Pork Butts & Stinky Butts

[Smokey Lew]

I purchased a couple of two butt per cryo pack pork butts (total of 4 butts) a week ago and decided to get them into the WSM last night. The first pack I opened had a strong sulfur smell to it. I never run into this before so I was surprised (not pleasantly) by the oder.

I remember an earlier post from someone asking about using white vinegar as a wash on pork ribs and Big Wheel responded that it was used to neutralize the oder from ribs that were in the cryo pack to long. The impression I got was that as long as the pork didn't smell like rotten cheese, you could go ahead and use the sulfur smelling pork (see BW's response below - gotta love it!).

When push came to shove, I decided I didn't want to use them. The butts in this post are from the other pack that didn't smell. After freaking out last night about this, I decided to do the cook in the morning. Any other thoughts on this??? Would any of you go ahead and cook a stinky butt??







I will post the cook as time goes on. Thanks . . .

 

[bigwheel]

Yes yes..stinky butts are fine as long as they smell like sulphur. The rotten cheese smelling stinky butts need to be took back to the store for a refund.

bigwheel

 

[ScottyDaQ]

I woulda cooked em.

 

[bbquzz]

I think I knew those twins back in high school I don't blame you Lew, with age comes wisdom and I too would err on the side of caution

 

[bigwheel]

Well you two are going to be throwing away enough purfuctly good pig meat to feed an entire village of widders and orphans etc. I would hazzard to guess the best place to get totally unstinky pig meat would be at a real high volume place such as Sam's. They got to be selling them as quick as they come in. Now we are speaking strictly cryo here. If they air em out a little and put them in Saran that dont count cuz they simply done for you whut you could have done for yourself which is to expose the meat to the air for a while. Usual wait time 20 mins course that be dependent on the humidity temps etc. I have tested the hyphothesis in all types of surroundings and would say it actually closer to 5 mins. tops. Have neva picked up any sulphur or other off flavors or smells in the cooked meat.

bigwheel

 

[Tri Tip]

Lew, High volume it right. Also don't fret. It's a normal smell. I once opend a pack Farmer John spares from Smart and Final, and I swear someone had farted in my face! As long as the exp date hasn't past it's normal. My wife's grandpa who is a butcher was there he smelt it and said it's perfectly normal. I did wash with vinigar and let em air out and the meat began to smell fresh again.

 

[Cliff H.]

If I have to wipe meat off with something that smells worse than the sulpher smell (vinager), I ain't cooking it.

 

[BeeRich]

Sorry Lew, I'm confused. I was going to ask you what the wrapping was on those butts. Did you put that on after seasoning, or is that from the store? If you did that, can you tell me what that is?

 

[Smokey Lew]

Sorry Lew, I'm confused. I was going to ask you what the wrapping was on those butts. Did you put that on after seasoning, or is that from the store? If you did that, can you tell me what that is?

The wrapping is just some Saran wrap I put on after injecting and seasoning them. These butts are the two that came out of the cryo pack that didn't smell. They set in the refrigerator over night until I was ready to smoke them.

 

[bbquzz]

Lew, any after smoke pix yet? As long as we don't have smell-a-vision the pre smoke butts look great

 

[surfinsapo]

They only smell like that if they aren't fresh butts... I buy fresh butts and if I don't cook them within a day or two they smell like that.. It's just chemistry... Cook on bro....

 

[Robotodd]

I'm new to this whole smoking thing so I'm just going to spell out exactly what I have going on so that you guys might be able to give me the best advice on what to do with this butt.

I got a 2-pack of cryopack butts from Sam's last weekend. The first butt I immediately put in a brine for 24 hours then smoked it... very happy about my first attempt. The second butt I put in a large ziploc bag and left it in the fridge.

So, here it is 6 days later and I removed my second butt and it REEKS of sulfur. I've rinsed it with vinegar as some have suggested. I've trimmed off some of the grayish meat. And it still has a bit of the sulfuric/rotten egg smell.

I hate to throw out such a large cut of meat but I don't want food poisoning. Advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[BeeRich]

I don't treat my butts at all. Just rub 'em maybe the night before, then toss them on fat side up. Grey meat? From the sounds of it I wouldn't go near it.

 

[Cliff H.]

I say trash it.

This may not be the popular thought but when I open a cryo of pork ribs or butts and they smell like sulphur, I rinse them in cold water and let them air for a couple of minutes. If they still smell then they don't get cooked.

 

[Robotodd]

Thanks guys. Really what I was looking for was someone else to say trash it 'cause I just didn't want to throw out such a large and potentially tasty piece of meat.

So long stinky butt.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Bigwheel has been the internets stinky butt expert for years.

 

[Helen_Paradise]

LOL Where is the LIKE button when you need it???

Bigwheel has been the internets stinky butt expert for years.

 

[bigwheel]

Just can't leave the ex wife jokes alone huh?

 

[bigwheel]

Well if you sure it smelled like sulphur it was most likely ok. Throw it out in the rotten cheese smelling phase.

Thanks guys. Really what I was looking for was someone else to say trash it 'cause I just didn't want to throw out such a large and potentially tasty piece of meat.

So long stinky butt.