2nd pork shoulder attempt...overnighter!

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

So, last night I threw on a 7 lb boneless pork shoulder on the ol' Weber Kettle. Have had only one go-round with a similar shoulder and took over 14 hours before I gave up and took it off at IT of 191 (10:45pm). See previous posting in my history if interested in that.

This time I tried putting it on at 8:45pm last night trying to "outsmart" the stall and also so I wouldn't get so frustrated. Data is below for what's happened so far:

8:45pm - shoulder goes on

9:45pm - IT at 62, grill at 250

10:45pm - IT at 98, grill at 250

SLEEPY TIME!!!!

4:30am - IT at 176, grill at 225

SLEEPYTIME!!!! (had a nightmare about someone taking the lid off - no joke)

6:45am - IT at 167, grill at 225

8:45am - IT at 185, grill at 260

Trying not to get too excited about the 9 degree dip from 4:30 - 6:30am, as I know it is common for it to drop a little during the stall. Not sure if 9 degrees is common, but being patient with it!

Will update with Q-View after I take it off...going to try to wait for 200-205 IT.

Chime in with any feedback...hope everyone is having a great smoking Labor Day!

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

10:45am - IT at 190, grill at 260

5 degrees in 2 hours...so glad I started last night!

smoking b · Sep 2, 2013

lawman2391 said:
10:45am - IT at 190, grill at 260

5 degrees in 2 hours...so glad I started last night!

You're almost there - just hang tight!

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

So, this makes me wonder...as a general rule does a bone-in shoulder take less time than a boneless one? Or is it a complete crap shoot? I have read on this forum that every piece of meat (especially shoulders) have their own "personality", but does anyone have any insight on boneless vs. bone-in as far as times go?

dave c · Sep 2, 2013

When ever I cook a Pork shoulder and remove the bone it normally takes 2-4 hours less according to the weight. A 5-7 lb shoulder takes me about 7 hrs boneless at 225-230 degrees. That same shoulder with the bone about 9-10 hrs. I have one in the smoker i put in last night at midnight with the bone 10 lbs and it has just reached 185 degrees. Hope this helps.

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

Thanks Dave...that makes sense to me.

Just checked and I'm back DOWN to 190 IT from !92 a couple hours ago...I'm now almost 16hrs into this thing...what the heck?

Probably will give this 2 more hours max and kick up the temp to 275...then pull it regardless...

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

OK, well fire officially died...IT never got above 192...it is what it is I guess. I have foiled, wrapped in towels and will let rest for a few hours, then pull and eat for supper. Looks very similar to my other one...very much like a lava rock, Thick bark!

I will post Q-view after the pull...

dave c · Sep 2, 2013

I tried the towels and did not get that much different than without. You'll be ok at 192, any ware between 190-200 it will come out fine. Waiting period I do only 1/2 hour with it wrapped in foil. Comes out tender, moist and most of all good tasting.

Dave

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

Thought I'd do a quick update here (no Q-View yet because my stupid computer won't recognize the pics on my phone).

Left it in foil, towels, and cooler for the better part of 4 hours. When unwrapped it still was hot (not steaming, but hot) and it literally fell in three parts when I tried to transfer it to the "pulling station." It was far more tender and juicy than my previous attempt. Most of the fat was in a semi-liquid state and the bark was thick, but hardly any of the meat was dry. Needless to say, it pulled like butter and was very much enjoyed by all, from my 5 year old up through my 50 year old neighbor who now constantly hounds me for samples whenever he sees the Weber going!

All-in-all it was a great success! Thanks to Dave C for the tips, I appreciate the time and wisdom.

I hereby swear, on the bark of this pork shoulder that I will post Q-view later tonight if my computer ever lets me!

lawman2391 · Sep 2, 2013

OK! Tried once more and here's the Q-VIEW!

After the pull:

093.jpg

lawman2391
Sep 2, 2013

B.O.B (Bowl O' Bark, aka Man Candy - stainless steel bowl for extra credit)

094.jpg

lawman2391
Sep 2, 2013

Close-up of chunk that "fell off" - before the pull obviously

095.jpg

lawman2391
Sep 2, 2013

Thanks for looking! Have a happy rest of your Labor Day! Happy smoking!

dburne · Sep 2, 2013

Great looking shoulder there, congrats!!

smoking b · Sep 2, 2013

093.jpg

lawman2391
Sep 2, 2013

Looks really good to me

Nice job

dave c · Sep 2, 2013

I had the same problem I was trying to take a photo to upload like a before and after and it would not let me do either. I even chose the smaller of the three options for the photo. Anyway after 20 minutes it was too late anyway. The family was into it like a bunch of banchies. They look like and act like they have never ate before. Next time hopefully by then i'll figure out the photo thing. One thing I did not mention that I normally do is after if it all cooked and cooled down for like 1/2 hour I already have the Broiler on at 400 and place it in the bottom rack to make the skin very crispy within 8 minutes.

Glad it turned out good, and also glad to be part of this forum.

Dave C

smoking b · Sep 2, 2013

Dave C said:
I tried the towels and did not get that much different than without.

Dave

The towels are just to hold the heat if you need to keep it for several hours before pulling. I've held them for up to 5 hours with a double wrap of foil, a couple towels & in a cooler & they were still hot enough to burn when I went to pull them...

woodcutter · Sep 3, 2013

Your picnic looks great especially that bark!

disco · Sep 3, 2013

Fine looking pull. Well done.

Disco

bigjp · Sep 3, 2013

Looks great. I had the same thing happen to me this weekend, the bone in shoulder went in Friday at 7pm and I pulled it off Saturday at 10:30 with an IT of 195. Let it rest for an hour, pulled it and topped it with finishing sauce. It turned out great, loved the finishing sauce, it was my first time using it and will definitely use it going forward.

kathrynn · Sep 3, 2013

I did 18 pounds of Shoulder on Saturday. I prefer the bone-in.....have had the bone-less ones take for ever on me. My 2 cents!

I like to let mine take a cooler nap for a while...it's easier to pull by hand that way...cools off some and continues to make the stuff you don't want break down.

Kat

bx smokehouse · Sep 3, 2013

For keeping food hot for a decent amount of time I found that the insulated bags sold in CostCo work really well with a foil wrap on the meat. I've pulled out food hours later that was still steaming.

2nd pork shoulder attempt...overnighter!

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