Pork shoulder roast

[Stemy]

My first time smoking pork shoulder roast. I placed in smoker about 12:30 PM. I put my thermometer in. It 10:30 PM and it is only at 154. So I read that it needs to be 200. I been at 225-230 the entire time. Should I turn it up or is the meat ruined now?

 

[chopsaw]

is the meat ruined now?

No . You got a late start . I cook mine at 265 , same result just finishes faster . You can finish in the oven . I don't wrap , but that will speed things up if you do .

 

[noboundaries]

You've probably got an 8-9 lbs pork shoulder, right? If you leave it at 225-230F, it will finish about 6-8 AM tomorrow. If your smoker is hands off, enjoy a good night's sleep.

 

[Stemy]

I have 2 one at 4.01 lbs and the second at 3.94 lbs. Both are pork shoulder roast. Its reading at 170 now.

 

[noboundaries]

Yeah, that won't take until morning. You're out of the stall. Crank the heat up and they'll be done in 90 mins to two hours.

 

[Stemy]

So meat should be good. I did turn it up some , ot about 240 right now. Newer to smoking still learning. But must say should of got a smoke long time ago.

 

[noboundaries]

If you can go hotter, do so. I smoke shoulders overnight, then in the morning crank the heat up to 275+. Saves time and the shoulder does not care.

 

[Jonok]

Yup, if the temp of the cooker is more or less controlled, butts are sort of an autopilot cook at 240-260 with a phenomenal amount of wiggle room, while still producing outstanding results.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Pork shoulders can handle the higher heat and that helps melt the fat to make the meat juicy.
I like to take pork shoulders to 203* -206* or until the bone pulls out easily and a probe goes in like room temp butter.
If you have time, the following step is optional.
Wrap the shoulder in foil and place it in a towel lined cooler anywhere from 1 to 4 hours before pulling.

 

[Stemy]

It hit 205 at 3am. It was falling apart. Took 15 hours.

 

[mike243]

Pretty normal time frame and your in for some good eats, when you wake up lol

 

[mike243]

1 good thing about a pellet smoker if your under a time deadline you can start running the temp up but with any pit you have to be familiar with it to tell how soon to crank the heat up to hit it just right. I will step it up several times as the clock winds down , the good thing is wrapping and into a cooler if done earlier works very well

 

[HalfSmoked]

Nothing unusual about your cook remember the game is low and slow. Ending time about right for shoulders.

Warren

 

[noboundaries]

15 hours for a 4 lb pork shoulder is a bit long. Two 4 lb shoulders take half as long as one 8 lb'er. Something's off.

 

[Dunstablegrizzly]

I started a 5lb butt this morning at 7:45 and it is 4:30 and the butt is at 191! My smoker has been steady between 220-240 the entire time. It is just being stubborn I guess. I pull mine at 205.

 

[noboundaries]

Chemistry aside, meat absorbs heat based on the temperature difference between the meat and the surrounding environment. The smaller that temp difference, the slower the meat temp will rise, and visa versa.

A 191F roast in a 220F chamber can take hours to reach, say 205F. If you bump the chamber temp to 275F, increasing the temperature differential, that meat will get to 205F in an hour and will taste exactly the same. It's all physics.

There is nothing magical about 225F except time in the smoke. But once you hit the stall, bump the temp to speed things up.

I've roasted and smoked pork shoulders at temps from 225F to 350F. The difference in taste and texture is negligible, except the lower temps give better smoke flavor.