OT Doing a pork shoulder for the first time. How should I do it?

Digging dog

Sophomore
Aug 22, 2012
3,503
134
63
Coat in good dry rub.
I use Brickman smoker. Usually put it on late afternoon. Reload charcoal and wood chips and go to bead. Perfect in the morning.
This is one of the few things I can make good.
 

aTotal360

Heisman
Nov 12, 2009
22,672
16,702
113
Soak it in Dale's overnight. Grill at 550F for 8 hours. Plate with A1. If you're not a man and Dale's is too salty, cut it with soy sauce.
 

ronpolk

All-American
May 6, 2009
9,456
5,485
113
Rub the outside of your butt with yellow mustard then apply your favorite dry rub. Cook at about 230 until the butt reaches 190 to 200 internal temp. Then wrap the butt in foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes before you pull it.

I bought an electric smoker a few years ago and love it. Just set the temp and go back every few hours to put more wood in.

I would suggest using hickory though. I've found that it makes a big difference.
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
16,209
3,714
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If injecting, I inject with a mix of apple cider vinegar, a quality Apple juice, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ rub, and brown sugar. Do that first.

1. Coat with thin layer yellow mustard. This is a sticking agent and adds basically zero flavor to the meat.
2. Cover with your BBQ rub. Use a lot more than you think you need. A lot more. It's a thick cut of meat. Top with brown sugar.
3. Put in fridge for at least a few hours. I leave mine over night typically. I re-add more rub if I do this because some comes off over night along with some of your injection.
4. Smoke with Apple wood at 225 degrees for about 4 hours fat side up.
5. Remove, place on large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, hit with more rub and some honey. Wrap tight paying attention to fat side being up. You want the wrap to be tight so that you don't steam it. This will help you get through the stall quickly. Plus you aren't getting much more smoke flavor after 4 hours anyway.
6. Return to smoker until it reaches internal temp of 190-192. Less than this and it won't pull properly and the fat doesn't render all the way. Much more than this and it will be dry.
7. Remove, let it rest in small ice chest for about an hour in the foil.
8. Pull. It should fall apart but not be mush. Some people add a slight amount of rub at this point and mix it all together. I also add the juices from foil wrap to the meat.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ronpolk

All-American
May 6, 2009
9,456
5,485
113
If injecting, I inject with a mix of apple cider vinegar, a quality Apple juice, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ rub, and brown sugar. Do that first.

1. Coat with thin layer yellow mustard. This is a sticking agent and adds basically zero flavor to the meat.
2. Cover with your BBQ rub. Use a lot more than you think you need. A lot more. It's a thick cut of meat. Top with brown sugar.
3. Put in fridge for at least a few hours. I leave mine over night typically. I re-add more rub if I do this because some comes off over night along with some of your injection.
4. Smoke with Apple wood at 225 degrees for about 4 hours fat side up.
5. Remove, place on large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil, hit with more rub and some honey. Wrap tight paying attention to fat side being up. You want the wrap to be tight so that you don't steam it. This will help you get through the stall quickly. Plus you aren't getting much more smoke flavor after 4 hours anyway.
6. Return to smoker until it reaches internal temp of 190-192. Less than this and it won't pull properly and the fat doesn't render all the way. Much more than this and it will be dry.
7. Remove, let it rest in small ice chest for about an hour in the foil.
8. Pull. It should fall apart but not be mush. Some people add a slight amount of rub at this point and mix it all together. I also add the juices from foil wrap to the meat.

I've never tried the honey before wrapping with foil. I've done this with ribs before and they turned out awesome. I may try this soon. I was just telling a friend tonight I wanted to smoke a butt soon.
 

DerHntr

All-Conference
Sep 18, 2007
16,209
3,714
113
I've never tried the honey before wrapping with foil. I've done this with ribs before and they turned out awesome. I may try this soon. I was just telling a friend tonight I wanted to smoke a butt soon.

A quality local wildflower honey is my favorite. It adds a nice additional sweetness to the bark.
 

