Pork shoulder - cooking too quickly?


 
J

Jimmy D

New member
I put my first pork shoulder on this morning at 7:20 am with an internal temp of 48F. Smoker was at 180F. Since then, the smoker hasn't strayed from 235F, but the shoulder is already reading at 111F after only an hour and ten minutes - seems awfully quick to me. Does that seem normal to you guys? I've read that it can hang around the 160F point so is that when things start to slow down?

I was planning on having the meat for dinner, but at this rate, looks like it might be brunch! Appreciate any advice!

Edit - The shoulder is 7.75 lbs, so I was planning for about an 11 hour cook.
 
I would trust that more than the lid. I have only owned my WSM for less than a year. So, I'm still trying to figure all of this stuff out myself.

This is an older screenshot of a cook from last August. I'm not sure what I was cooking in here. But, you can see the food temp in this graph. It took an 1.25 - 1.5 hrs. to get to 160. In the next 2.5 hours, it only rose another 10 degrees.

9636537425_f23ba9ace2_o.png
 
That graph definitely helps to put it in perspective - very cool! What kind of equipment and software are you using to generate such accurate cook data?
 
Jimmy, that graph is very typical of a low n slow cook. The higher the pit temp, the higher temp the stall will be and the less time the butt hangs out in the stall. Lower temps means lower longer stall. I won't touch a thing because I think you're on track for a great dinner.
 
if it reaches your desired internal temp before dinnertime, wrap in foil and store in cooler or 150 to 200º oven.
I smoked a 7 pound butt last weekend, on at 10pm Saturday night, ready to pull after 14 hours...
 
Jimmy D said:
That graph definitely helps to put it in perspective - very cool! What kind of equipment and software are you using to generate such accurate cook data?
Click to expand...

It's the HeaterMeter. I learned about it here on tvwbb forums. Here's the forum dedicated to it.

http://tvwbb.com/forumdisplay.php?85-LinkMeter-v2-Homebrew-BBQ-Controller

Bryan Mayland designed and developed it. A lot of people owe him a debt of gratitude. It's awesome! It actually controls the pit temp via a fan, servo or both. I'm just using a fan only. You can log onto it via the Internet and check progress or modify settings, which includes your smart phone. It can email you or send you text messages at high/low points for each probe.

Subscribe to this thread. People post their live cooks there. You can tune in and see one in action.

Obviously, it's not something you have to have to cook on the WSM. But, it's fun to play with. And, it does help. But, you can trade fiddling with the vents to dial in temp to fiddling with the HM. But, I like being able to sit in the house with my laptop on the table and being able to keep a close eye on my cooks.
 
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