New to smoking.

[ClosetChiefsFan]

The meat turns out amazing taste-wise but the appearance is not what I'm looking for and why can't I get a bark on the pork shoulder? I cook it at 250° and I can't get a bark

 

[mneeley490]

How are you preparing it? Are you using a rub with some type of sugar in it? Sugar caramelizing is usually how the bark develops.

 

[jcam222]

Are you wrapping? What are you using as a rub? Do you spritz? Give us more detail. If you are cooking at 250F to an internal temp around 205F you should have bark.

 

[ClosetChiefsFan]

How are you preparing it? Are you using a rub with some type of sugar in it? Sugar caramelizing is usually how the bark develops.

I am using brown sugar based rub

 

[ClosetChiefsFan]

Are you wrapping? What are you using as a rub? Do you spritz? Give us more detail. If you are cooking at 250F to an internal temp around 205F you should have bark.

So I want the internal temperature at 205? And I want to be cooking it at 250° correct? I am not wrapping it and I read not to Spritz because that will stop it from getting a bark...

 

[mneeley490]

Yes, you want to the IT to be around 205° by the end of the smoke if you plan on pulling it. I spritz with either apple juice, or a mixture of juice and apple cider vinegar. You should still get a good bark if you're smoking unwrapped. My shoulders are 8-9 lbs on average, and at 250° it should take 8-14 hours. Webmaster Jeff has a technique where you can smoke at 300°, and it cuts the time down to 5-7 hours for me, but I tend to wrap after the IT hits 165° when I do it that way, to keep in more moisture.

 

[ClosetChiefsFan]

Yes, you want to the IT to be around 205° by the end of the smoke if you plan on pulling it. I spritz with either apple juice, or a mixture of juice and apple cider vinegar. You should still get a good bark if you're smoking unwrapped. My shoulders are 8-9 lbs on average, and at 250° it should take 8-14 hours. Webmaster Jeff has a technique where you can smoke at 300°, and it cuts the time down to 5-7 hours for me, but I tend to wrap after the IT hits 165° when I do it that way, to keep in more moisture.

Will the 205 temperature make it easier to shred???

 

[mneeley490]

Yes, it'll be close to falling apart tender at that point. To help it even more, you want to wrap it in foil after taking it off the smoker, then place in an empty cooler and insulate it in towels for a couple hours to rest. It will still be hot when you take it out to pull it.

BTW, there were many closet Chiefs fans in Seahawk country during that last Superbowl.

 

[ClosetChiefsFan]

Yes, it'll be close to falling apart tender at that point. To help it even more, you want to wrap it in foil after taking it off the smoker, then place in an empty cooler and insulate it in towels for a couple hours to rest. It will still be hot when you take it out to pull it.

BTW, there were many closet Chiefs fans in Seahawk country during that last Superbowl.

Any tips on prepping the meat? I spoke a little too soon and it didnt really have a good taste...had to season it afterwards smh...

 

[schlotz]

See the shoulder recipe in the sig below...

 

[ClosetChiefsFan]

See the shoulder recipe in the sig below...

I didnt see the recipe, forgive my ignorance I'm new to this forum stuff

 

[zwiller]

Everyone has their opinion on it and the reason is because bark development depends on the smoker. More correctly, the amount of air flow moving through the smoker. Guy with a stick burner throws as slab of meat on needs to mist to prevent bark from getting too crunchy since it move so much air. A guy like me with MES is gonna need help since the MES moves so little air. In my case, the solution was simply an overnight uncovered rest. This is called pellicle. Last shoulder I smoked had no rub on it all and bark was the same as the others the I rubbed.

 

[randyrayd]

I agree with zwiller ....It depends on your smoker. When I use the MES, I don't have a good bark. And if I wrap with foil on any cooker, the bark softens a lot. I'm not s big bark person anyway as sometimes it's too crunchy for my taste.

Don't get discouraged because one doesn't become a good cook without cooking some bad food.

 

[schlotz]

I didnt see the recipe, forgive my ignorance I'm new to this forum stuff

Look right below, at the bottom part of this reply on the line labeled 'Recipes'. click on "Your 1st Butt"