- Jun 22, 2017
- 7
- 10
Hey Everyone,
I'm breaking in my newly modded OK Joe's Highland, and we're at hour 10.5 on an 8lb Pork Shoulder. I started with charcoal and wood chunks at 0600, and it got up to temp in reasonable time. I put the shoulder on at 0700 and added a few more chunks. I wanted to run this a bit hot so that tonight's guests could eat at a reasonable hour, so I aimed for 275F. I was able to push it much higher than that (by accident) with a few larger splits, but after that peak (330F) I lost the ability to control much of anything, and the - while the fire is raging - the temps have wildly fluctuated between 190F and 265F pretty much all afternoon at this point.
The shoulder is dark, but internal temps are reading 173F, so there's still a ways to go. I got a bit of a Stall at 159F, but pushed through within an hour or so. I wasn't going to wrap, but decided to at this point since we're still 20+ degrees away from done, and I'd like to be sure our guests are plating up by 6:00ish, with at least 30 minutes for the shoulder to rest.
Even though the mods were done correctly, I'm losing a ton of smoke from the main lid, despite the gasket. The silicone seals are holding up well, and the gasket around the firebox seems to be doing its job. I also think the wood I managed to get my hands on this time around wasn't of great quality, but it burned ok.
Any advice/thoughts on why my temps were so wildly vacillating, despite being diligent with the fire?
It's 74 degrees, sunny, a little windier than usual, but otherwise perfect outside.
Thanks,
Jack
I'm breaking in my newly modded OK Joe's Highland, and we're at hour 10.5 on an 8lb Pork Shoulder. I started with charcoal and wood chunks at 0600, and it got up to temp in reasonable time. I put the shoulder on at 0700 and added a few more chunks. I wanted to run this a bit hot so that tonight's guests could eat at a reasonable hour, so I aimed for 275F. I was able to push it much higher than that (by accident) with a few larger splits, but after that peak (330F) I lost the ability to control much of anything, and the - while the fire is raging - the temps have wildly fluctuated between 190F and 265F pretty much all afternoon at this point.
The shoulder is dark, but internal temps are reading 173F, so there's still a ways to go. I got a bit of a Stall at 159F, but pushed through within an hour or so. I wasn't going to wrap, but decided to at this point since we're still 20+ degrees away from done, and I'd like to be sure our guests are plating up by 6:00ish, with at least 30 minutes for the shoulder to rest.
Even though the mods were done correctly, I'm losing a ton of smoke from the main lid, despite the gasket. The silicone seals are holding up well, and the gasket around the firebox seems to be doing its job. I also think the wood I managed to get my hands on this time around wasn't of great quality, but it burned ok.
Any advice/thoughts on why my temps were so wildly vacillating, despite being diligent with the fire?
It's 74 degrees, sunny, a little windier than usual, but otherwise perfect outside.
Thanks,
Jack
