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Epicurious

Butt in a Bag

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Butt in a BagJoyce Oudkerk Pool

This variation on the traditional method has never failed me. I learned it at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue event more than two decades ago from an Arkansas cook. It's simple. Place a partially smoked pork butt in a paper grocery bag and finish cooking by slow smoking it. The paper absorbs some of the grease and keeps the meat from drying out. People ask me, "Won't the bag catch on fire?" The bag will be saturated with pork fat, but a bag fire hasn't happened to me yet. For true Southern pork butt, go with hickory wood. However, I like to use fruitwood—maybe even peach or cherry—mixed with pecan. Because pork butt slow smokes for 6 hours, this is not a recipe to try on a gas grill.

Suggested wood: Hickory or a combination of apple, peach, or cherry and pecan

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