The main reason people use mustard on pork butt is so that the dry rub sticks better to the meat.
Mustard itself is popular because it’s vinegar based, it’s cheap, and it’s found in most people’s refrigerators.
My Personal Opinions on Mustard with Pork Butt
After smoking tons of pork butts I find binders – whether it be mustard or an alternative below – to be useful.
This is because pork butt is rather irregular in shape.
Something like brisket or ribs lay flat and you have less of a concern for dry rub to fall off.
Since the meat is being pulled apart, having uniform bark is less of a concern too.
Where-as with brisket you’re often creating pencil thin slices with strips of bark across the top.
With brisket, I’ve had several instances where I’ll completely lose bark when I’ve used mustard; Almost like an old paint chipping off a car.
Commercial Mustard Ingredients
Almost all yellow mustard is made from a combination of the same ingredients:
- Water
- Vinegar
- Mustard seed
For example, one of the most popular brands of Yellow mustard is French’s.
Their ingredients list:
- Distilled vinegar
- Water
- #1 Grade Mustard Seed
- Salt
- Turmeric
- Paprika
- Spice
- Natural Flavors
- Garlic powder
When the liquid ingredients (bolded) are “cooked” they vaporize. Meaning, we’re left behind with soluble ingredients like mustard seed, salt, turmeric, paprika, etc.
Almost all of these ingredients are found in barbecue dry rubs. Meaning, when you apply a dry rub, the mustard is indistinguishable from the rub.
Alternative Binders that are Commonly Used
For most cuts of meat I don’t use a binder.
If I ever think the rub won’t stick – I use water.
This boneless pork butt used a honey mustard rub with large granules – a little water helped it cling to the surface, no problem.
If you don’t have clean drinking water use:
- Hot Sauce
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Cooking oil
- Animal fat (tallow, lard, etc.)
- Fruit juices like apple
- Vinegar
- Mayo
- Pickle juice
I’ve tested tons of binders and I’ve never been able to taste them.
They just end up cooking off during the cook.
