being competitive.
Here are some flavor pairings I've found that I enjoy...though I have to admit, I've never dented the top 5 at a competition:
Sweet & Savory: Peach, Cinnamon, & Butcher's Pork Injection
Tangy & Savory: Pickle Juice Vinegar & Butcher's Pork Injection
Heat & Sweet: Cayenne & Honey
What flavor combinations have you guys used in the past you've been happy with?
Layering Spices
We compete mostly in western NC & upstate SC since we're just a small team, but Sweet usually scores well from what I've heard. I'm not sure if a balanced approach with your injection, rub, and sauce is the preferred approach or if layering is the way to go. I layer:
Injection: Savory
Rub: Sweet with tiny bit of heat
Sauce: Sweet with tiny bit of heat and tang
So how do you guys do it? Layered or Balanced? I've thought about using various sauces to help balance out my final product. For instance...if my rub was just crazy hot, then I'd throw Blue's sauce on there to try to balance out. If it's not smokey enough, maybe use cattlemans mixed with blues?
