Surviving my first all nighter


 
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John Bergan

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Party today at 3 PM. Yesterday, I picked up a 9 lb shoulder at the local warehouse store (BJ's), after trimming it was probably around 7.5 lbs. I got the WSM fired up last night at 10 and it was ready to go by 10:45 (Minion Method). I used the timer on my Polder as an alarm clock, got up about every two hours to check the heat, add water, mop and flip the shoulder.

My WSM maintained a constant 235 (measured through the top vent)all night with no vent manipulation and an occasional addition of water to the pan. The outside temp was 70.

I am really impressed with the temperature consistency I get with the WSM. I had one minor spike about 8 AM, when I opened all three bottom vents 100% to try and get the temp up just a little. Other than that, the WSM makes it really easy. I could have slept in longer stretches, just getting up to add water.

I put the Polder probe in the shoulder about 8AM (two hours ago), it was at 157. It's now at 168. I'm shooting for a 1 PM finish time.
 
You will be fine, you could put in foil if you need to speed up the cook a little, but your fine.
Jim
 
Thanks.

I think the 168 was a plateau. It stayed at 168 for about an hour and then jumped to 172. The WSM temp has been steady at 230 for hours with all three bottom vents 3/4 open. The outside temp is already up to 85, way too hot for October!
 
John,
It sounds like you may have trimmed off the skin and fat cap side. This is okay, as the shoulder will have enough internal fat to keep it moist, but I never do it. After cooking, most of the fat will be rendered out and the skin and remaining fat are much easier to remove. I think you can also save yourself some work by not flipping the shoulder; it's really not necessary.

You may now be in the 165?F plateau, where it could remain for an extended period of time (couple of hours, or more). Don't get anxious too soon; when it comes out of the plateau, it will move on up to the target temperature of 195?F in plenty of time for your 3 PM party. If it finishes early, just double wrap in foil and towels and place in a small cooler. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!
 
You're right, Ray. I did remove the skin and a lot of the fat that was beneath the skin. If I leave the skin and fat cap on, is there any reason to use a rub on that side, since it'll come off when the shoulder is done, or should I just use rub on the other side?
 
John, I usually just rub my shoulders down with yellow mustard, slathering it all over them. Here, you can see some pictures where I demonstrated how to slow-cook a whole picnic shoulder on a kettle type grill, using indirect heat and wood chips. Here, is one that was cooked on the WSM. (Use the Prev and Next links, above the pictures, to view the entire series.) Sometimes, I will add a few spices to the mustard, sometimes not.

BTW, if you want a shoulder with the skin and fat cap already removed, just buy a Boston Butt. It's the upper portion of the shoulder and has usually been trimmed pretty close.
 
Well, everything worked out great. The meat hit 190 at 2:15 PM. It was the hit of the party. Unfortunately, there are no leftovers. I put two sauces out--one mustard based, one ketchup based. It amazed me how easily the meat pulled.
 
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