Questions on first pork shoulder this weekend

[Guest]

This weekend I'll be doing my first pork shoulder. I am currently defrosting a 13.65 lb. Cryovac package, so there will be two pieces of meat about 6.8 lbs each. I don't know if this includes a bone. I'll be using the mustard recipe for both as well as the Minion Method with two full chimneys and 5-6 chunks of soaked pecan wood. I am planning on about 10-11 hours @ about 240-250*. I'm shooting for an internal temp of 175 - 190*.

Questions:

Does this sound about right?

I'll be putting the meat on about 6:00 AM. If the meat is done sooner, how should I store it (tin foil?) and for how long?

Do I need to trim the fat cap?

How much shrinkage can I expect and how many will this amount of meat feed? -- We'll be having pulled pork sandwiches.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

DWL

 

[Rob B.]

Hi Doug, I've got 4 butts on right now myself. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif For your questions:

Does this sound about right? I like to take mine to 190 minimum, usually 195.

I'll be putting the meat on about 6:00 AM. If the meat is done sooner, how should I store it (tin foil?) and for how long? I plan on 12 hours usually. That's a fair average, but you can't count on it every time for sure. When the meat finishes, it's always good to wrap it up in some HD tin foil and pack it in a warm cooler with towels. It will continue to cook for a little bit, and the temp will probably rise a couple of degrees. I've kept meat like this for 3 hours with no problems. Make sure the internal stays above 140.

Do I need to trim the fat cap? I trim mine down similar to a brisket; cut the thick stuff out, leaving 1/8 - 1/4".

How much shrinkage can I expect and how many will this amount of meat feed? -- We'll be having pulled pork sandwiches. Chris has posted somewhere on the site to expect 40 - 50% I believe. That amount of meat should yield around 7lbs cooked, which should feed 14 eaters like me, or 21 - 25 "normal" eaters. /infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

 

[Jim Minion]

First I'm not sure what you mean by two full chimneys. Fill the firering charcoal and use aprox 1/2 a chimney to light it off.

Unless your use to a lot of snoke I would cut back to about 3 chunks of pecan and there is no reason to soak them.

I would plan on 12 to 14 hours for the cook, you can get it done in your time table but you would need to wrap in foil for the end of the cook to make.

At 170? the butt will not be ready, you could go to 175? wrap and hold if you want sliced but for pulled take it to 195?. Much more of the fat will be rendered and it will be sweet like candy.

You can trim the fat cap or leave it, since this is your first I would leave it.
Jim

 

[Kevin Taylor]

I can't add anything new, but will reinforce what you have already heard...

Finish temp needs to be above 190?..I have taken mine as high as 205? and it results in almost NO fat left in the meat.

You better plan on at least 14-16 hours. Never, ever plan on the low side..especially if you have company for dinner. I cook my butts at 225? and not one has ever finished before 2hrs./lb. Your temps are a little higher so you will save a little time, but not much. Better to have to store it for 4-5 hours than trying to hurry it up with drooling guests waiting.

I trim the fat cap COMPLETEY. There is so much internal fat that it will stay very moist. 2 reasons I do this...there is NO spice on the planet that will penetrate a thick fat cap, hence no flavor to your meat. The other thing I like about trimming is much more bark to mix with the inside meat.

As Jim stated, 2 full chimney's of lit charcoal is waaaay to much. Again, with the WSM, it is so much easier to control the temps from the bottom up than it is to try and cool the fire down. Fill your ring to overflowing and add the 1/2 chimney of lit coals.

Finally, here is your formula for calculating servings. What type of crowd are you serving....families or all men drinking and watching sports? Then, decide on how large you want your sammiches......1/4 lb. or 1/3 lb. If other food is to be served and you have mixed guests, 1/4 lb. is plenty. If all hungry men only and only snacks for other food, you may need to go as high as 1/2 lb. per guest.

OK, the formula............

NS = (RW X .50) / PS

NS = Number of guests served
RW = Raw weight
PS = Portion size(in lbs.)

So, for using 1/4 lb. portions...

NS = (6.8 X .50) / .25
NS = 3.4 / .25
NS = 13.6

For 1/3 lb. portions....

NS = (6.8 X .50) / .33
NS = 3.4 / .33
NS = 10.3

Keep in mind, this is for EACH butt, so simply double the NS for 2 butts. One last note....pulled pork freezes and reheats very well, so you will never go wrong with more meat.

Good luck, Doug!

 

[Guest]

WOW! I way underestimated my time. I think I 'll get up earlier and start this -- maybe like 3 am. Glad were having a heat wave -- won't be so cold in the middle of the night.

By two chimneys I meant two weber starters full. I will reduce that as well as the wood. Also I underestimated how many get served. Looks like lots of leftovers to take home for the guests or call some more people!

 

[Dennis Fraley]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Doug Leonard:
[qb] By two chimneys I meant two weber starters full. I will reduce that as well as the wood. Also I underestimated how many get served. Looks like lots of leftovers to take home for the guests or call some more people! [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>After you eat some you wont want to give any away for leftovers. You'll want to keep the rest for yourself! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

 

[Rob B.]

Just for a different point of reference, the 4 butts (30lbs) I mentioned above took 18 long hours to cook. Sat at 171* forever... /infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif