Another pork shoulder question.

[jds22]

Should the roast go straight from the fridge to the smoker or should it set out for a while to come up to room temp?

This will be my 2nd PP attempt. The first time the roast went from the fridge to the smoker, within about 10 mins of being removed from the fridge. This of course dropped the temp in the smoker and it took a while for it to come back up.

So how am I supposed to do this?

Sorry for the newbie question.

 

[daveomak]

jds, morning.... If it is rubbed already, doesn't matter.....   I preheat my smoker to 275 plus for a few hours before putting PP in it....  Then reduce the smoker temp to 210 after and hour or so, and probe the meat with a sanitized thermometer... I like the high temp 1 hour initial "set" for the meat....   Dave

 

[startedsmokin]

Might not be a right answer...experiment and see what works best for you and your equipment. I pull mine out of the fridge about 45 min before putting it on the heat. This gives me time to do all the other prep work like setting up my thermometer...soaking the wood, etc. Hope number two. Turns out great. Here is to a full belly Thumbs Up

 

[jds22]

Thanks. I'm probably over thinking it.

These are being smoked tomorrow for my wife's BD on Tuesday. I have to work tomorrow so what I'm going to do is get the smoker going, add the wood, add the butts, then leave for work. In other words, the entire time that beautiful thin blue line of mesquite and apple smoke is rolling out of my smoker, I'll be in an office 30 miles away.  

  Is there no justice in the world?

My 20yr old son, who is a very capable cook, is going to handle the smoking duties.

 

[chef jimmyj]

Warming a piece of meat for 1 hour is common but with the exception of Beef that will be cooked to 130*F, I don't bother and I have a MES 40. IF nothing else goes wrong with the smoke all should be fine but remember the 40 to 140* in 4 Clock starts when you pull the meat out of the fridge...All the time out of the refer is time for Bacteria to grow. An extra few minutes in the smoker is worth it if it keep my Family safe! I DO NOT recommend Counter Warming anything that has been Injected...TOO RISKY!!!...JJ

 

[jds22]

Thanks for the replies.

I put 2 naked Boston butts on at about 6:30am this morning. The thin blue line started just as I was leaving for work. They are now in the hands of my son.

It's going to be a long day.

 

[jarjarchef]

As Chef JJ said. The clock starts when you pull from the fridge. Remember the 40-140 in 4hrs guideline when cooking. Now if your fridge keeps the meat at like 33 degrees, you may have a little wiggle room to get it on the smoker, but that is totally your call, just remember the guideline.

For the smoker temp crash. At work when we plan to fill the ovens full and when I do smokes at home. I will temp my ovens and smokers 25-50 degrees hotter to anticipate the crash and recover faster when the temp starts to rise and get where I want it, I will cut back on the air to my fire and watch it to get the sweet spot.

 

[jds22]

My son just texted me. Smoker temp is 240, meat internal temp 144. It took the meat a little more than 3 hours to get to 144.

A few questions.

1. Should he lower the temp of the smoker by a few degrees or is 240 ok?

2. He as going to refill the water pan since it was dry. Is that something we should keep filled or not? I'm still not sure if I need to use it or not. My smoker seems to hold temps pretty well, fluctuating maybe 5-10 degrees.

3. When should he start spritzing and should that be done until the butts are done or only for a few hours?

Thanks again,

Jerry

 

[daveomak]

jd, morning..  I like to smoke my butts at 210 after the initial hour or so at a higher temp....  210 is below the boiling point of water...  SmokinAl told me about his method at 210 and the meat always comes out moist...   About the mesquite smoke.... have you used mesquite before ?? It has a VERY powerful smoke taste if too much is used... I thought I would throw that in...  some folks don't like too much mesquite smoke flavor... me being one of those folks... I do like a little mesquite, it has a unique flavor...   Dave

 

[jds22]

jd, morning..  I like to smoke my butts at 210 after the initial hour or so at a higher temp....  210 is below the boiling point of water...  SmokinAl told me about his method at 210 and the meat always comes out moist...   About the mesquite smoke.... have you used mesquite before ?? It has a VERY powerful smoke taste if too much is used... I thought I would throw that in...  some folks don't like too much mesquite smoke flavor... me being one of those folks... I do like a little mesquite, it has a unique flavor...   Dave

Good morning to WA. I wish I was there.

I'd read that mesquite is pretty powerful. Hopefully mixing it 50/50 with apple will mellow it out a bit. This is the 5th time I've used my smoker and so far I've always used cherry. I did notice the smell was quite a bit different this morning.

210 eh? I thought 225 was as low as I should go.

 

[daveomak]

The way SmokinAL explained it to me.... Water boils at 212.... you don't want to boil the water out of the meat....  Who was I to argue with smokinAl....   So that is what I did, and still do...  Mind you, the first hour or 2 is at a higher temp...  Dave

 

[jds22]

The way SmokinAL explained it to me.... Water boils at 212.... you don't want to boil the water out of the meat....  Who was I to argue with smokinAl....   So that is what I did, and still do...  Mind you, the first hour or 2 is at a higher temp...  Dave

Sure, that makes sense. And if it works, who am I to argue.

Thanks again

 

[jds22]

UH-OH!!

It just dawned on me that I did not rinse these butts off before I put them in the smoker. I unwraped them from the stores wrapper and put them directly in the smoker.

Do I need to be concerned at all?

Edit to add - I never rinse steaks or pork chops before cooking so I'm thinking I'm ok.

 

[daveomak]

Someone else will have to answer that question... I do not have an answer...   I would think they would be OK... I never rinse steaks off before cooking...  

 

[jds22]

Someone else will have to answer that question... I do not have an answer...   I would think they would be OK... I never rinse steaks off before cooking...  

Well if I don't check in tomorrow with an update, you'll know.