Any pro tips for foiling your pork shoulder part way though the smoke??

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ostrichsak

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Oct 4, 2013
255
48
This seems to be the most difficult part of my smoke that usually involves me standing in the cold wind (sometimes rain) at about 3:00am cussing trying to get the shoulder off of my rack and onto the foil so I can wrap it.  I usually wrap at 165deg and struggle with this step.  I have even tried to use PAM no-stick spray on the rack so it doesn't stick and it still sticks.  I end up tearing off large chunks of the bark I worked so hard for and when I do it by myself it's enough to make me want to not smoke anymore.  I have a larger spatula that I try to use carefully to get the shoulder off of the rack and then balance it while trying to stuff the large piece of foil underneath it in a way that doesn't tear it or not center it and I don't lose all my heat.... bleh!  

So the point is, I'm hoping someone can give me a pointer for doing this a lot more gracefully than I have to this point.  I'd love to make this process easier and less stressful so I'm open to ideas for foiling tightly a pork shoulder that's about 165deg.

Thanks for the help!
 
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First off, I'am no pro but I'll throw in my 2 cents ! Couple things ya can try that I can think of.... I have coated my grates with veggie oil & that seems to help get the shoulder off better. Second, start the shoulder in a shallow disposable pan, it'll still soak up the smoke that way, but then your not gonna have to fight the grates ! Hope this may be of some help to ya !
 
I thought about using a foil pan from the beginning but worried about it taking the smoke & worried the bottom section sitting in it's own 'stew' juices the entire time wouldn't develop a bark. About to put it on though so I'm not sure I'd be able to do something like that for this one since I don't have one handy antway.

Any pre-smoke tips will be stored for next time. If anyone has some tips on transferring to foil that I can use this time I'd appreciate it.
 
If ya get them juices, ya can use it when ya pull it ! Combine them juices with the bark & that's gonna be darned tasty ! Ya don't have to use all the juice & what ya don't use ya can use as a stock or some dippin sauce ! That juice is some goood stuff !
 
here's a TRICK...... Use Todd's A-MAZE-N Q-MATZ..... Smoke the meat on the matz.... they are smoker safe.... Teflon coated.... nothing sticks..... Put the foil over the top of the shoulder and pick it up..... Pull it off and wrap.... Then put it in the oven...... it don't need any more smoke 'cause it wrapped in foil....
I've used them for wings, veggies even put stuff on them in my dehydrator... nothing sticks.... they clean easy.... Todd makes some good stuff....

http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=46
 
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If ya get them juices, ya can use it when ya pull it ! Combine them juices with the bark & that's gonna be darned tasty ! Ya don't have to use all the juice & what ya don't use ya can use as a stock or some dippin sauce ! That juice is some goood stuff !
I have a pan to catch them below so it's not like they're going anywhere.  I mean more if I start with the shoulder in a pan the juices will just pool up as the fat renders and the constant moisture on the bottom will keep that entire area from forming bark.  Not sure I want to go that route.
 
If ya get them juices, ya can use it when ya pull it ! Combine them juices with the bark
I have a pan to catch them below so it's not like they're going anywhere.  I mean more if I start with the shoulder in a pan the juices will just pool up as the fat renders and the constant moisture on the bottom will keep that entire area from forming bark.  Not sure I want to go that route.

Ok, you just asked for suggestions ! Good luck to ya !
 
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here's a TRICK...... Use Todd's A-MAZE-N Q-MATZ..... Smoke the meat on the matz.... they are smoker safe.... Teflon coated.... nothing sticks..... Put the foil over the top of the shoulder and pick it up..... Pull it off and wrap.... Then put it in the oven...... it don't need any more smoke 'cause it wrapped in foil....
I've used them for wings, veggies even put stuff on them in my dehydrator... nothing sticks.... they clean easy.... Todd makes some good stuff....