3000lbchicken

Senior
May 1, 2006
2,015
484
83
For pulled pork, I pretty much use everything you said but I put it all in a bowl and make a butt paste, smother it and smoke it for 4 hours or until there is a good dark smoke char. Then I put it in foil and pour leftover butt paste, or apple juice, or orange juice if I'm feeling fancy, then seal it tight and turn the heat up a few more hours. Texas cheat.

You'll know it's ready to come off when the smoke starts sticking to the foil and turning colors. Remove from heat and let it sit in a cooler for an hour then shred.

If you're cooking a lot of butts, you can go to town with this.... (even if you ****** up and undercooked it)

http://www.amazon.com/INCH-DIAMETER..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0FHFAKH8HAFQVMBYP53F
 

Vice

Redshirt
Oct 8, 2013
182
0
0
Coat in good dry rub.
I use Brickman smoker. Usually put it on late afternoon. Reload charcoal and wood chips and go to bead. Perfect in the morning.
This is one of the few things I can make good.

After reloading the charcoal and chips, is it imperative that I must sit down and begin to bead? I used to make necklaces and stuff in elementary school with fishing line and stuff. Black and red bead combinations were always killer. But I haven't don't that in a long time. Could I just go to sleep and then check on it in the morning?

Had to....
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
16,996
12,872
113
All good tips, but, not worth a damn unless you put a blue tent up first to keep the sun off your beer
 
Jun 2, 2013
112
22
18
Smoke it if you're able. Easy, but it takes a bit of time. You don't need a smoker -- just read this. (I do, however, recommend investing in a solid wireless thermometer to keep an eye on your temperature.) Also, if you've got a standard Weber grill but no smoker, buy one of these things now. I've got a Green Egg, but man, I still think I get better results with the Smokenator.

Once you've got the set-up figured out, do this:

1. Dry brine the shoulder -- Coat all surfaces of the should with salt the night before and store it in the fridge covered in plastic wrap. Use no more than 1/2 tsp of salt per pound.

2. Make your rub -- After you stick your salted shoulder in the fridge, make your rub if you don't already have one. You can find dozens of recipes for rub with a quick Google search. The base of these kinds of rubs is usually sugar (often white and brown), paprika, onion powder, garlic, pepper, and some a couple of chili powders (ancho, cayenne, etc.). (Note that since you're brining the meat separately, your rub shouldn't have any salt in it.) Store it in a mason jar or something. Keeps for months.

3. Preheat the grill -- However you're setting up your smoker/grill, get the fire going. You're aiming for 225 degrees, but honestly, shoulders are pretty forgiving. I've had mine go at 250 for much of a smoke with no ill effects, and I've heard of dudes who do them even higher. (As for wood chunks, by the way, just go with hickory. You can branch out to others later like cherry, apple, or pecan, but hickory's a solid place to start.)

4. Dry rub and oil -- As your grill/smoker preheats, coat the shoulder with a thin layer of peanut oil, then rub it down with your rub. Use enough to solidly cover the shoulder, but don't go too nuts. (If you're wondering about the oil, it helps dissolve the spices, many of which are oil soluble.)

5. Put it on the grill/smoker and wait -- Put in on the cooking surface and let it go. As long as you've figured out your set-up, the next while will just involve keeping an eye on the temperature. And drinking bourbon, of course.

6. The stall -- Once the shoulder gets up to 160 degrees or so, its internal temperature may stop increasing for a while. This phenomenon is often called "the stall." To get through the stall more quickly -- and, according to many, to increase the moisture of your meat -- remove the shoulder from the grill/smoker at around 165 degrees (give or take a few), and wrap the thing in a couple of layers of foil with a quarter cup of water or apple juice (or a dry hard cider, which you should by this point be drinking following after the bourbon).

7. Finish it off -- After you've wrapped the thing in foil, you've got a couple of options. You could return the thing to the grill/smoker and cook it till it gets up to around 200 degrees. If you do that, smoke production and temperature control isn't quite as big of a deal as it was earlier on. Or, instead of the grill/smoker, you could put the thing in the oven at at 250 or 300 and finish it in there. (FYI, because of the foil, the shoulder won't have quite as much crunchy "bark" as it would if you had let it cook on through the stall on its own. So some people take it out of the foil and let it go naked on the grill/smoker for another half hour or so to help get some of the bark back. For your first time, though, I wouldn't worry about it.)

