Smoking My First Pork Shoulder

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falco78

Fire Starter
Original poster
Oct 14, 2013
65
22
I have an 11.47 pound pork shoulder I want to put on the smoker this week and I plan on using my rib rub on it with a little mustard and honey put on first to give the rub something to fully stick to. I am wondering what temp I will want to run my MES30 at how long per pound am I looking at? Also what are the pros and cons of foiling it and if I choose to do that at what point will I foil it? I am going to brine it for 24 hours in some beer/texas pete. Thanks for any input!
 
I would suggest 250-275*. It could take 16-18 hours, but it will be done when it's done. A good IT for pulling is 200-205*. You will probably reach a stall at about 150-160*. At this time I would wrap the butt in foil with 1/2 cup of apple juice. The foil will help to power through the stall, the juice will add some flavor and the acidity will aid in tenderness.

When you reach the 200* range, check to see if the bone is loose in the meat. If it will pull freely, your butt is done. Leave it in the foil, wrap it in some towels or a blanket and put it in a cooler to rest for an hour+. Take it out, pull and serve.

Good luck with it and keep on smokin', Joe. :grilling_smilie:
 
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Ok thanks all! I decided against the brine and have it now wrapped and letting the rub soak in
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I am thinking before it goes on the smoker tonight I will inject it with a combination of beer and bbq sauce with a little rub mixed in
 
 
I am thinking before it goes on the smoker tonight I will inject it with a combination of beer and bbq sauce with a little rub mixed in
I would not suggest that..

1. The pork has enough flavor in it already

2. You run the risk of breaking the 40-140 in 4 hr rule

3. It will only make it take longer to cook.

4. You'll be short a beer.. and you're gonna need those to get through the stall. See item 3.
 
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I did not do any injection per the suggestion and luckily beer is plentiful as I loaded up to the point the cashier probably thought I had a drinking problem lol. I wrapped it first thing this morning after letting it smoke unwrapped for 12 hours. I added some apple juice and Dr, Pepper in the wrap with it and it was looking amazing with a nice crust on it. I will put some pictures up of the final product tonight.
 
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My son loved it and kept eating more and more

sent from my Galaxy Note 4 using MOAR 2.1b ROM running tapatalk
 
Yeah everyone loved the pulled pork, but what really surprised me was the vinegar based BBQ sauce as I am not typically a fan of it but my fiancee will only use that sauce so I made up a batch just slowly taste testing and adding ingredients as it simmered on the stove
 
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