Pork shoulder

J

jimmyjazz

2,500+ Posts
OK, I think I'm going to smoke a pork shoulder this weekend. Somebody give me some guidelines. Do I do it the same way I'd do a similar-sized brisket? Am I aiming for the same internal temperature (195 F)? How do I serve it? Is sauce a no-no?
 
Damn, everyone must have Friday off.

195 is what I shoot for. Pork shoulder is kind of hard to mess up because of all the fat in it. You can cook the thing for 8 to 18 hours and it seems to only get better. If it is a little burnt just trim most of the crispy stuff off. Finishing in the oven is no sin here either. Keep your heat between 200 and 250. Usually the temp will seem to get stuck around 160 but just keep after it and it will eventually come up to 195 or so. When that L shaped bone is sticking out about a half inch or so you know you are about there. Start plenty early. It will keep warm in a cooler if you wrap in two or three layers of heavy foil and towels so it is better to have it finished early rather than late if your meal is at a set time.

I will rub mine with salt and pepper, paprika and garlic powder before hand, preferably the day before as I think it really helps with the flavor on any meat to let it sit overnight with the rub on it. Sometimes I will stuff garlic down in it. You can use a mop sauce on it but it is not really necessary.

I think I will cook one this weekend. Thanks for the idea.
 
Would it be OK to slather it up with some yellow mustard & a dry rub like I do pork ribs before smoking?

Do I serve it "pulled pork" style, on sandwich buns?
 
How high in temperature you go depends on what end product you want.

Assuming you want pulled pork, I try to smoke it around 225-250 until it hits internal about 200. Then wrap in foil and towels and stick in a cooler for however long you need. Then get a couple of forks and just shred it. We make sandwiches out of it --- put the pork on the sandwiches and then some sauce on top. Some pre-sauce it, but I prefer the other way. There's also a North Carolina vinager style sauce that I think is crap but some people like.

Some people inject it for flavor, but I just put a good thick rub on the night before or a few hours before I begin cooking.

If you want to slice it like brisket then you don't need to take it so high. I don't have a good stopping point, but you should be able to find one fairly easy.

For pulled pork, I find it takes 1 1/2 - 2 hours per pound (very small ones --- 4 pounds less or so --- don't hold to this rule and take longer than you think). And the other poster is right. It will sit in the 160 range for 1-2 hours while it renders, but will rise fairly rapidly once it hits 170.

It's a very forgiving cut of meat. And very tasty.

Good luck.
 
Everyone is spot on regarding timing - I recently had a pork shoulder take significantly longer than expected (still don't know why) - and we all ate cereal for dinner. Have it ready early - don't try to time it just right.
 
Here's our favorite. It's from Schlesinger and Willoughby's Thrill of the Grill.

The rub is enough for two four to five pound boneless butts.

2TBLS of all of the following: salt, sugar, brown sugar, ground cumin, chili powder, cracked black pepper. Add 1TBL cayenne and 4TBLS paprika.

Rub it all over the butts, including the "inside" that will result from boning the butts. Tie them back up into something remotely resembling the original shape. (If you can get your butcher to bone them you have won half the battle because getting that goofy L-shaped bone out of there is a royal pain.)

I don't bother with a meat thermometer because these have a very wide margin for error. I just throw 'em in the smoker for 11 hours while keeping the smoker temp around 225 degrees. "Low and slow is the way to go."

Just like the other comments above, you can wrap these babies up in foil and let 'em sit for up to a couple of hours. They need to sit at least 15 minutes anyway before you "pull" the meat.

Now comes the interesting part. While the meat is delicious by itself, serving on a cheap white hamburger bun is the way to go. We have an almost violent disagreement within the family, though, about the sauce to use. This may be heresy, but I like the vinegar-based Eastern Carolina sauce mixed in with this meat. Others hate it, so I have a little "Texas-style" BBQ sauce for theirs. Others think the meat without any sauce is perfect. So, "saucing" is up to the individual. I usually do this for big family gatherings or tailgates and make a little speech, which Mrs. Tull says is unnecessary and gratuitous, about the sauce options before folks hit the chow line.