8. Fork test -- Is it done? Well, stick a fork in it and twist. If it gives and tears without any fuss, it's done.

9. Rest -- At this point, I usually keep the shoulder wrapped in foil, cover it with towels, and put it in a cooler. It can stay hot for hours that way, which is great if you need to wait to serve it, but the point (I think) is to help moisturize the meat further.

That's about it. Hope it turns out well.
 
Last edited:

jeremyrbrown

Junior
Sep 4, 2008
1,549
216
63
For pulled pork, I pretty much use everything you said but I put it all in a bowl and make a butt paste, smother it and smoke it for 4 hours or until there is a good dark smoke char. Then I put it in foil and pour leftover butt paste, or apple juice, or orange juice if I'm feeling fancy, then seal it tight and turn the heat up a few more hours. Texas cheat.

You'll know it's ready to come off when the smoke starts sticking to the foil and turning colors. Remove from heat and let it sit in a cooler for an hour then shred.

If you're cooking a lot of butts, you can go to town with this.... (even if you ****** up and undercooked it)

http://www.amazon.com/INCH-DIAMETER..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0FHFAKH8HAFQVMBYP53F

So you're saying you like to go to town on your butt with this?

View attachment 3142
 

aTotal360

Heisman
Nov 12, 2009
22,672
16,702
113
In all seriousness, I cook a lot of pork shoulder/boston butt. My 2 cents...

Let me preface this by saying I use the Large Big Green Egg.

1) all the seasonings, injections, and marinades are ********. if cooked right, the meat will speak for itself.
2) make sure you keep a drip pan full of water to add moisture to the air
3) I typically smoke my butts for 12 hours at 200-235F. I go lower and slower than most. I don't pay much attention to it so it fluctuates.
4) I don't rub mine with anything, but I do brine it (kosher salt and water) overnight in the fridge
5) If you are going to smoke it, use way less wood than you think you need
6) there is a such thing as too much smoke. it makes the meat bitter.
7) I used to love hickory, but now I use apple (it's a lighter smoke and gives off a sweeter vibe)
8) Soak your chunks of wood for a couple hours in boiling hot water
9) I only use about 3 pieces of wood that are slightly bigger than your fist
10) I put 2 pieces of wood on at the beginning and I add the last about half way through it
11) don't use any lighter fluid or charcoal briquets. use lump charcoal.

I think most people overthink it. When my shoulders are finished they have a salty, smoky bark that tastes like pork. not like some artificial flavoring. Again, keep it simple.
 
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DonDon.sixpack

Redshirt
Aug 31, 2012
59
1
8
Low and slow is the key. You want to slowly melt the fat. I to use a Big Green Egg. Apple or Pecan wood for the smoke
Get your favorite rub (I make my own with 10 different spices) and add 2 parts of light brown sugar to it, then rub it down good
225 degrees until it's 185 internal temp
Water pan in there for Moisture but instead of water, I use a mix of half beer and half apple juice.
When it hits 185 internal, pull it, wrap in 2 layers of heavy foil, then wrap in a big beach towel and off to a dry cooler for 2 hours.
Pull out the big bone and shread the meat.
for 1, 8 pound butt, add a 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of apple Cider Vinegar and a 1/4 cup of your spice rub, then mix
Some good eats there
 

mstateglfr

All-American
Feb 24, 2008
17,025
6,853
113
- Wash off shoulder.
- Brine for 4-10 hours with some garlic and ground cumin added to the brine. Brine helps the meat retain moisture while cooking.
- Remove shoulder and let it sit for 10min so the outside dries off. Mix up some rub.
- Rub is- (these are all best guesses) .25cup of salt, .5cup of brown sugar, 1tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1tbsp chili powder, 3 tbsp black pepper
- Toss on smoker that’s 225-270(I use a wood/charcoal burning smoker, temp isnt nearly as exact as electric, yet the food turns out great as long as you check the fire once an hour).
- Don’t touch the meat for 5 hours or so. Toss chips/chunks of wood in as needed so smoke keeps comin.

