Dry rub vs. wet brine for pork shoulder, my 14 hour experiment

I spent last Saturday testing two identical 8 pound shoulders, one with my usual dry rub and one with a wet brine I found in an old Smoke & Spice book. The dry rub sat overnight, the wet brine soaked for 18 hours, both went on my offset at 250 degrees for the same cook. The wet brine one came out noticeably juicier and the salt got deep, but the dry rub had a better bark and that pepper crust I really like. Honestly, the wet brine lost some of the smoke flavor on the outside, and the rub won on texture for pulled pork. For my next brisket, I'm thinking of doing a light wet brine then a dry rub right before, but has anyone else tried combining the two without the meat turning to mush?

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paige_west1mo ago

Worth noting that a wet brine will always pull some smoke flavor since that wet surface fights off smoke stick. That part isn't really a trade off, it's just how it works. But careful with the combo idea for brisket, because 18 hours in brine is a long soak and the meat can get spongy if you push much past 12 to 14. A salt and sugar brine for 6 to 8 hours, then pat dry, then your rub for 12 hours in the fridge, gets you most of the deep salt without the mush. The dry surface from that fridge rest also helps the bark form back up. Your mileage may vary based on how heavy your rub is, but that timing has worked for me on butts.

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