Such Pigs!

The pork butt was nicely browned and a little carmelized. The meat was cooked all the way down to the bone but did not pull away from the bone. The skin was a bit chewy still but a good deal of the fat had melted away which helped to baste the meat.

We ate the meat with Chinese buns, hoisin sauce, scallions and cilantro. We also tried it ssam style with lettuce wraps, kimchee, gochujiang, and hot peppers.

My friends devoured it all; leaving just the bare bone, so I guess it was okay to eat. What did I really think of it?

The verdict on my pork butt is it will be better next time.

What would I do differently?

I only brined the butt for 20hrs, should have been 36-48hrs. Next time I would get medieval on it and stab the crap out of it with a multiple sharp objects. Highly recommended for getting out any pent up frustrations as well as allow for the brine to better penetrate to the center of the butt (but don't go too crazy if you are going to try it because it could cause the juices to flow out during cooking and cause the meat to dry out).

I roasted it for 4.5hrs (2hrs @ 300F, 1hr@ 400F, 1.5hr@350F. I would instead roast it for 6hrs @ 300F then to crisp and caramelize it 1hr @ 350F covered with foil and 1hr@ 350F w/o foil.

Ideally I would have a combi oven that can steam heat. I would place it in a deep hotel pan and cover it with plastic wrap and then foil. Steam baking it at 250F for 10-12hrs would keep all the juices in and cook the meat to a fall off the bone consistency. I really miss the combi ovens at PerSe. I need to get one for my house.