Smoked Pork Shoulder Roast????

[Burly567]

Got a free Char-Broil smoker yesterday and today looking at meats on sale. What kind of smoke can I do with a Pork Shoulder Roast and Pork Back Ribs? I have a recipe for Apple Wood Smoked Chicken Quarters that I really want to try now that I have a genuine smoker.

I have a Char-Broil Big Easy SRG that I tried my first ever smoke with yesterday. It's not the great of a smoker. It's an inferred smoker, grill, and roaster, and it's impossible to get a smoke at 225F. The lowest temp the I could maintain was 307F, and that was with the lid propped open with a couple of rocks, wasting smoke. It is a fan-damn-tastic roaster and grill, however.

I'm really wanting to get into smoking. My wife kind of scowled at me today about smoking. She thought that it was too much trouble, but I told her that I enjoy the grilling, roasting. And now with smoker I can go "Hog Wild"!!!!!

I would really appreciate any ideas, pointers, and tip on how to use my new used smoker!!!!!

 

[JJS]

I use hickory for my pork, and a simple rub that I use on everything

Rub:
1/2 cup CBP
1/2 cup Garlic powder
1/2 cup onion powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup Tony’s
1/4 cup kosher salt.

Whatever i don’t use I throw in a ziplock for next time

 

[jokensmoken]

I use hickory for my pork, and a simple rub that I use on everything

Rub:
1/2 cup CBP
1/2 cup Garlic powder
1/2 cup onion powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup Tony’s
1/4 cup kosher salt.

Whatever i don’t use I throw in a ziplock for next time

I use about the same rub, but I like to add 1/4 cup each chili powder and mild paprika.and about 1/4 cup Tony's instead of your 1/2 cup....if I'm out of Tony's a good crab boil mix works well too.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I would suggest for your first smoke, try your recipe for Applewood Smoked Chicken Quarters since this smoker is new to you and chicken is inexpensive and very forgiving. Once you have done a couple of smokes and know how your smoker reacts then try the pork shoulder.
You'll find great recipes and advice here on SMF.

BTW, do you already have a thermometer/probe set up? If not, then you really do need to consider purchasing one.

 

[Burly567]

Thanks SHS! I already have a remote read temp probe that measures both the cooker temp and the meat temp.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Thanks SHS! I already have a remote read temp probe that measures both the cooker temp and the meat temp.

That is great to hear.
Let us know how your first smoke on your new smoker turns out.

 

[PrairieGeek]

For pork shoulders I like apple, pecan, or straight oak lump charcoal smoke

 

[Burly567]

I use hickory for my pork, and a simple rub that I use on everything

Rub:
1/2 cup CBP
1/2 cup Garlic powder
1/2 cup onion powder
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup Tony’s
1/4 cup kosher salt.

Whatever i don’t use I throw in a ziplock for next time

Silly question, what's CBP?

 

[JJS]

Coarse black pepper

 

[Burly567]

Roger that!!!! Thanks!!

 

[JJS]

My pleasure, if you have any other questions feel free to ask, there is a wealth of knowledge on this site.

Don’t forget to update us on your first smoke in your new smoker

 

[Burly567]

An off topic question, this smoker has sat for quite a while and smells stale. Can I fire it up and burn the odor out?

 

[JJS]

Yes, I would run smoke through it for a few hours before your cook.

If it looks like rodents have been wandering around in it I would thoroughly clean it and then burn off with smoke rolling

 

[Burly567]

No sign of any rodents.

Too windy to smoke it out right now. Maybe fire in up after dark. Wind usually dies out about then.

I have it open wide, give it some air. Who knows how long that it's been all closed up.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Good idea to give it a burn off. Any idea how much it had been used?

 

[tallbm]

Got a free Char-Broil smoker yesterday and today looking at meats on sale. What kind of smoke can I do with a Pork Shoulder Roast and Pork Back Ribs? I have a recipe for Apple Wood Smoked Chicken Quarters that I really want to try now that I have a genuine smoker.

