First smoke, 8lb bone-in pork shoulder. Fingers Crossed!

[redlinezo6]

First smoke on my new Pit Boss Pro.

Almost 4 hours salted in the fridge. Made my own rub, probably not enough.
Rub was a whole lot of fresh ground pepper, plenty of garlic powder, dried minced onion(all I had on hand), a couple dashes of paprika, a dash of cayenne, and a dash of cumin.

Currently smoking as low and slow as I can. Fat down, though I kind of want to do fat up. Just seems like that oozing over the meat would be delicious.

I am totally open to suggestions. I'm not sure if/what I want to spritz. I'd like to avoid anything sweet. Was kind of thinking some worchestershire and red wine vinegar maybe cut with some water?

Firing it up

 

[Steve H]

Good luck! I'm hoping to do a shoulder next week. I have 6 days off to play around.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

That seems like an awful lot of white billowy smoke in my opinion.
Has it calmed down any to a nice thin blue smoke?

As for the fat cap up or down, there are two schools of thought on that.
One being that fat cap down acts as an insulator to protect the meat.
The other is, as you stated, having that fat cap up helps to baste the meat.
Only your results will determine which method you prefer.

As for spritzing, I don't spritz.
However, you could always use a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water if you don't want sweet. But your idea of Worcestershire and red wine vinegar sound delicious too.

Let us know how it all turns out.

 

[Jonok]

Close the lid, manage the temps and don't peek until it's been 12 hrs or so. the worst thing you can do is twiddle.

Pork butts are proof that God loves us and wants us to smoke pigs...

 

[Tstern8660]

I have tried both and prefer fat side up... everyone has their own preference though

 

[RiversideSm0ker]

Close the lid, manage the temps and don't peek until it's been 12 hrs or so. the worst thing you can do is twiddle.

Pork butts are proof that God loves us and wants us to smoke pigs...

I love your reasoning there! Pork is indeed perfect for the smoker. Redline don’t worry, your pork will be awesome. Use temp as your guide and it’s almost impossible to fail. When my pork shoulder gets to 198 I just start testing it with a probe and if it isn’t warm butter tender I just let it ride for another 20-30 minutes and test again. When the probe sinks in with almost no resistance you are done. Enjoy the deliciousness!

G

 

[siege]

Great choice on a pellet pooper, I know you will enjoy it. I usually use a pan when I do a pork shoulder. The juice in the pan makkes a great baste, and if the pork is a little dry when pulled, some can be added back. Clean up is easier, too.
If that is a bone in butt, they are generally done when the bone moves easilly. I wait until I get the butt out of the smoker and slide the bone out. Just be sure the temperature is good. Are you using a probe ? I didn't see one in the picture.

 

[redlinezo6]

Thanks for all the responses, you have eased my worries.

The white billowy smoke was only for maybe the first minute as it was starting up. It looked too cool not to take a picture of.

Also, I do have a probe in her, just checked and she is at 160 after about 8 hours.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

The white billowy smoke was only for maybe the first minute as it was starting up. It looked too cool not to take a picture of.

Whew! Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[redlinezo6]

Finally done! Turned out pretty dang tasty. Learned a lot.

 

[gmc2003]

Looks like you did a fine job on your maiden voyage.

Point for sure
Chris

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Outstanding.

 

[hardcookin]

Nice smoke on your new smoker! Looks awesome!!