Thank You for responding Demo! Yes, the burners run front to back, and I am smoking indirectly. I put the packet on the burner itself until smoke appears, but as soon as I take it off the heat, I do not see any more smoke coming from the packet at all. It appears to me that it is either out or not lit enough. In turn, I then put the packet back on the heat to produce more smoke. That's when I run into my time problem. I wanted to smoke a pork shoulder, and it would probably be around a 6 to 8 pound shoulder. How long should I smoke the shoulder for? Should I use smoke during the entire process? Would adding a dry rub to the outside hinder the smoke process? What would be the best way to acheive that perfect pulled pork with a Texan style sauce? (I believe it is a sweet vinegar based sauce, but im uncertain)
Thank you for you Replies!
You're welcome Smoke!!
How long to smoke for is is up to your personal tastes and how much of a smoke flavor you want. Presuming that you are making "good smoke" so to speak, you can smoke it the entire time it's on the grill/smoker. Personally, I've never smoked a butt for less than 4 hours, and that was just because I wanted a light hint of smoke on that particular occassion.
Will dry rub hinder the process ? The "factual" answer is that yes, Rubs "hinder the process". That said, the "hinderance" is so minor that it's ignored by most as it won't stand in the way of you getting good smoke penetration.
As for time, rough guideline is anywhere between 1.5 - 2 hrs per pound. Foiling at 165˚ reduces that amount of time. Also, when you pull the butt, you should throw it in a towel lined cooler to let it rest for a couple of hours before pulling.
Can't tell if you are asking for input on a "Texan style sauce", but just in case, sorry, can't help ya there as I'm a n00b at sauces :)
WRT you getting smoke from the packets, hopefully, someone else experienced with using packets will jump in and offer a solution. Best I can do is to suggest getting an actual smokebox for your grill, preferably a nice cast iron one (in my opinion).
Here's a very good step by step guide for Boston Butts by Bearcarver that I've found to be very helpful.
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/140055/boston-butt-pulled-pork-step-by-step