- Spray or mop with some apple juice/cider, wrap the shoulder in foil, and either-
o Place back in smoker for another 3-5 hours depending on the shoulder size and where its at in the cooking process.
o Place in oven at 225 with a bowl of water under the meat for another 3-5 hours depending on shoulder size.
- Tent it and let rest for 30min or toss it in a clean cooler for 30min.
- Remove fat and pull apart. Save juices, remove fat from top, and reincorporate some/all of the juice once meat is pulled.



General points-

- If you don’t wrap the shoulder and continue to smoke it, more smoke will be absorbed, even late in the cooking process. Its said all over the interhighway that smoke isnt absorbed after 4 or 5 hours…that’s wrong. I have found that 5 hours of continuous smoke is typically enough for me for what I like, but smoke is absolutely absorbed even in hour 9. I have done two shoulders at the same time and wrapped one while not wrapping the other and you can see the difference in the depth of the smoke ring.

- Using the oven to finish the shoulder off still means you legitimately bbq’d and smoked the shoulder. It isnt some cheat, it isnt something that illegitimizes the process. I have read this claim many times over and its just plain stupid. A bowl of water helps create a moist environment in an electric oven and the temp will be steady. Both are serious benefits.

- I sometimes unwrap the shoulder for the last hour to help the bark firm back up since it often times softens up when tightly wrapped. Like almost everything else, this is just a preference and I really don’t even know if I prefer it or not as its tough to determine if it does anything.

- Amazingribs.com is an incredible place to learn not only general ways to do bbq, but more importantly, the science behind cooking. Brine science, science of browning outside of meat, etc etc.

- A digital thermometer is really important. Its about the only constant for me and it ensures great results. Reality is you can smoke a shoulder at 260, 230 or at 200 and it can turn out great it since it’s a really forgiving piece of meat. A digital thermometer allows you to track the meat temp without opening the lid/door and will keep you from over or under cooking.
 

TheStateUofMS

All-Conference
Dec 26, 2009
10,500
2,503
113
Here's what we're cooking on (LonesomeDog and I):

Kingsford cheap-O $40 grill/smoker I got from the local Wal*Mart about 8mos ago that has been awesome and survived a music festival. It's a hell-uva grill. Better than an Egg.

I got a cooler I got at a garage sale for $10. Quite a bargain. It's a Coleman on wheels. Perfect condition never used by an old man.

A 6.24 pounder of shoulder/butt

Apple cider vinegar for spraying

Hickory smoked chips from Publix. I know I'm supposed to soak these in water.




Here's what we need:

1) What's the best rub recipe you guys got? I have a 6 spice dry rub I use on drunk chickens which turn out well, but I wanna go more BBQ for this. Anyone have a good BBQ spice rub?

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:

fishwater99

Freshman
Jun 4, 2007
14,073
54
48
Rub the outside of your butt with yellow mustard then apply your favorite dry rub. Cook at about 230 until the butt reaches 190 to 200 internal temp. Then wrap the butt in foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes before you pull it.

I bought an electric smoker a few years ago and love it. Just set the temp and go back every few hours to put more wood in.

I would suggest using hickory though. I've found that it makes a big difference.

This is the trick...
 

TheStateUofMS

All-Conference
Dec 26, 2009
10,500
2,503
113
- Wash off shoulder.
- Brine for 4-10 hours with some garlic and ground cumin added to the brine. Brine helps the meat retain moisture while cooking.
- Remove shoulder and let it sit for 10min so the outside dries off. Mix up some rub.
- Rub is- (these are all best guesses) .25cup of salt, .5cup of brown sugar, 1tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1tbsp chili powder, 3 tbsp black pepper
- Toss on smoker that’s 225-270(I use a wood/charcoal burning smoker, temp isnt nearly as exact as electric, yet the food turns out great as long as you check the fire once an hour).
- Don’t touch the meat for 5 hours or so. Toss chips/chunks of wood in as needed so smoke keeps comin.

