First smoke 19.5lb pork shoulder question

smokincailin · Jul 19, 2014

Hi all,

I'm an Irish woman and smokers are NOT very common here :) I built a uds this week following tips from this site and the net, been difficult sourcing all the bits, we not as well equipped for it and you guys. Anyway, finally got my smoker to come up to good temps this morning after adding two more valves, so I put on my first smoke.

We've been pretty ambitious with two shoulders, one 16.5lb and other 19.5lb. So I started with the smaller one, gave it 5hrs smoke, then foil wrapped it and moved it to the oven to make space for the second one to go in.

First shoulder has been on now for 12hrs and just reached internal temp of 205.... I decided to wrap it in towels now and stick in a cooler. Does anyone think 12 hrs for a 16.5lb is way to little? Should I stick to times or temps?

here's some pics of my progress so far... my uds, meat before going on, meat just before foil wrap... and into the cooler :)

smells amazing anyway and no resistance with the thermometer going in.

photo.JPG

smokincailin
Jul 19, 2014

photo (3).JPG

smokincailin
Jul 19, 2014

photo (1).JPG

smokincailin
Jul 19, 2014

photo (2).JPG

smokincailin
Jul 19, 2014

timberjet · Jul 19, 2014

that is not long enough for that big of a shoulder not even. You might want to try going with the suggestions I posted over on your other thread. Make sure your temperature probe is accurate. you can check it with boiling water which is 212 degrees or ice water which is 32 degrees. Unless you baked it at like 400 or something that is not enough time.

timberjet · Jul 19, 2014

Also there is enough room in that smoker for both of those roasts at the same time. Here is a link for the definitive recipe for smoked pulled pork. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140055/boston-butt-pulled-pork-step-by-step

smokincailin · Jul 19, 2014

Hey timberjet,

Sorry, i started this thread before you replied on the other and now I can't delete it.

Anyway, internal temp is at 205 after 12hrs for the 16.5lb shoulder. It had no resistance with the thermometer going in at all, and I could feel it falling apart through the foil. Do you think it still isn't cooked enough? I've wrapped it and it's in the cooler already.

dirtsailor2003 · Jul 19, 2014

Well if you've tested the therms and know they accurate and the meat is falling off the bone you are probably good. Pork is safe to eat when you reach 145f and I'm sure you got above that.

Like TJ said I take mine to 205f, wrap in foil and let rest. I usually rest for an hour then pull the meat. Add my finishing sauce if I'm using one, and let rest in the fridge until it's time to reheat and serve.

Not knowing the temp your UDS was running at I can't comment on the short cook time. I have had some large cuts get done in short times. I have run my UDS around 300f and cut the time down considerably. So I would suggest checking your put therms accuracy. You may be running hotter than you think you are. Also is your therm At the same level
As your cooking grate? Mine can vary 15-25 degrees too to bottom of the drum.

timberjet · Jul 19, 2014

No worries. I would check your meat probe out for accuracy as well as the thermometers on your UDS. I think you might be ok with the first one. Now that I know that you cooked it in the oven at 350. Remember authentic BBQ is all about low and slow. What kind of wood are you using for smoke?

smokincailin · Jul 19, 2014

I didn't cook it at 350 in the oven.

10hrs in uds at 250 and then 2hrs in oven at same, 250. Its resting now, so time will tell.... I'll be hopefully pulling it in 15mins (fingers crossed)

timberjet · Jul 19, 2014

can't wait to see how it turned out. This could be world record time for a big Butt like that.

smokincailin · Jul 19, 2014

SUCCESS!!!

I only barely had to look at it and it just fell apart. Haven't sifted through it yet to take out all the gross bits, but here it is, barely pulled and delicious.

photo (4).JPG

smokincailin
Jul 19, 2014

timberjet · Jul 19, 2014

You are officially a BBQ chef now! I would highly recommend A finishing sauce for that stuff. Here is a great one. http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/122319/jjs-finishing-sauce-awesome

smokincailin · Jul 19, 2014

Great... I will definitely have to try that.

I have a couple here to try too. Very excited to eat this :) thanks for all the help and input, much appreciated.

smoke slinger · Jul 20, 2014

Looks great, may start a new trend there.

Craig

Rafter H BBQ · Jul 20, 2014

Nice smoke, real nice..... That's one big chunk of meat !

cinnamonkc · Jul 20, 2014

Welcome fellow Irish!!

In theory, it wasn't nearly enough time for that shoulder, but your results speak for themselves, it looks yummy.

Keep on practicing and you will get to know your smoker and how it handles each smoke. Congrats on your maiden "voyage"!

smokincailin · Jul 22, 2014

Thanks everyone,

Our second piece was a success also. It went on at 10pm and we pulled it at 4pm the next afternoon, so 17hrs with 1hr rest for a 19.5 pounder. It was a huge success with all our guests, and I could see some people eyeing up my UDS... I'll have to increase security I reckon.

All the input much appreciated. Cheers!!

caribou89 · Jul 22, 2014

timberjet said:
No worries. I would check your meat probe out for accuracy as well as the thermometers on your UDS. I think you might be ok with the first one. Now that I know that you cooked it in the oven at 350. Remember authentic BBQ is all about low and slow. What kind of wood are you using for smoke?

That's not true. Authentic BBQ is about meat and smoke. I cook a 12 lb brisket in 6-7 hours in my UDS at 300-325 and it's as good as any brisket I've ever had, and better than most.

demosthenes9 · Jul 22, 2014

I'd wager that the therms on your UDS measure the temps near the sides of your UDS and that the center of the UDS, where you cooked, runs much hotter. Next time your fire up the UDS, put a temp probe right on the center of the top grate and compare the temps there to what the other therms say.

demosthenes9 · Jul 22, 2014

Also, the pictures of the shoulder are a bit deceiving as they don't show how big it really is in length and width due to the angle of the pics. Cook time is determined by heat (of course) and thickness of the piece of meat, not it's weight. The 19.5 lb shoulder is about as thick as a 10/12lb butt, and would take the same amount of time to cook even though it weighs twice as much.

smokincailin · Aug 1, 2014

True, it was very hard to show the true size in a picture. I've loads to tweaking to do to get this right, and to get more accuracy with the cook. Did well as a lucky first attempt, mostly just hoping for the best and making sure the meat was at least cooked. Was very successful... all the guests waiting for me to fire up the smoker again anyway.

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