Pork Shoulder for a Rookie

[Sbolodar]

I’m a Rookie when it comes to smoking meat. Just got an Oklahoma Joes offset smoker and am trying to smoke 2 pork shoulders each weighing about 8-9 lbs. I got my smoker fired up this morning, the weather is damp and cool so I may have gotten the fire too hot in the beginning trying to compensate for the dampness and didn’t realize it. Threw both shoulders on the smoker shut the lid and came inside for a cup of coffee. Somewhere around 20-25 minutes I went to look at the temperature and the gauge was reading 150-200 degrees. I did not realize that the temperature gauge on this smoker does not stop when it is maxed out so the temperature might have climbed to 500+ degrees for that 20-25 minute period. Have I lost the meat already in this process or can I cut cooking time back? Any suggestions?

 

[schlotz]

Doubtful you've lost it. This is a good reason to have a calibrated reporting thermometer and also not rely upon a built-in therm. Many built-ins are not accurate and can be off significantly. Another advantage is they allow you to stay inside and still monitor progress. Knowing your actual grate temp and IT of the meat can be a big help especially when first getting started. Once the operating characteristics are well understood you won't necessarily have to rely on them to have successful smokes.

 

[Sbolodar]

Doubtful you've lost it. This is a good reason to have a calibrated reporting thermometer and also not rely upon a built-in therm. Many built-ins are not accurate and can be off significantly. Another advantage is they allow you to stay inside and still monitor progress. Knowing your actual grate temp and IT of the meat can be a big help especially when first getting started. Once the operating characteristics are well understood you won't necessarily have to rely on them to have successful smokes.

 

[Sbolodar]

My next investment is a good thermometer to check temperature while I’m cooking. I know that most people in here have lost some good cuts of meat, which is why I’m starting out with some pork instead of the more pricy brisket. I’m just trying to learn all I can about it! Thanks for the advice!

 

[sawhorseray]

Hi Sbolodar , welcome to SMF, you landed in a great spot. What Scholtz is recommending will look like what's in this picture, one probe in the meat to give it's Internal Temperature, the other to monitor the temp of your cooking chamber right where the meat is sitting.

I use a ThermoPro TP-20, Inkbird also makes very accurate units. Hope this helps a bit. RAY

 

[Sbolodar]

That’s not as expensive as I thought they’d be! Got it saved to my cart! Thanks!!

 

[sawhorseray]

Glad I was a little help. One of the nice factors of using these is being able to monitor your smoker temp while sitting inside watching TV. I usually run my offset around 260º-280º, when it dips down to about 230º I know it's time to get off my butt and add a split. RAY

 

[Teal101]

The inkbird units have been fantastic for me. Being able to sit on my couch and monitor is nice. On a new grill I'd sut up a few probes to read smoker temps to look for hot spots. Also on a shoulder I like to probe near the tip and along the bone . I wait till my bone temp is around 205 then check to see if the bone slides out. Pork butt is very forgiving, I'd just back it off and let it keep going low and slow

 

[gmc2003]

Your butts are fine. If you had sugar in your rub that may have burnt. Relax, sit back, crack open a cold one, and enjoy.

Chris

 

[thirdeye]

My next investment is a good thermometer to check temperature while I’m cooking. I know that most people in here have lost some good cuts of meat, which is why I’m starting out with some pork instead of the more pricy brisket. I’m just trying to learn all I can about it! Thanks for the advice!

Don't go overboard, and investigate all the options out there.
For starters, pickup a $5 oven thermometer, the kind that will sit on the grate. Try it in your oven at 250°, 300°, and 350° to to verify accuracy. When you fire up your pit, rub some oil or Pam on the dial to make cleaning the smoke off easier, and place it near your food on the grate. This will give you a general idea or what's going on inside your cooker. Thermoworks sells an entry level cable thermometer called the Dot for about $40. You can go up from there. I actually pay more attention to my pit temp and the meat color, and the only time I continually monitor the internal temp is when cooking prime rib roasts.

It's kind of funny but the first smoker I bought that had a decent thermometer was a Big Green Egg I purchased around 2003. So, for 25 years before that I cooked by instinct. My Father and Grandfather didn't have thermometers on their cookers either. Admittedly, I have quite a few thermometers now, both instant and cable styles, one that I can monitor from indoors during an all night cook, and one of the early Guru (analog) forced draft controllers that still works great.

 

[39Buick]

I started a thread a few days ago looking for recommendations on thermometers!!
www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/thermometer-preferences.295914
I am not sure how but miya from Inkbirdbbq extended me a very nice discount!!!
Just ordered it today and can not wait to play with it!

 

[Sbolodar]

Just an update for y’all. 17 hours later the shoulders are off the smoker both at a temperature of around 180 with great bark and great inside flavor! I’ve got a lot of learning to do but it’s gonna be fun! Thanks for the advice!!

 

[olecrosseyes]

@ 180 IT you are looking to slice and chunk them then?
To pull they really might need to go to 200 to 205.
Pork butts are the most forgiving piece of meat to cook, but for me they take the longest, not uncommon to go 16 plus hours start to finish!

 

[olecrosseyes]

Sbolodar , by the way, Welcome to the Pit!