Newbie Need Some Advice for Cooking a Pork Shoulder


 
MartinB said:
Not necessary to rest pulled pork. You might let it cool a little bit. But then grab a couple of forks and start shredding it
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I disagree, the long rest definitely improves pulled pork! I’d give it a good three hour rest, pulling it immediately is not bad but, I really swear by the 3-4 hour rest wrapped and toweled in a cooler.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I disagree, the long rest definitely improves pulled pork! I’d give it a good three hour rest, pulling it immediately is not bad but, I really swear by the 3-4 hour rest wrapped and toweled in a cooler.
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I agree with the long rest. After reading through this thread and a few videos, I am setting aside about 10 hours. I'll cook until the IT temp hits the mark and then rest for several hours. More to come after the cook. Thank you to everyone for the advice and feedback (y). This is the exact reason why I joined this forum. Well, that and to see if anyone will ever invite me over for a bbq :D
 
BenM said:
I agree with the long rest. After reading through this thread and a few videos, I am setting aside about 10 hours. I'll cook until the IT temp hits the mark and then rest for several hours. More to come after the cook. Thank you to everyone for the advice and feedback (y). This is the exact reason why I joined this forum. Well, that and to see if anyone will ever invite me over for a bbq :D
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I smoked a 7 lb boneless shoulder yesterday on 18” WSM at 250 degrees. Put in on at 5 am, took it off at 5:45 pm (did not wrap). Wrapping earlier certainly should accelerate the cook, but 10 hours with a rest, on my smoker yesterday would have been ambitious indeed. Will be anxious to learn about your experience. Tough not to love pulled pork
 
BenM said:
I agree with the long rest. After reading through this thread and a few videos, I am setting aside about 10 hours. I'll cook until the IT temp hits the mark and then rest for several hours. More to come after the cook. Thank you to everyone for the advice and feedback (y). This is the exact reason why I joined this forum. Well, that and to see if anyone will ever invite me over for a bbq :D
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Ben, I might go twelve hours, the extra time at the backside is much more relaxing, I did a big feast a couple of weeks ago and the butts were done as an overnight and came off at about nine AM didn’t pull them until almost five, still almost too hot to handle.
And I can tell you that once you establish yourself as the Grill/Pit talent, the invitations for dinner seem to begin to dry up, I’m told that my prowess is intimidating to many!
 
The scary thing is even tho the recommended temps and times are all over the place...they can all be right!

That said I recommend Kevin Krugers Butt Rub for Jane and of course No.5 Sauce. Adding dried cherries and lemon juice are all excellent additions to that sauce. Have fun and relax.
 
Lew Newby said:
That works, but, most of us like a rest of at least an hour. 5 hours works too. In this article, Chris recommends 2 - 4 hours for increased tenderness. https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/pork-butt-smoke-spice-renowned-mr-brown/
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I've never had a pulled pork that wasn't tender enough. You're going to have a hard time pulling it if it's not.... And I don't want mine to be mush either. Some people like a scoop of meat fiber mush... Out of a pan of hot barbecue sauce / chicken broth / bouillon.... I've had it that way quite a few restaurants.. That's their idea of pulled pork .
 
MartinB said:
I've never had a pulled pork that wasn't tender enough. You're going to have a hard time pulling it if it's not.... And I don't want mine to be mush either. Some people like a scoop of meat fiber mush... Out of a pan of hot barbecue sauce / chicken broth / bouillon.... I've had it that way quite a few restaurants.. That's their idea of pulled pork .
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As I said at the beginning of my comment. Your method works. Most of us just choose a different method that also works very well. We're not restaurants.
 
Lew Newby said:
As I said at the beginning of my comment. Your method works. Most of us just choose a different method that also works very well. We're not restaurants.
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Yep, I rest and pull, it’s easy, doesn’t make me stressed, keeps food flowing at parties with minimum fuss. Im better than lots of restaurants along the lines of pulled pork around here. No sauce but, I only have that as a side condiment.
 
It is 7:15 am EST and this beauty just went on the WSM. I used a mustard slather, injected a mixture of apple juice, water, salt sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. I Meatchurch Honey BBQ rub as a base and then layered a nice top coat of the Gospel.

I loaded up the WSM and added a few chunks of hickory. I'll check back in about 5 hours.

More to come.
 

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No temperature probe? I wouldn’t touch it for eight but, that’s me. “Lookin’ ain’t Cookin’ as they say. Five hours and you might be in the stall, no sense in peeking and having the temperature wobble. Leave it alone.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
No temperature probe? I wouldn’t touch it for eight but, that’s me. “Lookin’ ain’t Cookin’ as they say. Five hours and you might be in the stall, no sense in peeking and having the temperature wobble. Leave it alone.
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I replaced the WSM temp gauge with a huge, 4" mod. I also have an infrared thermometer that I'll use today. I only use a probe with my Traeger, which has more fluctuations than the WSM.
 
BenM said:
I replaced the WSM temp gauge with a huge, 4" mod. I also have an infrared thermometer that I'll use today. I only use a probe with my Traeger, which has more fluctuations than the WSM.
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How do you know what the IT of the butt is? (Handheld quick-read?).
What are you measuring with the infrared thermometer?
 
It is now 11:45 am EST here in NY. The pork has been on for about 4 1/2 hours and this is how it looks. I just sprayed it with some apple juice and apple cider vinegar. In about an hour or so, I'll probe with my instant read thermometer. When it hits around 165 or so, I might wrap it in an aluminum pan, add some butter, a little brown sugar and another layer of Honey BBQ rub before putting it back on the rig [at around 275] until it hits an IT of about 200-203. Once it gets there, I'll wrap for several hours before serving it for dinner.

More to come
 

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Get yourself one of these. Cheap as chips, reliable and save yourself having to open your rig unnecessarily to check ITs. Especially when you've hit "the stall". I have one and they're excellent!
 
Ah, ok. Any reason why you're not using the TP28 this cook? Seems like a pain having to open up the cooker to check for IT. That could add to your cook time too.
 
TonyUK said:
Ah, ok. Any reason why you're not using the TP28 this cook? Seems like a pain having to open up the cooker to check for IT. That could add to your cook time too.
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I find that the WSM is amazing at holding temps. I made ribs the other night and it was rock steady at 225. I just pulled the pork, wrapped it, and checked the temp with two different thermometers...all came in at 275, just like the gauge on the WSM
 

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