Pork Shoulder

[aschmiesing]

I'm smoking a 17lb bone in pork shoulder on Saturday in my Masterbuilt vertical propane smoker. I have a dry rub I'm trying, but any other advice would be appreciated. I plan on taking the meat to an it of 205 degrees. Plan on smoking it around 225 to 250 degrees. Should I foil it after a few hrs of smoke or do the whole thing in the smoker? Should I make a mop or spray to apply throughout the process? What about a ballpark cook time? Thanks!

 

[chef willie]

That's a good sized chunk of piggy....I'd shoot for a 250 smoke temp, expecting some swings with a gasser. My standard on time is always allowing myself 2 hours per pound. This takes into account possible stall time and the moon being in the wrong phase for my cook day causing everything to take longer. This also allows sufficient time for a wrap & rest after hitting the desired IT, which really makes a World of difference. I'm a no spritz, no peek, no foil type smoker.....stick it in and let it go. Every time you open that door you got recovery time. A foil disposable pan under the meat is a big help in catching juices that can be added back in and also helps keep the smoker deck clean of grease drippings. I put my rub on the night before and add more to some spots, if needed, right before going into the smoker. Probe gets inserted after a few hours in the smoker. The rest is patience....all pieces of meat are different. Enjoy the smoke and the meal...Willie

 

[bmaddox]

Mopping, spraying, foiling, etc will all change the "bark" on the shoulder so it comes down to personal preference. If you like to have a thick bark then don't do any of those items. As chef willie said, opening the door slows everything down. If you are opening it up to mop it every hour then you will cause a lot of drastic temp swings and cause it to take a lot longer.

 

[gary s]

That's a big ole Butt, should be good and a lot of good pulled pork  Like everyone said Allow Plenty of time  Cooking time is relevant to meat thickness, cooking temp and maintaining a constant temp.

Gary

 

[aschmiesing]

Our butcher shop here gives u the entire front shoulder so that's why it is so big. Pretty cool because they just butchere'd the hogs today and it is only $2.39 lb which I thought was a good price.. Should I try to find a smaller cut of shoulder next time?

 

[bmaddox]

Our butcher shop here gives u the entire front shoulder so that's why it is so big. Pretty cool because they just butchere'd the hogs today and it is only $2.39 lb which I thought was a good price.. Should I try to find a smaller cut of shoulder next time?

You could always split it yourself into the picnic and butt. That would give you some more surface area so it will cook a little faster.

 

[aschmiesing]

1 down, 3 more to get ready for smoke tomorrow!

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• aschmiesing
• Mar 13, 2015

 

[gary s]

Looking very good

Gary