http://www.amazenproducts.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=46
I'm not buying or suggesting any more of his products.  I had a bad experience with the pellet tube after he suggested it over the pellet tray and after emailing back and forth just refused to reply to any of my emails.  I know a lot of people here have had good experiences when they just order and everything goes smoothly but the customer service when things don't go as planned seems to be lacking at best.  I'm sure they're amazing but we have some grill mats that are still in the wrapper that I never used on the grill that I may just trim and try in the smoker instead.  Your post may have gave me the best idea yet though as I was possibly going about it all wrong.  I was trying to lift the thing to get the foil under it and then wrap it upwards over the top which is a cat rodeo with one person and isn't much better the time I tried two people.  I may just use my big spatula to separate it from the grill and then put the foil on top and wrap underneath as I lift with the foil.  Not sure why I never though to try it that way but that may just be the tip I'm looking for.  I had a feeling there was something simple I was missing so that's why I wanted to post.  Thanks!
 
Non stick rack inside a foil pan or steamer pan for a few hours.
I usually have minimum bark pull of when cooking directly on my porcelain grates. But when I do... I am happy, because these are chefs treats.
 
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Non stick rack inside a foil pan or steamer pan for a few hours.
I usually have minimum bark pull of when cooking directly on my porcelain grates. But when I do... I am happy, because these are chefs treats.
D'oh!  Rack inside of a foil pan.  I just made one of these a couple of months ago and totally for that.  That might be my solution to all of my problems.  Cook on wire rack inside of a foil pan and then place the cover on it after the 4hr smoke taking on portion of the smoke.  Too late to do this this time but I'll make note and give that a try next time.  Might just be the solution I was looking for that addresses all of my concerns.

Up next, where to find the cheapest foil pan/lids that will work for this...
 
D'oh!  Rack inside of a foil pan.  I just made one of these a couple of months ago and totally for that.  That might be my solution to all of my problems.  Cook on wire rack inside of a foil pan and then place the cover on it after the 4hr smoke taking on portion of the smoke.  Too late to do this this time but I'll make note and give that a try next time.  Might just be the solution I was looking for that addresses all of my concerns.

Up next, where to find the cheapest foil pan/lids that will work for this...
Take the hit up front ... buy a steamer pan. Reduce waste, last forever, sturdy, they are my go to pans. Spray or wipe with cooking oil outside and inside, makes cleanup much easier.
 
 
D'oh!  Rack inside of a foil pan.  I just made one of these a couple of months ago and totally for that.  That might be my solution to all of my problems.  Cook on wire rack inside of a foil pan and then place the cover on it after the 4hr smoke taking on portion of the smoke.  Too late to do this this time but I'll make note and give that a try next time.  Might just be the solution I was looking for that addresses all of my concerns.

Up next, where to find the cheapest foil pan/lids that will work for this...
Take the hit up front ... buy a steamer pan. Reduce waste, last forever, sturdy, they are my go to pans. Spray or wipe with cooking oil outside and inside, makes cleanup much easier.
I've got a steamer pan but not sure how I would use that for this use.  I'm guessing I would need a much larger one and then just place the shoulder in the top section and put the whole thing in the smoker, huh?
 
What I use:  A 15" paella pan with a 13.25" non stick round cooling rack.  I usually line the paella pan with HD aluminum foil, place the cooling rack, then spray or brush the cooling rack with olive oil.   Smoke butts/shoulders fat side down.  Picked both the paella pan and cooling rack up off Amazon.  I have two pans and racks and use them on almost ever single smoke.  The butt shoulder lifts right off when I wear silicone gloves to place on the wrapping.  If I need to haul it in the house to wrap it due to outside temp or weather the handles are nice.   

I also have 8x10 square cooling racks that fit nicely in 9x13 aluminum roasters.  Same spray treatment and one 8-9 lb butt/shoulder fits nicely (or tenderloins as shown below).  Just wrap the top of the roaster in HD aluminum foil when ready to wrap the meat.



 
I haven't read any of the others yet , but here's MHO . Everyone has their own way so try different ways and go that way that is comfortable for you. As for me :

I never wrap and . . .

They always come off the grill easy and they are nice and have good Bark.

If you continue to have sticking problems , try the Q-mats Mr Todd Johnson sells on his site here on the forum.

Other than that , have fun and . . .
 
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