wow GIP, i think chili is in the near future for me.. that looks too good.
SL, badass pork butt. looks like you know what you're doing, but i'll share some thoughts..
if you ever wanna try something new, here's the current iteration of my pork butt rub. the measurements are in grams:
white sugar 155
molasses 13
paprika 33
garlic powder 10
onion powder 5
ginger powder 11
rosemary powder 3
ground black pepper 9
ground chipotle 1
ground smoked habanero 1
red sichuan peppercorn 0.5
that should be plenty for one butt. you should have a little left over. if you are stingy with the ingredients, you could probably multiply that recipe by 3/4.
brown sugar is just one of those things that i refuse to keep in the pantry any longer. i know i sound like a whiner, but i just think it's a PITA ingredient to deal with.
i hate trying to un-brick it, and yes i've tried all the tricks like microwaving it, steaming it, hammering it, (but maybe not grating it? lol)
so i've converted all my recipes to just use white sugar and molasses. instead of taking up valuable pantry space with white sugar, brown sugar, (light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, ...), i just have a bottle of molasses and can adjust the 'darkness' by adding more or less.
also, fresly mixed brown sugar is lovely. fluffy and 'moist'.
as for starting briquettes for low&slow bbq, i think it works best if you arrange them in a volcano-shaped pile. then take about 3 briquettes (depending on how much charcoal is in your basket), light them with a torch, and set them on top. the others will catch, and it will be a nice, slow burn.