Doing a brisket AND a shoulder...HELP

I don't run a MES but many others here do. Let me give this post a bump and see if someone can jump in and answer your questions.

run the shoulder closer to the heat... i do both all the time...

the shoulder is going to take longer to cook because it needs a higher internal temp to pull..

pull at 180 for the brisket and 200+ for the shoulder...

depending on the weight of both, you may even want to start the shoulder an hour or two earlier...

you can always overcook the shoulder but not the brisket...

No MES in my arsenal either, but I do recall seeing mention of a hot spot on the right rear, above the heating unit, so stay away from that.

By the way, is that a flat, point or full packer? An average packer won't fit a vertical smoker unless it's a wide body/big block. My 24" wide Vault barely handled a 13.25 lb packer last weekend...just for reference.

As for which rack to put what on, I would put the brisket above the pork just because the large slab will act as a baffle of sorts, and trap alot of heat from getting past it. The butt (OK wait, is that a picnic shoulder?) would slow some of the heating of the brisket, but not as much. Larger pieces on top medium size in the middle and so on, for more even cooking of each piece. If your doing a picnic, it's kinda sixes...flip a coin.

If using a drip pan to catch meat juices/fat, don't get too close to the heat source, and use the water pan as instructed.

Good luck on the smoke!

Eric

I would smoke the shoulder on Saturday. I have a MES and a shoulder that size is going to take upwards of 12 hours. Unless you plan on staying up real late on Sunday, do it saturday. The MES can be a bit frustrating trying to keep the smoke going once you have added wet chips after a few hours. Practice with it and you will figure it out. I would also suggest that you take a tomato juice can, cut off both ends and place over the vent hole. It seems to draw air better and helps the chips stay lit. Here si the recipe that I use for shoulders. It has been fine tuned to exhaustion. Hope this helps.

Pulled Pork

2 Pork Butts
3 Tbs Salt
2 Tbs Black Pepper
2 Tbs Paprika
1 Tbs Garlic Powder
3 Tbs Brown Sugar
1 Tbs Cayenne pepper

Rub pork and wrap in plastic wrap and let place in refrigerator overnight.
Remove and let sit on counter 1 hour before smoking.

Place wood chips in a little water and soak.
Turn smoker to 220 degrees and put in some chips. Set timer for 12 hours. (So it doesn’t shut off during smoking.
Fill water pan with apple juice, 1 sprig of fresh rosemary and 1 small bunch of sage.

Put pork into smoker with meat thermometer inserted. Set thermometer alarm for 195 degrees.

Add wood chips every 45 minutes to an hour for the first 6 hours. At 5 hours of cooking I like to baste the pork with a vinegar barbecue sauce every hour.

Vinegar Barbecue Sauce
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tbs brown sugar
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Mix ingredients until the sugar is dissolved

When temp reaches 195 degrees remove pork and wrap in heavy tin foil. Place in a pan and put into an empty cooler. Place towels or an old blanket on top of the pork, close the lid and let it sit for 2 hours.

Remove from cooler and it’s ready to eat.