I just took a 10 pound butt, cut it in half and trimmed all the outside fat that I could off of each piece. My thought being that outside fat doesn't contributed anything to the flavor of the meat when smoked. It's the internal marbling that adds flavor. Granted, the drippings can be used for other things such as a sauce or whatever. Anyway, I weighed the fat which I trimmed off and it was 1lb 5 oz which was 15%.
Also, when I went to freeze the two halves I found I had no vacuum sealer bags larger enough to hold either one. So, I wrapped each in waxed paper, tied with butcher twine and placed in each in a one gallon Zip-Lock Freezer bag. Wanting to get the maximum amount of air out of the bag, I closed the zip top of the bag all the way except for about 1/2'' on one end. I then immersed the bag in water and maneuvered and pressed the bag, being careful to keep only the opened corner above the water level, until I had used the water pressure to displace the air in the freezer bag. Then I zipped the bag shut. Was it as good as my vacuum sealer? Nope. But it worked in a pinch. I've heard of using a straw to suck the air out but I find this method to work better for me. I may not be as good a sucker as other people are.
Dee
