first pork shoulder


 
R

Ren

New member
Going to be smoking my first pork shoulder.

Will be cooking at 250... at what temp should I wrap it and at what temp should I pull it off?
 
same as above, I don't wrap and just power through the stall. Remove from smoker at 195, then wrap in foil to rest for about 30-45 minutes before pulling.
 
Like those before me, I don't foil my shoulders. I also try to get bone in shoulders. I pay attention to the temps, but when I actually pull the shoulder from the smoker is when the bone can turn from the meat. Then I'll rest it and pull it, often times drizzling a little apple cider onto the meat as I pull.
 
Ren;
I ALWAYS wrap my butts (no comments, please:rolleyes:). I wrap when the bark is set - normally around 165 degrees or so internal temperature. I place in a foil pan to catch all of the late juices and foil the top tightly. Then I go by tenderness as to when to remove from the smoker and rest. Somewhere between 195 and 205 something magic happens. As soon as it is probe tender, I take off the smoker, loosen the top foil so it can cool and quite cooking and let it rest for a half hour to an hour. Then it is pulled. As I have mentioned before, the juices are defatted and used to moisten, as necessary, the pulled pork (it also adds flavor, bigtime, as I inject all of my pork shoulders). Left over juices can be refrigerated for later use, etc. for a short time.

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Robert McGee said:
Ren;
I ALWAYS wrap my butts (no comments, please:rolleyes:). I wrap when the bark is set - normally around 165 degrees or so internal temperature. I place in a foil pan to catch all of the late juices and foil the top tightly. Then I go by tenderness as to when to remove from the smoker and rest. Somewhere between 195 and 205 something magic happens. As soon as it is probe tender, I take off the smoker, loosen the top foil so it can cool and quite cooking and let it rest for a half hour to an hour. Then it is pulled. As I have mentioned before, the juices are defatted and used to moisten, as necessary, the pulled pork (it also adds flavor, bigtime, as I inject all of my pork shoulders). Left over juices can be refrigerated for later use, etc. for a short time.

FWIW
Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
Click to expand...

Thanks Robert you saved me a whole bunch of typing because I do the exact same thing
 
Like others before me (Dale53 and Rich) I foil around 165 and pull around 200+/- if it's probe tender. The butt sits on a "cake rack" sitting on a drip pan during the entire smoke, and I wrap a big piece of foil over the works when it's time to wrap.
 
All these tips are good. A lot of the steps are really a matter of preference as far as when to wrap or if to wrap. I'm excited for you. Cooking that first pork butt is a rite of passage!
 
I've done it both ways..... Cant really say one is better, you just get a little harder crust if you don't do the the foil at 160.. I foil them usually after 195 mark and let them sit in a 6 pk cooler for an hour and save the juices and pour that over the pulled meat.
 
I go something like Robert and Rich above. I pan and foil when the color gets the way I like it. I am not of the "black as a meteor" crowd. So when I get a nice mahogany color I wrap it. Cook until the bone is loose and giggly...
 
so i cooked 3 full shoulders on my 22.5 WSM the other night. Put them on the cooker around 8 pm. Checked on smoker every 2 hours to maintain 225-250. At 4 a when I checked temp was down to 125 so I transfered it to over (Don't shoot me!!) to finish up. Around 10 am, one of the butts was at 195... the other two required another hour. Foiled them to preserve moisture and juices and pulled them a few hours later. They were delicious. It has all been vacuum sealed for serving next week.
 
Nothing wrong with going in the oven at that point. Don't sweat it. Once you've had your own smoked shoulder the restaurants won't be the same. Congrats on a successful smoke.
 
I do as Robert does and collect those Au Jus's. I've done with and without and prefer the wrap after the bark has formed nice
 
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