We planned a big 4th of July with pulled pork, the pool we just finished having installed and our annual fireworks show. Unfortunately, here in Tennessee, it has been 100+ degrees for the past few weeks and we haven't seen rain since May. Because of the dry conditions, our county put a temporary ban on fireworks and honestly, the field where we shoot them is so dry, I wouldn't dare shoot them. So we postponed the party til Saturday, hoping it will rain. It hasn't yet and doesn't look like it's going to, but the party must go on, just with fewer explosions. I work from home on Mondays and Thursdays, so I decided to smoke my Q today instead of staying up overnight Friday and being exhausted about the time the party kicks into gear Saturday. Wednesday morning, I made a brine out of water, salt, sugar and apple juice and injected a little into my 4 shoulders. Then I put them in big ziplock bags with the brine mixture. Thursday morning, I made a new rub by combining 2 different recipes I had experimented with last smoke. 1 was sweet and 1 was spicy and the sweet one tasted much better, but I still wanted a little heat, so I put the two together. Got my fire going Thursday morning around 7 and put the shoulders on at 8:00. By noon, I was already up to the 150's, which is the fastest I've ever seen them cook. My chamber stayed right in the 225-275 range, so it wasn't any hotter than normal. They were up to the 170's by 4pm. Around 5, we had some wind kick up and looked like it was going to storm. I stopped tending the fire and decided to finish in the oven. Around 7pm, I moved everything to my oven at 250 degrees and the shoulders were about 180. I let them roll until 11pm when they started hitting the upper 190's and one hit 200. I turned the oven off and let them sit for 2 hours.
This is the best bbq I've ever made, some of the best I've ever tasted. The rub was exactly what I was after. When you get some of the bark, there's a touch of sweetness and a few seconds into the bite, you get a little burn at the back of your throat. I can't wait to serve this to my friends Saturday.
Here's 2 fresh out of the oven
Pulled the bones out
And pulled all 4 shoulders
This is the best bbq I've ever made, some of the best I've ever tasted. The rub was exactly what I was after. When you get some of the bark, there's a touch of sweetness and a few seconds into the bite, you get a little burn at the back of your throat. I can't wait to serve this to my friends Saturday.
Here's 2 fresh out of the oven
Pulled the bones out
And pulled all 4 shoulders
