smoking a frozen pork shoulder

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saltysandman

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Jan 1, 2018
128
30
SFla
can i smoke a frozen pork shoulder? was thinking of putting it into the MES at 225 till i could get a probe into center and then add smoke and prepare normally from there. anyone with experience here? should i or it be the guinea pig? besides it being a longer smoke, is there any red flags i should be aware of?

precursor: dry rubbed a pork shoulder a week ago. found out the party didn't need any more food. froze it. thawing now but.....
 
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Go for it. How much does it weigh? I did a 9 lb in my 560 and it went 16 hours.

Here is a link to something to keep in mind...


What kind of rub?

Let us know how it turns out.
 
Go for it. How much does it weigh? I did a 9 lb in my 560 and it went 16 hours.

Here is a link to something to keep in mind...


What kind of rub?

Let us know how it turns out.


i used a kansas city rub and it was frozen solid before putting it in the smoker.

thanks for the info. it's been in for 2 hours now and a probe can get to middle. IT in center is 32. i've lit the AMPNS and monitoring it now.
 
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I think you are fine in terms of safety but I am curious if the meat exterior formed alot of condensation. I like my meat bone dry going into the MES or bark will suffer.
 
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Just Thinking out loud, It it were me, I would let it thaw in the Fridge, Pat it down re-season then in the smoker. You may can do what you are asking ? I never been a fan of cooking frozen food

Gary
 
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pulled the shoulder out of the smoker at 11pm when it hit 205 IT. total of 14 hours at 250-275. then wrapped it tightly with foil and a towel and put it in the insulated box aka cooler. just finished pulling it apart after an 8 hour rest. turned out pretty damn good. there were some dried out portions where the meat was thin. OH! forgot to say that i used a boneless shoulder from costco which i'm sure added to the dryness. i think the dryness couldve been avoided if i had used a spritzer throughout the day. just wasn't able to nurture it due to work. all-in-all im satisfied with the end product. great smoke ring and it's going to make some amazing sammies and burritos.

next time, spritz. but YES, you can smoke a frozen pork shoulder.

smoked pulled pork (1).jpg
 
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Looks great thanks for sharing and for the info! You can add in a little finishing sauce to help with the dryness.
certainly! i used a korean gochujang sauce.

6 parts Gochujang (fermented chili paste)
3 parts sugar
3 parts sesame oil
3 parts water
1 part vinegar
 
I think if I did a frozen butt, I would wrap it when it got the right amount of bark on it. Otherwise the center will not get done before the outside is like 1" thick bark! That is just MHO.
Al
 
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