- Spray or mop with some apple juice/cider, wrap the shoulder in foil, and either-
o Place back in smoker for another 3-5 hours depending on the shoulder size and where its at in the cooking process.
o Place in oven at 225 with a bowl of water under the meat for another 3-5 hours depending on shoulder size.
- Tent it and let rest for 30min or toss it in a clean cooler for 30min.
- Remove fat and pull apart. Save juices, remove fat from top, and reincorporate some/all of the juice once meat is pulled.



General points-

- If you don’t wrap the shoulder and continue to smoke it, more smoke will be absorbed, even late in the cooking process. Its said all over the interhighway that smoke isnt absorbed after 4 or 5 hours…that’s wrong. I have found that 5 hours of continuous smoke is typically enough for me for what I like, but smoke is absolutely absorbed even in hour 9. I have done two shoulders at the same time and wrapped one while not wrapping the other and you can see the difference in the depth of the smoke ring.

- Using the oven to finish the shoulder off still means you legitimately bbq’d and smoked the shoulder. It isnt some cheat, it isnt something that illegitimizes the process. I have read this claim many times over and its just plain stupid. A bowl of water helps create a moist environment in an electric oven and the temp will be steady. Both are serious benefits.

- I sometimes unwrap the shoulder for the last hour to help the bark firm back up since it often times softens up when tightly wrapped. Like almost everything else, this is just a preference and I really don’t even know if I prefer it or not as its tough to determine if it does anything.

- Amazingribs.com is an incredible place to learn not only general ways to do bbq, but more importantly, the science behind cooking. Brine science, science of browning outside of meat, etc etc.

- A digital thermometer is really important. Its about the only constant for me and it ensures great results. Reality is you can smoke a shoulder at 260, 230 or at 200 and it can turn out great it since it’s a really forgiving piece of meat. A digital thermometer allows you to track the meat temp without opening the lid/door and will keep you from over or under cooking.


This sounds great! Following this!

Thanks for all the help folks. Will post a picture later.
 

TheStateUofMS

All-Conference
Dec 26, 2009
10,500
2,503
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Mstategolfer, it the Amzingribs.com recipe says to dry brine it and just salt it 4 hours in advance....should I dry or wet brine in your opinion?
 

TheStateUofMS

All-Conference
Dec 26, 2009
10,500
2,503
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Step1: I salted the butt and put in a covered drip pan in the fridge. 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt for every 1lb of butt and I got 6.24lb. I will let sit in fridge over night, then apply a rub a couple hours before I put it on the smoker.


Right now I'm thinking of making a Carolina style vinegar based BBQ sauce. I'm from MS and NC and I think I actually prefer a good vinegar base over the thick stuff. Both are great when done right, however.

Any suggestions on the BBQ sauces?

I plan on putting it on the smoker about 9am tomm.
 

Crazy Cotton

All-Conference
Aug 26, 2012
4,034
1,937
113
make sure your rub doesn't have salt, since you've already salted the butt

i make a Carolina sauce that is basically a vinegar base (say 2 cups of apple cider, I like the natural one with the "mother" still in it - forget the name) then a tablespoon of black pepper ( i like course ground cause i want to see the flakes in the sauce), start with a teaspoon of salt, teaspoon or red pepper flakes, tablespoon of brown sugar, and a couple of squirts of heinz ketchup. Shake till dissolved and adjust seasonings/salt/sweet balance as needed. Its a western Carolina style sauce. other optional ingredients - mustard powder or a squirt of mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, melted butter, ground cayenne or hot sauce, etc. Letha of Letha's ribs always put a bit of heinz 57 in her Memphis style sauce. Just play around with it till it's something you like, just make sure to keep notes or you'll never make it the same way again. You want the sauce fairly salty as your interior meat will need a bit of salt, some piquant from the vinegar and pepper to help cut the fatty slickness of the pork, but balance is key. Careful with big flavors that mask the pork.
 
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