The East Carolina sauce is simple, too. 1 C of white vinegar, 1 C of cider vinegar, 1 TBL sugar, 1 TBL crushed red pepper flakes, 1 TBL Tabasco and S&P to taste. Just mix 'em together and you're ready to go. If you use this on the pork, just keep in mind that a little goes a long way.

Serve it with coleslaw and, again, let folks decide if they want it on the side or (gag!) on top of the pulled pork in the sandwich. Another almost violent argument within the family and tailgate group.

We're all native Texans, and brisket is still the King, but this is a really nice change of pace.

Oh, and since you're smoking these for 11 hours, have lots of col' beer on hand before you start.
 
I've only done a butt once, and like others, it wasn't ready in time for dinner. But was damn good for sammiches.

This may be a dumb question, but what's the difference between a pork butt and pork shoulder? Besides the obvious.
 
Whole pork shoulders are cut into two cuts. One is called Boston Butt for some yankee reason and the other is usually called a picnic roast. What you get at HEB or Sam's is Boston Butt but a lot of people just call it pork shoulder.
 
#3 the "butt" is a roast cut off of a whole pork shouder.

the recipe posted by jethro is almost identical to mine. i use vinegary sauce, and slaw on the sandwich is a must.

mmm ... i think i'll do one tomorrow
 
i've said it before and i'm saying it again, pulled pork with georgia mustard sauce and slaw on top is one of my favorite bbq dishes
 
While the Thrill of the Grill recipe is the one I like best, Tyler Florence has a mustard based pulled pork recipe that is great for a change of pace. You can find that one on the Food Network's site.

If we didn't have a 70% chance for rain tomorrow, I'd be startin' to mix up a rub right now.
 
^
^
tyler's the recipe for the oven roasted pulled pork? i've used that one before more than once ... really like the rub

using that recipe i cooked it mostly in the smoker then finished it in the oven ... worked great.

the sauce recipe, while tasting great, only needs about 1/3 of the vinegar called for ... as written you will pucker.

damn i am going to buy my butt as soon as this game is over. think i'll cheat a bit and get a quart of vinegar slaw to go from ruby's tomorrow though.
 
[Luke]Stoking the fire and bastin' the Butt, Boss.[/Luke]

Wait, does that go on 316?

Now I can't sleep. I guess I will put it on the National Geo channel. Shows about insects put me to sleep everytime.

This is going to be delicious.
 
I prefer taking mine off at 195. I also like to pull it apart in chunks kept in a cast iron pot to keep warm for serving. Guests can shred if they want or eat the chunks. The last one I made was for a party. I cooked it for 12 hours in the smoker with hickory wood and then finished in the oven for 6 hours. It was tremendous.

As i was pulling it apart in chunks, a couple of guests would come by for an early treat. Within minutes, the whole place was buzzing and there was a crowd 2-deep around me. It was like a bunch of buzzards - a real feeding frenzy. I could barely get it apart before someone would snatch it away from me.

Probably the best thing I have ever cooked. I served it with a thin vinegar based paprica and celery salt sauce that was a mock-up of Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City. I will see if I can find the recipe if anyone's interested. Served it chunked with potato salad and beer. Fantastic!
 
Smoked mine from 11 pm Sat night until 2 Sunday afternoon then finished in oven until 4. Temp hit 205. Served it by itself with roasted potatoes and a salad. The girlfriend agreed it was the best one I have ever made. Didn't need sauce. Some friends were supposed to come over and help eat it but they stood me up so now they are right out. I am freezing the extra. All for me.

Today it is time to get the coleslaw made and make sandwiches (slaw on side you heathens). I can't wait.
 
I'm surprised you can cook one done in 11 hours. The only way I've managed anything close to that quick is by cheating and cutting the shoulder into 2 4-5 pound pieces, and even then usually have to use foil once I get through the 160 area plateau.
 
i did mine last weekend with a combo on the smoker and the oven and it owned. we shared it with my neighbor and his wife and hes still talking about it. hes from georgia, so the mustard vinegar sauce i made sat well with him.
 
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