Recipe
Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Pork Butt
The championship pork butt recipe from Big Bob Gibson's, as featured in Peace, Love and Barbecue. An injection marinade delivers flavor deep into the meat, a custom rub builds the bark, and a low-and-slow cook produces pull-apart tender pork.
Prep
1 hr
Cook
13 hrs
Rest
15 min
Total
14 hrs
Difficulty
advanced
Yield
Method
smoking
Wood
Hickory
Internal Temp
195°F
Fuel
charcoal
I’ve had the BBQ book Peace Love and Barbecue for some time now and haven’t really dedicated myself to its content nearly enough. Today, the 4th of July 2006, I have. There is a recipe for pork butt included in this book that has garnered so much attention and picked up a few awards around the BBQ circuit that I had to give it a try. I am speaking of Big Bob Gibson’s championship pork shoulder recipe.
I followed the recipe to the letter, except for the fact that I used pork butt instead of shoulder, and have found the results to be fantastic. I wouldn’t normally post a recipe from a book on this site, but his recipe is the worst kept secret in the world of barbecue. It can be found all over the Internet and television.
I injected and rubbed the butts yesterday and smoked them overnight. Got them out of the smoker this morning (after 10 hours of smoking over mesquite lump with hickory chunks), the internal temperature was 195F and the meat was absolutely wonderful.
What You Need
Ingredients
- The meat:
- 2 pork butts
For the Injection
- 3/4 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt, finely ground
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire
- Mix ingredients together and inject into each butt.
For the Rub
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup paprika
- 1/3 cup garlic salt
- 1/3 cup kosher salt
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Mix ingredients together and apply liberally to the butts.
Step by Step
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Smoke at about 225F until internal temperature reaches 195F. Let rest for 15 minutes. Pull, and have fun. Put some meat in a bun with a little of your favorite BBQ sauce. Add a little coleslaw if you wish and enjoy. Have a great 4th of July.
Pro Tips
- The injection marinade delivers flavor deep into the meat where rub can't reach
- Reserve 1/4 cup of rub to mix into the pulled pork at serving time
- Wrapping in foil halfway through speeds up the cook
- Double-wrapped in foil and stored in a small cooler, the butts stay hot for hours
- Recipe credited to Big Bob Gibson's — a championship recipe that has won awards on the BBQ circuit
Equipment
- Smoker or indirect-heat BBQ
- Meat injector
- Heavy-duty aluminum foil
- Thermometer
- Rubber gloves