recipe courtesy of Alton Brown with additional
suggestions by Rick Wiedman

Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in 6 quart Lexan.

Add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.

Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder and grind fine. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika. Rick suggests that you toast the seeds first before you grind them. This opens up a lot more of the flavors. You will be able to smell the difference. To do this just put them in a non-stick skillet and turn the heat on medium for about 1 minute. Shake the seeds every few seconds to keep from sticking or burning.

Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres. More rub will adhere to the meat if you are wearing latex gloves during the application.

Preheat smoker to 210 degrees F. Place butt in smoker and cook for 10 to12 hours, maintaining a temperature of 210 degrees F. Begin checking meat for doneness after 10 hours of cooking time. Use fork to check for doneness.

Meat is done when it falls apart easily when pulling with a fork. Once done, remove from pot and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour.

Pull meat apart with 2 forks and serve as sandwich with coleslaw and dressing as desired.