First time smoking a pork shoulder

Joe Black said:

The only other tip that I would give you is to always cook 2 at the time so you can share with all of us.

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Griff said:

Sounds like you've already got a good plan. Take your time and enjoy the ride. You can foil it when it hits the stall or you can just ride it out. Take it off when it hits 205 internal temp. Have fun.

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mummel said:

 
I keep reading about the stall and when to foil but for a new guy, what does "the stall" really mean?

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timberjet said:

 
I am guessing you already figured it out but the meat stalls as the tough tissues like gristle and sinew break down. Butts, chuck roasts, briskets all can stall. Rarely you get no stall or very little. Most of the time the stall will last a few hours. Sometimes the stall may last for hours and hours and the temp may even drop during the stall. It's all part of the mystery of large muscle meats. The stall is natural and you can foil your way through it or crank up the heat but I never do the latter. I just allow lots of extra time just in case. Low and slow for me.

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mummel said:

 
And whats better, to foil or not to foil?  If you have the time (i.e. start the smoke the night before), does it matter if you just leave the meat and let it cook for however long it takes?  Or is it better to foil and not let it dry out?

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timberjet said:

 
foiling does not add any moisture to the meat. It just cooks faster. When you get a smoker and start experimenting you will find out if you like lots of crispy bark or a softer thinner bark. It is personal choice. I like my bark a little softer than some do so I usually foil. Actually I attend to my smoker when I am smoking food. Even though my UDS will run 225 degrees for 12 or more hours easy without monitoring it. I still feel the need to be around it when it's going. So yes, I do pay attention to the temps. Even when in the house since I have a wireless Maverick probe setup. I don't need any graphing software for cooking. Been doing it a long long time.

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mummel said:

 
Yeah I like a soft bark, fall of the bone style.  The juicier the better.  I guess I will be a foiler then :).  But how do you time the foiling?  When the meat hits a certain temp, or when you reach a certain time on the clock (say 3 hours in)?  Im sure each piece of meat is different so the stall would occur at different points in time.  How do you know then the time is right to foil?

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timberjet said:

 
Cook by temp. not time. You could have two 6 pound butts side by side in there and treat them exactly the same and one might be done 5 hours different than the other. I foil because I usually do all night cooks for the next day. I smoke to say 165 and foil and bring it in to the oven. I set the oven to what the smoker temp was and monitor the internal temp from wherever I am at in the house. That way I save charcoal and can get some sleep if I need to. Now there are times when I go the whole way in the smoker without foiling just for the heck of it just for something different if I have the time and feel like it. Sometimes I even use my crockpot instead of the oven or foil. This normally happens when I realize I am out of foil. Pork Shoulders and chuck roasts have a lot of built in moisture. As long as you don't overcook or undercook a butt it will be moist.

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mummel said:

 
Great info.  Do you prefer foiled butt or just slow cooked until it's ready? 

I never thought about the oven :).  That would be much safer and cost less as it uses natural gas :).  When people say 3-2-1, is it smoke for 3 hours, foil for 2, and then whats the 1 referring to?  So you could smoke ribs for 3 hours, foil and put in oven for 2 hours, then 1?

Another example, smoke butt for 8 hours until 165, then foil and put in over until the final step?  Whats the final step?  Is this where you drop the temperature?  Thanks!

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