I have a Char-Broil Big Easy SRG that I tried my first ever smoke with yesterday. It's not the great of a smoker. It's an inferred smoker, grill, and roaster, and it's impossible to get a smoke at 225F. The lowest temp the I could maintain was 307F, and that was with the lid propped open with a couple of rocks, wasting smoke. It is a fan-damn-tastic roaster and grill, however.

I'm really wanting to get into smoking. My wife kind of scowled at me today about smoking. She thought that it was too much trouble, but I told her that I enjoy the grilling, roasting. And now with smoker I can go "Hog Wild"!!!!!

I would really appreciate any ideas, pointers, and tip on how to use my new used smoker!!!!!

Hi there and welcome!

In my neck of the woods (North Texas) the Pork Shoulder and the Pork Butt seem to be the same cut. Know that when I see a Picnic Shoulder then that is a different cut than a pork shoulder/butt. Your area may be different.

In the case that your pork shoulder is also a pork butt then I would recommend you smoker that pork shoulder as a pulled pork butt/shoulder roast. You can't go wrong seasoning with Salt, Pepper, Onion, Garlic (SPOG), and add Paprika for basically anything pork.
Smoke until it hits an Internal Temp (IT) in the meat of about 204F and then start checking for tenderness. The pork shoulder will be done when it is tender and you know this by stabbing it all over with a kabob skewer and the skewer goes in like butter. If you get resistance then let it rise a degree of 2 and try again until it is tender.

As for back ribs, those should be baby back ribs. Season with the same SPOG + Paprika but watch the Salt. Ribs get oversalted very easily.
Smoke until the ribs hit an IT of 195F and then check for tenderness with a toothpic. If they are tender pull them. If not wait a degree or 2 and try again until they are tender.

Those two cuts of meat don't really care about what smoker temperature you smoke at. You can go 225F smoker temp and higher to something like 275F.
I prefer 275F so I don't have to wait forever for the food to finish hahaha.
At 275F a pork shoulder cooks at about 1 hour a pound (usually just a hair more) but again a pork shoulder is done when it is tender not based on time.

Best of luck and I hope this info helps :)

 

[Burly567]

Good idea to give it a burn off. Any idea how much it had been used?

Not really. I think that it's an older unit. It's been used some because the grates are a bit discolored. there's a little rust on the bottom of the smoker, but nothing serious. The grate on the top over the damper is missing and there's a touch of warp on the damper.

I think that as old as it is, and for the price, it's a decent smoker.

 

[Berettaclayshooter]

Welcome to the SMF! You can clean up your smoker with some dish soap, a scrub brush and wash everything out. Then once air dry, lightly coat the inside and outside with cooking oil. I use cheap cooking spray from the dollar tree. Run your smoker up to 300f-350f for about 2 hours and it will now be seasoned. This will also give you a little preview of how to run the smoker. Mostly any cook requires you to hold a constant temp which will yield better results than large temp swings. I would also suggest the use of a water pan to help keep some moist air inside your smoker. After a few cooks you'll start to learn more about when to add a hunk of wood to keep your temp the same.

As to your question about a pork shoulder and some ribs, both are very subjective on what you like (Sweet, Spicy, Savory). There are many rubs online for free and if you like sauce on your ribs, again many recipes online or you can use a store bought one. A lot of people like really tender ribs which require wrapping about 3 hours in. Again, there is a lot of info here on the forum about the 3-2-1 method for ribs. Pork butts require a fairly long cook to render the connective tissue (10 plus hours depending on weight size). A remote temp probe is good for this. Walmart has them for $20 and they work fine. Also wrapping a shoulder around the 165f mark will help in the cooking. Cook to final temp of 205f and let rest 1 hour minimum. You'll have some good eating. Keep us posted on your adventure.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Not really. I think that it's an older unit. It's been used some because the grates are a bit discolored. there's a little rust on the bottom of the smoker, but nothing serious. The grate on the top over the damper is missing and there's a touch of warp on the damper.

I think that as old as it is, and for the price, it's a decent smoker.

For the price, you got a good deal. Giving the smoker a burn in will help you spot any other problem areas and correct them if needed.
Keep us posted.

 

[Burly567]

I gave it a good smoke last night (odor is gone) but I ended up with a lot of charcoal. How would I maintain a temp. without creating charcoal?