Help! urgent pulled pork question

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smokindkoert

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 28, 2011
11
10
Stratford, Ontario
So, I was asked to help do a huge community bbq for about 400 people. It is TONIGHT

the basics...

we are cooking with wood, open fire style on a unit kind of like this one:


So, I wasn't in on the planning process, and the people who were are noobs.

we have ten, 10 lb bone in shoulders with all the fat trimmed off.

I am not able to dry rub them until about an hour or so. Also, they are still 75% frozen.

We cant set up our BBQ until 3am and we are to start serving at 11am.

I figure we have 6 hours at most cooking time, since it will take a bit to set-up, get fire going, and resting time, plus time to pull it afterwards.

I think they figured they could jack up a blazing fire and cook it in about 5 hours, since they are noobs to smoking.

This is the time frame I have to work with, no substitutions.

Any advice? I told them they will likely have to slice the meat, since I figure it will be too tough to pull after only 5-6 hours cooking time.

How hot should we aim for? 225-250 is out the window I think.

Any help would be VERY appriciated.

Thanks

Dave
 
You can cook them up around 350 degrees

 Get a lil smoke flavor on them and then wrap in heavy foil w/ some juice or soda. Pour the heat to them and you may be able to get to pulling temps in 6 hrs.

 You have gotten yourself backed into a small corner here ,good luck.
 
Is it too late to sneak out of town?
Snowmobile.gif
 
You can cook them up around 350 degrees

 Get a lil smoke flavor on them and then wrap in heavy foil w/ some juice or soda. Pour the heat to them and you may be able to get to pulling temps in 6 hrs.

 You have gotten yourself backed into a small corner here ,good luck.
 Yep...1-2 Hours Smoke, then Foil with liquid all at 350*F...JJ
 
I hijacked their operation, and am now able to set up the Q on a trailer, with patios stones underneath just outside of town, and I'm going to start them around 8pm. whew! Then we are going to transport the whole unit at 3am to the location and finish it off there right on the trailer. Also, I had made a grill to put on it to do the shoulders on there, instead of clamped in a spit sideways, like the organizer wanted to do, but he seems to insist that the sideways spit clamp way is much better...what say you smoking experts?

Thank you so much for posting quickly and the responses.

Only sucky thing is I'm not going to get any of the credit for rescuing them, since the local health unit and organizers are dense, and they dont want us to do what we are doing. but for the sake of the people, I'm doing it anyways.
 
Aaaaaand I just got hijacked. They insist on setting up at 3, HOPEFULLY getting the fire ready by 4am, and cooking at whatever temp they want until 10am. They insist this method has worked countless times before, so I said, I'd drop off all the items I had ready(wood, & they said they still need help getting the fire going(which should be the first clue they have no idea) apple juice, etc...) and the rest is up to them. I run a catering business, so I dont want my name attached to something that I feel wont be a good product. thanks for all your help, even though it seems it wasnt needed, LOL. and they have a ribcage type spit that locks in, and they want to do them packed as tight as they can side by each, I just dont think its going to work out too well. ohh well, it's going to be their reputation, not mine.
 
Grab a cold beverage and watch the show.

I have seen many of events go a different direction then I would go. Some have surprisingly worked and some have been epic fails....
 
I hear ya, I am on the fence. I kinda hope they epic fail( I told you so), but I also wish them the best. I think it will prob be ok for them, but I know it wont be the best ever. and they have already used my amazing amaze-o rub so it will at least be sorta ok. maybe I will grab a bottle of wine and see how they make out.
popcorn.gif
 
I also hope it rains allllllllll night like it might here in SW ontario. I had the tent they were going to use to keep dry, and I am now keeping it at home since it was for me mostly. bwhahahahahaha.
 
nope. We were going to do it my way, had it all co-ordinated, but when I arrived at the new site where we were going to start it at 8pm, I was informed that it was not going to happen. I decided to let them have at it and do what they want, since it would kinda fall on my 'shoulders' if it didnt work out, since they wanted to do it their way. I opted to help em out with getting the fire going and drop off all the wood and supplies and let them do what they wanted to do. Kinda assholey, but what can you do. I'd rather do it right, or not do it at all. 

some of my mottos are:

'If you don't plan on doing it right, plan on doing it again', and my cooking/catering business motto is, 'hey, just make it awesome!'
 
I agree with do it right or not at all. Geez what is this chopped? Anyway, my thoughts, cut em in half, more bark and 5 lb chunks will cook faster. Foil at 150 to power through the stall. Crank up the heat to 275 to 300.
 
100lbs of raw pork with 40% loss leaves 60lbs of pork for 400 people.  My guess is they ran out and 50 people didn't get sandwiches.
 
 
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